Ex-Chiefs OG points out why Lions' playoff seeding rule change proposal will be rejected - "I don’t think the NFL wants that"

The Lions won the top spot in the NFC in 2024 based on their record in the regular season. However, that win did not come easy as they had to battle the Vikings until Week 18 and only a victory in the final gameday ensured that clinched the first seed. It also meant that Kevin O'Connell's team, despite having a better record than some other divisional winners, qualified only as a Wild Card since Detroit and Minnesota are in the same NFC North division.

The Lions want to change that now. They want the seeding to be determined by the overall record in the regular season. The divisional winners and the three next best-placed teams will still qualify but those with a better win-loss ratio will have higher seeding irrespective of whether they have won the division or not. This seems a sensible approach to many people, including former Chiefs' guard Geoff Schwartz.

However, he believes that the chances of this amendment passing are low. He reasons that the divisional champions currently get home-field advantage, which will be wiped off with these changes. Because that would make the urge to win your respective group less important, Schwartz feels that the NFL will not accept this proposed change. He wrote on X/Twitter,

"While this makes sense I doubt it has any chance of passing. Would make winning your division less important and I don’t think the NFL wants that."

Lions offer a counter-argument in their proposal

The Lions said that the NFL should back their changes because the games will remain interesting until the final week because playoff seedings will not be based on divisional winners. For example, the Texans were determined as the fourth seed in the AFC last season before Week 18. They won the AFC South handily but knew that they could not catch the other divisional leaders even if they won their last match of the regular season.

If what Detroit is proposing comes into force, such instances will be eliminated. This will also stop coaches from resting their players before the playoffs because that would hurt their seedings in the postseason. It will also stop the absurdity of teams with losing records, as happened with the Buccaneers in Tom Brady's final season, getting home-field advantage by winning poor divisions and forcing a team with a significantly better record, like the Cowboys that year, to travel.

It now remains to be seen whether the NFL is convinced by the Lions' case or they follow what Geoff Schwartz is predicting will happen.