NFL to Potentially Examine Changing Playoff Seeding Structure for 2025 Season

[JP_614]

I’m not for it. To win a game in the AFC NORTH you gotta come to play. I love my division I love the physicality those games have. They mean something every year. Baltimore has won it twice n a row it won’t happen a third. fukk the Steelers the browns they the browns but AFC north all day.

 

[Spliff]

Everyone doesn’t play everyone, so strength of schedule would dictate seeding.

Trash.

 

[SchoolboyC]

I aint never heard no NBA fans talking about their division championship . That has never driven interest or ratings.

Believe it or not, there’s NBA teams who have banners up in their arena for winning a division title. Plus the NBA gives out a trophy and does the t-shirt and cap deal

But the NBA is an all or nothing sports league for better or worse, so a lot of fans & media don’t really give a shyt about the bragging rights of being the best in your division

 

[tremonthustler1]

I think its overly simplistic to suggest taking away certain rewards for divisions weakened NBA rivalries. And it is revision to suggest it ever mattered like that. What was the big divisional rivalry driving interest in 05, 04, 03, 95, 85? The biggest rivalries in NBA history are Lakers/Celtics and this player vs that player. Even with a playoff spot nobody is gonna care about Pistons/Bucks like Cowboys/Commanders. Nobody is gonna stop caring about Boys/Commandos because they arent guaranteed a home playoff game. shyt it got so much history and those markets so big it would probably still have juice without the playoff spot.

If a division no longer matters, then why should anyone play anyone else twice?

 

[Jmare007]

They felt that heat

They need to give the two seed back a bye. They know they wanna expand shyt just make 8 teams and stop delaying the inevitable. It’s all a money grab.

That would mean another playoff round before the Wild Card were the 3rd and 4th seed get a bye while 5th to 8th battle to get in the WC.

#1 and #2 would get two weeks off

 

[24 black mambas]

I think its overly simplistic to suggest taking away certain rewards for divisions weakened NBA rivalries. And it is revision to suggest it ever mattered like that. What was the big divisional rivalry driving interest in 05, 04, 03, 95, 85? The biggest rivalries in NBA history are Lakers/Celtics and this player vs that player. Even with a playoff spot nobody is gonna care about Pistons/Bucks like Cowboys/Commanders. Nobody is gonna stop caring about Boys/Commandos because they arent guaranteed a home playoff game. shyt it got so much history and those markets so big it would probably still have juice without the playoff spot.

Cowboys/Commanders have “so much history” because they are division rivals. You do this dumb shyt and make it like the NBA, none of these rivalries will be really meaningful anymore. Can’t believe anyone is trying to defend this change. Football rivalries are the best thing in American sports, and it’s because of how division winners are rewarded.

 

[bl2k8]

Nah I remember when divisions mattered, it didn't start changing until mid-00s or so. It used to mean something to win your division in the NBA. Their playoffs used to also reward division winners with higher seeds, you don't remember that?

But I do agree that expanding the postseason is more costly. The 7-seed is useless, these mf's have no shot. It's a needless money grab and the 17th game is a needless money grab...

Please tell me a time when mufukkas was bragging about winning the pacific or Atlantic them banners hanging from teams were always used as jokes cause they didn’t have title banners. fukk outta here. What the NBA did makes sense when you have 82 games and the playoffs are a 7 game series

 

[murksiderock]

Please tell me a time when mufukkas was bragging about winning the pacific or Atlantic them banners hanging from teams were always used as jokes cause they didn’t have title banners. fukk outta here. What the NBA did makes sense when you have 82 games and the playoffs are a 7 game series

Nobody bragged about it like that but your playoff seeding depended on it. So it did matter and the rivalries in the NBA were stronger back then...

Quick, tell me what are the biggest rivalries in the NBA today?

 

[StatUS]

Division winners shouldn't matter as much in the pros as they do in college and high school lol.

Division winners should get you a playoff birth but not a home game.

 

[bl2k8]

Nobody bragged about it like that but your playoff seeding depended on it. So it did matter and the rivalries in the NBA were stronger back then...

Quick, tell me what are the biggest rivalries in the NBA today?

