Lions' proposal for playoff seeding could drastically change NFC North race

Every year, teams are able to make proposals to all NFL owners to vote on ahead of their respective seasons. This year, votes on things like the tush push and kickoff rules are on the table, with the tush push obviously getting a bulk of the headlines since it directly impacts the Philadelphia Eagles' famed play.

However, a majorly impactful proposal is now being presented by the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2025 meetings with owners, and it has to do with how playoff seeding is decided.

The Lions, per SI's Albert Breer, are proposing to team owners that all divisional champions in the AFC and NFC and all wild card teams make the postseason, with seeding decided for those teams based on record. If teams have identical records, then them winning the division works as the tiebreaker.

Obviously, this is huge not just for the league to consider, but for the NFC North to possibly see get enacted. This is going to be one of the most tightly contested NFC North races in recent memory, with almost every team having a legitimate shot at winning the division. Detroit, the current favorite to do just that, now just seems slick for wanting a simplified path to get into the postseason.

Lions' rule proposal can shake everything up in the NFC North

If the Lions won the division, based on this rule, then they'd immediately punch their ticket into the postseason - eliminating the rest of the division from the playoffs in its wake. That prevents the Lions from having any awkward run-ins with their divisional rivals come January, hypothetically.

"The reason, in Detroit’s proposal, reads: Competitive equity. Provides excitement and competition in late-season games. Rewards the best-performing teams from the regular season," shared Breer in his piece on the proposal. He added that the Lions are seeking to really hit the NFL hard on "providing excitement," since that's a huge part of what the league is trying to add back to the playoffs.

Read more: One Lions win-loss prediction for 2025 stands out as peak ridiculous pessimism

This "open seeding" proposal could bring a ton of eyes to late season games that typically don't matter as much, especially when clubs know where they're landing in the postseason puzzle. That's another plus that the league is probably excited to see from this rule proposal.

The vote on this, and other, proposals is set to take place next week. Suddenly, the tush push vote is in the rear view. This Lions proposal feels like it holds a ton more weight.

More Lions news and analysis