The Detroit Lions Are Right – NFL Should Demand More From Division Winners
The Detroit Lions have long been underappreciated in the NFL, often overlooked in the context of legitimate championship contenders. But over the past few years, particularly with the resurgence under head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have begun to challenge that narrative, showing that they are not only a force within their division but a team ready to make a significant impact on the national stage. However, in doing so, they’ve brought attention to an issue that has become more and more evident: the NFL’s playoff structure is not holding division winners to a high enough standard.
In the traditional NFL playoff format, division winners are granted a guaranteed playoff spot, often regardless of their overall record. This rule was designed to reward teams for winning their division, a fundamental part of the structure that defines the league. However, in recent years, especially with the addition of the 17-game schedule and the expanded playoff format, the argument has gained momentum that division winners should be required to meet more demanding criteria, particularly in terms of overall team performance, to receive automatic playoff berths.
In this article, we explore why the Lions’ stance is correct and how the NFL should demand more from division winners to ensure the playoff field remains competitive, exciting, and ultimately reflective of the best teams in the league.
The NFL Playoff Structure: A Flaw That Needs Fixing
The NFL playoff structure, which includes four divisions per conference, has its roots in a time when divisional strength was more balanced, and the playoff system was more straightforward. In those days, winning a division was a strong indicator that a team was among the best in its conference. However, over time, the league’s landscape has changed drastically.
The Problem with Division Winners
The core issue with the current playoff format lies in the automatic qualification given to division winners, regardless of how poor their overall record may be. Division winners are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and typically receive a higher seed than non-division winners, even if their overall performance does not warrant such a position.
This system has resulted in situations where teams with losing records, or teams that have performed far worse than wild-card teams, still gain access to the postseason simply because they were the best within a weak division. For example, in 2020, the NFC East division was one of the weakest in recent history, with the Washington Football Team winning the division with a 7-9 record. Washington, despite a losing season, was given a playoff berth, while stronger teams like the 10-6 Chicago Bears were relegated to a wild card spot, despite being more competitive across the season.
This flaw in the system creates a competitive imbalance in the NFL playoffs, where division winners often advance to the postseason with a false sense of superiority. The lack of a performance standard forces teams to accept automatic playoff berths despite not being the strongest competitors, which harms the overall integrity of the league’s postseason.
The Detroit Lions’ Case
The Detroit Lions, particularly in the Dan Campbell era, have become an increasingly competitive team in the NFC North. However, for years, they have been overshadowed by the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Despite showing signs of progress and having a solid team, the Lions’ efforts were often stymied by underperformance from the rest of the division, while the Packers consistently dominated the division.
But with the departure of Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay, the NFC North suddenly became much more open. The Lions had a legitimate opportunity to not just compete but dominate their division for the first time in decades. As Detroit’s rise continued, the issue of how division winners are treated in the playoff format became more apparent.
In 2023, the Lions finished the regular season with a strong 9-8 record, just missing out on the playoffs despite a late-season surge. At the same time, the NFC South division winner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also posted a sub-.500 record at 8-9, but still secured a playoff spot due to the automatic qualification for division winners.
The Lions were not the only team to be affected by this. The AFC South also saw the Tennessee Titans, a division winner with a 7-10 record, miss out on a playoff spot to teams with better records. These examples illustrate the flaws in the system, where a division winner with a subpar performance is rewarded with a playoff berth, while teams with superior overall records are forced to battle through tougher wild card spots.
Detroit, with its competitive roster and rising potential, should not have to sit out the playoffs in favor of a team like the Buccaneers or Titans, who earned their spot with a weaker overall record. By allowing teams with losing or barely winning records to qualify for the postseason, the NFL risks damaging the credibility of the playoff system. The Lions, for example, were one of the most competitive teams down the stretch in 2023, and their exclusion from the playoffs was a sign that the system doesn’t always reward the most deserving teams.
Why the NFL Should Demand More from Division Winners
- Ensuring Competitiveness
The NFL’s playoff system should prioritize rewarding teams that have demonstrated true competitiveness throughout the season, not just by virtue of a weak division. The reality is that in some cases, divisions simply aren’t as competitive, and a team that wins a weak division should not be rewarded with an automatic playoff berth.
This flaw is particularly damaging when we consider that divisional matchups can be a poor reflection of overall team strength. A division winner with a subpar record often only has to beat weaker teams within its own division to claim the top spot, rather than proving itself against the league’s best. This creates an unbalanced system, where weaker teams can enter the playoffs while stronger teams are left out.
Requiring division winners to meet certain performance thresholds—such as a minimum win total or ranking within the top half of their conference—would ensure that only the most deserving teams make the postseason. By raising the bar for automatic qualification, the NFL would better align the playoff field with the actual competitive strength of teams.
- More Exciting and Competitive Playoffs
One of the most exciting aspects of the NFL playoffs is the unpredictability and the battle between the league’s best teams. However, by giving division winners automatic berths, the NFL is at risk of adding lopsided matchups where a lower-seeded division winner faces a wild card team with a superior record.
Consider a situation where a team with a 10-7 record must face a division winner with a 7-9 or 8-9 record. The wild card team, having played a much tougher schedule, may be better prepared for the playoffs but finds itself at a disadvantage due to the division winner receiving a home game and a better seed. This discrepancy can reduce the excitement and fairness of the postseason, diminishing the value of regular-season games and placing more emphasis on divisional results rather than overall performance.
- Encouraging More Balanced Divisions
Another benefit of raising the standards for division winners is that it could encourage greater competitiveness across the league. If division winners are forced to meet more demanding criteria to make the playoffs, teams within weaker divisions may be more incentivized to improve. This would promote more balanced divisions, where all teams within a division are striving to perform at a high level to remain competitive, not just to coast by on the backs of underperforming rivals.
- Fairness to Non-Division Winners
Perhaps one of the most important reasons to demand more from division winners is the fairness it would bring to non-division winners. The current system often penalizes teams that have played well outside of their division but find themselves out of the playoffs due to a divisional rival’s weak performance. By holding division winners to higher standards, the NFL would ensure that all teams have a fair opportunity to make the postseason based on merit, not simply their divisional affiliation.