{"id":18552,"date":"2025-01-12T03:44:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T03:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18552"},"modified":"2025-01-12T03:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T03:44:23","slug":"breaking-nfl-changes-playoff-seeding-structure-for-2025-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18552","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : NFL changes playoff seeding structure for 2025 season ."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tagStyle_jjmvck-o_O-style_gt0nzj-o_O-sidesPadding_1kaga1a\">\n<div>There are three teams with better records than their opponents playing on the road this weekend.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wrapper_e296pg\">\n<div class=\"wrapper_oenkmd\">\n<figure class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"base_1emrqjj\" title=\"The 2025 NFL playoffs begin on Saturday.\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_7008,h_3942,x_0,y_75\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/si\/01jhbk6ecv4q13tjfd2e.jpg\" alt=\"The 2025 NFL playoffs begin on Saturday.\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"The 2025 NFL playoffs begin on Saturday.\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wrapper_brpv6a\">The 2025 NFL playoffs begin on Saturday. \/ Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_91dmoxfeb\">The NFL made a\u00a0major change to their playoff format heading into the 2020 season, adding two more teams\u2014one in each conference\u2014to the dance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_99yyesreo\">While the number of teams was been adjusted, the seeding structure still remains the same. Currently, the four division winners in each conference earn the top four seeds, with the three wild-card teams then being seeded No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_1jzdu8ucj\">To start the 2024-25 playoffs, however, there are three teams with better records than their opponents playing on the road\u2014a phenomenon that has sparked some\u00a0conversation about the league potentially changing how they seed the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_62pdypd00\">According to CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the NFL plans to look at format this offseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_npfb6kvb0\">&#8220;The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format,&#8221; Jones said ahead of the\u00a0Chargers taking on the Houston Texans on Saturday. &#8220;Maybe, top four teams in win percentage get a home game, instead of division winners.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"style_1y6if9u-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9punqre1e\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1878182122478809234&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnfl%2Fnfl-examine-changing-playoff-seeding-structure-2025&amp;sessionId=507212bf2ceaea56328e1adf03a993221532d173&amp;siteScreenName=SInow&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1878182122478809234\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_x0vdta51d\">Here&#8217;s a look at the three teams playing on the road this weekend despite a better record:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_bozi2b-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_igvvbe7sm\">\n<li class=\"style_dswvvi\">Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, No. 5 seeded wild card) at Houston Texans (10-7, No. 4 seeded division winner)<\/li>\n<li class=\"style_dswvvi\">Minnesota Vikings (14-3, No. 5 seeded wild card) at Los Angeles Rams (10-7, No. 4 seeded division winner)<\/li>\n<li class=\"style_dswvvi\">Washington Commanders (12-5, No. 6 seeded wild card) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, No. 3 seeded division winner)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_fi25xs559\">Jones added that &#8220;team owners haven&#8217;t shown much of an appetite for changing, though,&#8221; so we&#8217;ll have to wait and see how this ultimately plays out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are three teams with better records than their opponents playing on the road this weekend. The 2025 NFL playoffs begin on Saturday. \/ Kirby Lee-Imagn Images&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING : NFL changes playoff seeding structure for 2025 season . - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18552\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : NFL changes playoff seeding structure for 2025 season . - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are three teams with better records than their opponents playing on the road this weekend. 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