So why did the league office ask the Lions to propose playoff seeding based on record, regardless of division championship? Because the Commissioner wants it.
Per multiple sources, it became clear during last week's league meetings that Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to eliminate the guaranteed home game for teams that win their divisions.
Goodell's preference became clear during the meeting regarding the proposal that was made by the Lions (at the prompting of executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent). One source in the room for the session said Goodell became visibly irritated at the resistance to the measure.
The goal is to make more late-season games interesting. But there's no guarantee that will happen. In 2024, for example, the final game of the regular season between the Vikings and Lions would have had lower stakes, since the loser still would have hosted a playoff game the following weekend.
The Lions' proposal was tabled to May. As one source put it, items that the league supports get tabled when "the [Competition Committee] or Rogers didn't want the L."
Whether Goodell can eat a W on this one remains to be seen. The compromise could be that division winners with sub-.500 records won't host a Wild Card game. Another possibility is to re-seed after the Wild Card round.
Regardless, the NFL wants to change the status quo. More specifically, Goodell wants to change the status quo. On one hand, it's for the owners to determine their rules. On the other hand, it's Goodell's name on every football.