The closest I can think of are Miami Boston and maybe Knicks Hawks and it has ZERO to do with divisions just like 99% the rivalries of the past did

NBA rivalries develop from playoff matchups and in this era also player vs player matchups.

 

[Piff Perkins]

No. Winning your division HAS to mean something. The season has to matter, specifically tie breakers and all the other shyt teams fight over for 18 weeks. If not then what's the point. Two 14 win teams in the same division should be treated for what it is: a historical anomaly that might never happen again in our lifetimes. Nothing should be changed due to that, and I say this as a Lions fan.

If these teams that have great records but don't win their division are so good they should be able to go on the road and smoke an NFC/AFC South team that gets home field because they won a weak division.

 

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

NOPE THIS IS WHAT
HELPED RUIN THE NBA...

YOURE ESSENTIALLY ELIMINATING
THE DIVISIONS



​

No one ever gaf about divisions for the NBA like in the NFL lmao, just cause ur division is cheeks you get a playoff spot?

 

[murksiderock]

No. Winning your division HAS to mean something. The season has to matter, specifically tie breakers and all the other shyt teams fight over for 18 weeks. If not then what's the point. Two 14 win teams in the same division should be treated for what it is: a historical anomaly that might never happen again in our lifetimes. Nothing should be changed due to that, and I say this as a Lions fan.

If these teams that have great records but don't win their division are so good they should be able to go on the road and smoke an NFC/AFC South team that gets home field because they won a weak division.

Exactly, this shyt because there are three lower ranked teams with better records is a fuss about nothing...

The Chargers went and got pummeled by the Texans yesterday. Their record clearly didn't earn them shyt...

Washington won, they are a better team than Tampa...

Vikings should win tomorrow but even if they don't, to your point being a 14-win 5-seed is a historical anomaly. That shyt is probably never happening again. Can't change the rules because of rare anomalies...

The closest I can think of are Miami Boston and maybe Knicks Hawks and it has ZERO to do with divisions just like 99% the rivalries of the past did

NBA rivalries develop from playoff matchups and in this era also player vs player matchups.

We got division banners hanging in Golden 1. They get ignored now, and even back in the day, people weren't bragging about winning the Pacific, but we earned seeding in the playoffs based upon winning the division. It's not everything but people acting like divisions "always" been irrelevant in the NBA, that isn't true...

I agree on your playoff point but you also used to play your division rivals 4x a year. Now there are years you only play the people in your division 3x or twice; divisions also meant more because you played those teams more...

I don't know how anyone old enough doesn't remember this no it was never the same importance as football, but NBA divisions weren't always meaningless...

 

[Geek Nasty]

Should be 8 teams from each conference....no bye for the #1 seed.....but division winners should get that first round home game.

1/2 the league in the playoffs is dumb

they need to go back to 6 each 4 bye week teams.

 

[bl2k8]

Exactly, this shyt because there are three lower ranked teams with better records is a fuss about nothing...

The Chargers went and got pummeled by the Texans yesterday. Their record clearly didn't earn them shyt...

Washington won, they are a better team than Tampa...

Vikings should win tomorrow but even if they don't, to your point being a 14-win 5-seed is a historical anomaly. That shyt is probably never happening again. Can't change the rules because of rare anomalies...

We got division banners hanging in Golden 1. They get ignored now, and even back in the day, people weren't bragging about winning the Pacific, but we earned seeding in the playoffs based upon winning the division. It's not everything but people acting like divisions "always" been irrelevant in the NBA, that isn't true...

I agree on your playoff point but you also used to play your division rivals 4x a year. Now there are years you only play the people in your division 3x or twice; divisions also meant more because you played those teams more...

I don't know how anyone old enough doesn't remember this no it was never the same importance as football, but NBA divisions weren't always meaningless...

I’m doing all this from a Lakers fan point of view. we used to clown Kings fans for hanging them. I get why franchises like the Kings and Warriors pre dynasty would hang them because it was all they had

The only time I ever thought about seeding was 2004 when Kobe hit the gw against Portland, so yes it had a slight bit more importance back then but it was still never something that made rivalries. Being in the same division as your rival was just icing on the cake