Report: NFL Considering 16-Team Playoff as Contingency Plan For COVID-19
If COVID-19 explodes again this winter, your bad football team could still make the playoffs this season.
The NFL is considering expanding the playoffs this season to 16 teams as a coronavirus contingency plan, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The playoffs would then include four division winners from each conference, along with four wild card spots for each conference.
Back in February the league voted on expanding the playoffs, raising the number of teams in the postseason to 14. Expanding them again would give some of the teams, like the six-time champion New England Patriots, a better chance to play in the postseason despite a poor start to the season.
After beginning the season 2-1, the Patriots went on a four-game losing streak, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and most recently the divisional rival Buffalo Bills. The Patriots now sit at third place in the division behind the Bills (6-2) and the Miami Dolphins (4-3).
While it would be very tough to end the regular season with double-digit wins after a 2-5 start, if New England could finish the season with a 9-7 record they could very much be in the hunt for a wild card spot. But with the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles teams remaining on their schedule, along with four more division games, finishing the season above .500 seems like a monumental feat.
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