Terrible NFC South should lead NFL to reconsider Lions rule change

The Detroit Lions' offseason playoff proposal looks a lot better right about now.

On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured the NFC South champion will finish no better than 8-9 with a 16-14 home win over the Carolina Panthers (8-9). With the result, the division comes down to a Sunday tilt between the New Orleans Saints (6-10) and Atlanta Falcons (7-9). If Atlanta wins to create a three-way tie atop the division, the Panthers will be crowned champs. A New Orleans win would hand Tampa Bay its fifth consecutive division title.

Squashed offseason Detroit Lions proposal could have potentially big impact on upcoming playoffs

The NFC South is once again a pit of despair, with the division doing nothing to earn its playoff spot, let alone the privilege of hosting a postseason game. 

While it's fair to question whether the pending NFC South champion belongs in the playoffs (spoiler: it doesn't), a rule change proposed this past offseason by the Lions wouldn't have threatened its place in the postseason.

Instead, its ramifications would have been felt in the divisional round. Per the proposal, the playoff field would be reseeded by record following wild-card weekend, ensuring the No. 1 seed gets the most advantageous opponent.

Here's a potential scenario that could play out later this month: Let's say the NFC South champion — the No. 4 seed — and a wild-card team (either No. 6 or 7) prevail next weekend. In that case, the 1-seed would have to play a much tougher wild-card team — either the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) or Los Angeles Rams (11-5) — while the No. 2 would play either the Panthers or Bucs.

A similar situation unfolded last year, prompting the Lions' rule change request. Then, the 2-seed Philadelphia Eagles got to play the 10-7 Rams in the divisional round, while the 1-seed Lions played the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders, who were 12-5.

Teams with the top seed in each conference should have the easiest path to the Super Bowl, but the current playoff system ensures that isn't always the case. With a massive wild-card round upset, the fault in the NFL's playoff structure could be magnified.