Philadelphia Eagles

NFL discussing new playoff format because of COVID-19

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The 2020 NFL postseason is already set to embrace a new format, but if COVID-19 continues to disrupt the league's schedule, the playoffs could like completely unrecognizable.

That's according to a report Monday evening from ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who reports that the league's competition committee met Monday to discuss a possible 16-team NFL postseason in the event that the ongoing pandemic results in "lost games":

The league made a 14-team postseason official earlier this year as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Both conferences are expected to have seven teams qualify for the postseason, with the No. 1 seed from each conference receiving a first-round bye.

As ProFootballTalk's Charean Williams notes, no team would have a bye in a 16-team postseason format.

Assuming the Eagles go on to win the abysmal NFC East, their situation would remain unchanged. The No. 4 seed, the lowest division winner, will face the No. 5 seed, the highest wild card, regardless of how many teams reach the postseason. The same was true in the old 12-team format. 

If the season ended today, the Eagles would face the No. 5 seed Arizona Cardinals in a home game at the Linc in the first round, both in the existing 14-team format and the hypothetical 16-team format.

Of course, if the division winner didn't earn an automatic postseason berth, the Eagles would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. The Eagles are 3-4-1; their .438 winning percentage is good for 10th in the NFC.

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