Is a 17-game season, new playoff format the right choice for the NFL and its players?
Welcome to our latest debate, where two of our writers argue about current issues in the world of sports.
Today we tackle some of the questions raised by the proposed collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players — specifically, whether there should be two more NFL teams in the playoffs each season and one more game for every team during the regular season. We’ll begin with Observer sports columnist Scott Fowler, who will debate Panthers beat writer Alaina Getzenberg.
Fowler: Let’s start with the potentially revised NFL playoffs. The CBA proposal — already approved by the 32 NFL owners, soon to be voted on by the NFL players — contains a proposal that would begin as early as this upcoming 2020 season.
Fourteen teams would make the playoffs instead of the current 12 — seven in the NFC, seven in the AFC. Only one team would get a first-round playoff bye — the No. 1 seed — rather than the current two byes per conference.
I totally support this. One more playoff team in each conference doesn’t water down the playoffs; it makes things more fun.
More teams are involved in the playoff hunt until the last week. And it’s more likely that the best teams aren’t playing a throwaway game in the final week of the season because the No. 1 seed is more likely to be up for grabs. You’re still eliminating more than half the teams when the playoffs begin — 14 of 32 would make it. The NBA lets 16 of its 30 teams make the playoffs each year, and it’s doing OK.
Getzenberg: I understand your point, Scott, but I just don’t get why this change is necessary. The NFL playoffs work well. The wildcard round games this year were exciting and overall competitive.
To me, changing the number of teams that make the playoffs just comes off as a way for the league to make more money and doesn’t actually bring anything that has been missing to the postseason. Widening the number of teams that make the playoffs make them less competitive, less of a challenge and less of an accomplishment to have made it past the regular season.
It should be hard to make the playoffs. Allowing two more teams to compete will reward teams for finishing 8-8.
Fowler: What do you think about a 17-game regular season? I support that, too, and would be even more likely to do so if the NFL owners would give up two of their preseason games in return.
Four preseason games in this day and age? That’s been one of the most ridiculous parts of the league for years.
I’d trade the 16/4 regular season/preseason split right now for a 17/2 split. I get that players receive slightly more wear and tear on their body with a 17th regular-season game, but a fair number of players are already playing 19 games a year nowadays once you count the playoffs — or even 23 games if they are also playing in the preseason. One more game, to me, doesn’t make a lot of difference. If the players get significant CBA concessions in return for adding that game — and it sounds like they will — I think they should add it.
Getzenberg: I’m OK with getting rid of a preseason game — the negatives outweigh the positives of preseason competition — but I’m not completely sold on the 17-game regular season. I would eliminate a preseason game or two and keep it to 16 regular-season games.
Football is so impacted by injuries. Panthers fans have certainly experienced that to the extreme over the last two years with Cam Newton. I just think even adding one extra regular-season game heightens a player’s chances of having a devastating injury or suffering another concussion.
There’s a lot of talk by the league about making the game safer and better for the players. To me, adding an extra game is the opposite of that for the people who are actually out there on the field. There’s only so many rules that can be adapted to make things safer. The positives just aren’t there to me as much as the negatives for a 17-game regular season.
The players will likely vote on the new CBA this week, so we’ll know if we’re in for some more league changes sooner rather than later.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
