NFL Owners Voting On Emergency Playoff Proposal

Maybe there's hope for the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars after all.

OK, maybe not those two, but others who are on the brink of the postseason will be happy to know that NFL owners are contemplating a proposal to expand the playoffs to 16 teams in the event games are called off because of the coronavirus, per NBC Sports.

A vote will be held Tuesday.

Approval of such an idea seems likely, though putting the idea into practice is another matter.

The NFL has already added a contingency plan for an 18th week of the regular season, which would be used for postponed games that can't fit in the normal 17-week calendar.

So far, all scheduled games have been played. Not always on time, but played nonetheless.

This proposal isn't necessarily based on competition and fairness. It has much more to do with finances, as any lost regular-season game equals lost revenue. (Yes, even without fans.)

Should the owners vote in favor of the proposal, they would still need the approval of the players union.

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.