What if you can’t finish the regular season because of the epidemic? NFL boss unanimously pass the 16 team playoff plan

According to media sources on Tuesday local time, the team owners voted unanimously to approve a contingency plan: if the new championship epidemic prevents key games from being held, the number of playoff teams will be increased from 14 to 16.

The so-called key game refers to the number of games that will determine the playoff seats. The regular season length set by the league is 17 weeks, which may be extended to 18 weeks, but never longer. If some important games can’t be finished in time within this time limit, the League will start the program and add two playoff teams.

This season is the first time that the NFL has expanded the playoff season from 12 teams to 14 teams. Compared with the past years, the United States and the League of nations have each added a wild card, that is, the No. 7 seed. They will play the No. 2 seed. In the past, the No.1 and No.2 seeds of the regular season can enjoy the free wheeling privilege, and the new competition system will be monopolized by the regular season champion.

If one team is added, the playoffs will become a duel between 16 teams. No team can be vacant,china jerseys and the No. 1 seed will face the challenge of the No. 8 seed. After entering the second round of the playoffs, the rules of seed alignment are still the same as in the past, the highest to the lowest, the second highest to the lowest. For example, in the case of No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 7, No. 1 vs. 7, No. 3 vs. 4.

At present, NFL adjusts its regular schedule by tearing down the east wall to pay Paul wall. However, the original schedule is only 17 weeks in length, 16 games are deducted, and there is only one week’s room for adjustment. If some teams continue to have new crown infection and are forced to postpone the game, the League may not be able to squeeze out the schedule.

As an alternative, the NFL may cancel or postpone the professional bowl, which was originally scheduled for February 7, next year, so that the regular season can be extended by a week, all playoffs will be postponed accordingly, and the Super Bowl schedule can be kept unchanged. But if this still can’t complete 256 regular season games, the League will have to have an updated contingency plan, that is to expand the playoffs.

League president Roger Goodall stressed to team owners in a conference call: “the plan passed today broadens the operating space for the playoffs to go smoothly, in case the team can’t complete enough regular games.”

The lack of key games may lead to the situation that the two marginal teams in the playoffs have the same or similar record, making it difficult to convince any one of them to be out of the 16 matches. One more quota can solve this problem.

On the other hand, the No.1 seed of 14 teams has no rotation under the playoff system. In case that several top teams in the division have similar results, and some of them are absent, it is also very difficult to decide who is the No.1 seed. Adding an eighth team means that no team has the advantage of free rotation, so it doesn’t matter who is the number one seed.

It should be emphasized that this plan is not necessarily implemented. After all, in theory, as long as the number of playoffs is limited, the situation that two marginal teams have similar record is likely to happen. This is not a perfect solution. The league’s primary goal is to play 256 regular season games in 17 or 18 weeks, at least to ensure that the key games have a result.

In the history of NFL team jerseys, there were 16 teams in the playoffs. In 1982, due to labor disputes, the regular season schedule shrank. As compensation, the League decided to expand the playoffs to 16 teams, accounting for nearly 60% of 28 teams.

At present, three American League teams are tied for sixth place with 5-3 record, including Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis ponies. If it is 14 teams in the playoffs, one of the three teams will be out of the current ranking, and they can all advance in the 16 team playoffs.

The League of nations is equally delicate, with Chicago Bears 5-4, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams jerseys 5-3, ranking sixth to eighth. In addition to the leaders of each division, the remaining teams of the League of nations are all negative records. Assuming that they are not surpassed by other teams in the future, the three teams will join hands to advance to the 16 team playoffs.

The expanded playoffs may reduce the competition of the strongest teams, because the free week is no longer there, and teams that lock in the top division are more likely to let the main team rest rather than take the No. 1 seed. However, due to an extra playoff seat, the competitiveness of the midstream region will be greatly increased, adding a new focus for the second half of the season.