The Detroit Lions have made a proposal after win-loss records alone determine playoff spots. The fact that this proposal is bad is proven above all by the NBA. A commentary.

Anyone who lives the idea of fairness may have had tears in their eyes during the past NFL season.

Although the Minnesota Vikings won a whopping 14 of 17 regular season games, they were only seeded fifth in the NFC. The Detroit Lions, of all teams, want to change that now.

All possible rule changes at a glance

The Lions officially submitted a proposal that would see the season record become the sole determining factor for the seeding in the playoffs. Currently, the four division winners each enjoy home-field advantage and are seeded in the playoffs at positions one to four.

Would that make it more objective and fair? Yes, undoubtedly. However, that would simply eliminate a great attraction of the NFL without replacement.

NFL: Divisional duels are the salt in the soup!

Sure, it’s logical in itself: whoever wins more games should be further ahead. However, that would almost completely devalue the divisions in the NFL!

Every NFL fan knows that the games against teams from their own division are the most important. There’s more fire in them. When the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens meet under the floodlights, the whole league knows how important this game is.

It would be much less explosive if it wasn’t just a great rivalry, but if winning the division didn’t almost count twice.

The list of pairings is almost endless. Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears and many more.

If the divisions were devalued in terms of playoff implications, such duels would also be devalued. And that is certainly not what anyone wants.

Divisions without value: NBA as a bad role model

The NBA has shown how to successfully devalue divisions. Since 2004, the division winners no longer get one of the first four places in the conference.

Don’t get me wrong, the NBA is a great league. But some viewers don’t even know that there are divisions at all and who plays in which one.

Incidentally, the Cleveland Cavaliers have long since secured victory in the Eastern Central Division. Why doesn’t anyone know this? Because it has virtually no significance. Winning the division is only one of the tiebreakers if two teams have the same record.

While the best basketball league in North America is currently struggling with ratings in its own country, the best football league sets new ratings records every year. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that each team has six duels a year that are more or less must-win games.

The NFL must not let this go – even if, in exceptional cases, it contradicts the principles of justice.