New Playoff-Seeding Proposal Would’ve Had Profound Impact on Rams

Under the proposed rule change, the Los Angeles Rams would've had far-different paths in the 2023 and '24 playoffs.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) during their playoff game at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale. / Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The language is simple. In the official 2025 club bylaw proposals released Wednesday by the NFL, the Lions want to reward teams with better records, regardless of whether they win their divisions. The proposal:

“By Detroit; amends Article XX, Section 20.2 of the Constitution & Bylaws, to amend the current playoff seeding format to allow Wild Card teams to be seeded higher than Division Champions if the Wild Card team has a better regular season record.”

But for teams like the Rams, the rewritten history under such a rule could have been much more complex. Last season, for example, despite winning the NFC West with a remarkable rebound from an injury riddled 1-4 start, the Rams would’ve been relegated to the lowest seed in the playoffs – not the fourth.

That means their Wild Card game would not have been a home contest – the league moved the Rams’ first-round matchup against 14-3 Minnesota to Arizona due to Los Angeles wildfires – but rather a road trip to play eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.

And rather than go on the road to play the Rams (a 27-9 Los Angeles win), the Vikings would’ve hosted NFC South champion Tampa Bay. Washington would’ve hosted Green Bay.

While the Rams were the only team to legitimately challenge the Eagles in the 2024 playoffs, moving the game up by a week may have had differing consequences for both clubs.

The year before is even more intriguing. In 2023, the Rams (10-7) finished second in the NFC West to the 49ers (12-5), who captured the conference’s No. 1 seed and eventually lost to Kansas City in a thrilling overtime Super Bowl. Under the proposed rules, the Lions would’ve avoided the Rams in the Wild Card Round (Detroit escaped with a 24-23 home playoff win that year).

Instead, the Rams in 2023 would've traveled to face the Eagles -- a much different Philadelphia team than the bulldozer that just won the Super Bowl last month. The 2023 Eagles backed into the playoffs by losing five of their last six and bowed out in a 32-9 loss at Tampa Bay. As Baker Mayfield and the Bucs showed that year, the Eagles were very vulnerable. Mayfield was in his first year with Tampa Bay after finishing the 2022 season in impressive fashion with Liam Coen and the Rams.

And in 2021, when the Rams captured Super Bowl LVI, nothing would’ve changed. Their 12-5 record as NFC West champions would’ve qualified as the NFC’s fourth-best mark. In fact, none of the NFC seedings would’ve changed under the new proposal, since none of the wild-card teams finished with better records than the division winners.

NFL owners and executives will discuss the proposal at the annual league meeting March 30-April 2 at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Fla.

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