Tim Benz: Expanded NFL playoff contingency plan is a bad idea, and not just for Steelers - TribLIVE

As the Steelers sit at 7-0, the NFL is considering an expansion of the playoff field from seven teams to eight per conference.

For this incredibly strange season only.

That means if the Steelers earn the only playoff bye in the AFC, there may not even be a bye to enjoy.

Before you get too riled up, this is just a proposed contingency plan if the league loses games — or full weeks of games — because of coronavirus outbreaks.

The contingency, if necessary, would take 4 division champions and 4 wild card teams from each AFC and NFC.
Playoff seeds would be 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5. https://t.co/bSHoU1OAKd

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) November 2, 2020

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is on the competition committee. He says the group is preparing itself for potential contingencies if the pandemic dents the ability to play a conventional 16-game, 17-week schedule.

“We did have a conference call (Monday) and talked about some significant things in terms of playoff structuring and seeding,” Tomlin said. “If some things should develop — and that’s the key — if some things should develop, we are just doing our due diligence.”

Tomlin is in a tough spot. His organization is in the mix for the AFC’s top seed. His organization barely missed as the final seed the previous two seasons. And he’s on the committee. So I appreciate him feeling the need to give a non-opinion answer like that.

I don’t have such burdens. So let me just say, I hate this idea.

It’s unnecessary. It’s unfair to the best teams in the league. It is logically inconsistent. And it’s being considered on Park Avenue solely from the standpoint of revenue.

If the NFL loses games off its regular-season TV deal, it is going to want to make them up with high-profile playoff games featuring the postseason favorites from each conference.

But the football impact on the competitive balance is largely inconsistent and, frankly, backward. Actually, I’ve been lukewarm to the idea of expanding to seven teams per conference in the first place this offseason.

Hey, you watched the 8-8 Steelers last year. Was that a team that screamed “playoff worthy” by Week 17? Because they would’ve been the AFC’s last entry in 2019.

How about the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams? They would’ve been the seventh team on the NFC side.

Blah!

Now we are talking about expanding one slot further. Geez, the dreadful NFC East might get two teams in the postseason bracket if we keep pushing forward with this idea.

The goal appears to be expanding playoff inclusion because of the potential coronavirus cancelations to regular-season games. That may impact competitive balance to the point that an eighth team may get skunked out of postseason competition, versus being a seventh team.

Fine. I hear your argument.

For instance, in previous years, if a 7-8 Steelers team was left out of qualifying because they couldn’t play a 5-10 Browns team in Week 17 and an 8-7 Dolphins team got in as a result when they were scheduled to play the division champion Buffalo Bills during a canceled final week, we’d be mad.

Gotcha. But consider this.

Let’s say the virus shaves off two weeks of the season after Thanksgiving. And the 13-1 Steelers get the AFC top seed because they fought like crazy to attain a tiebreaker over the 13-1 Chiefs.

But now because a sub-mediocre eighth seed is involved, there is no bye and the Steelers have to face the 7-7 Raiders in a No.1 vs. No. 8 matchup. In front of virtually no fans. In January. At Heinz Field.

That feels like a minimal reward for securing the top seed.

Furthermore, does the league really want a top-seeded Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks or Steelers team exposed to increased upset risk, injury risk or coronavirus exposure?

We’re talking about the top team from each conference and star players such as Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson or Ben Roethlisberger. They would be exposed to an extra game of injury potential, early exit or covid-19 spread.

Why? So a barely .500 Browns or Detroit Lions team gets in?

That’s counterintuitive to the competitive balance of getting the best teams to the Super Bowl.

If any year, this is the season to shorten the playoff field because of the coronavirus threat to the favorites. And by favorites I — of course — mean top television draws.

Or create a play-in round as the NHL did in its bubble. After all, that worked out great for the Montreal Canad … anyway, moving on.

Tomlin insists all this discussion is a “break glass in case of emergency” conversation.

“Our focus is working our tails off,” Tomlin said. “Not only in terms of staying clean and doing the things that we need to do procedurally from a covid standpoint but also keeping our eyes on what’s happening globally. Our desire is to play each and every football game.”

Agreed. Avoiding adding any playoff games should be equally a part of that goal.

At least, I hope. I bet Tomlin does, too.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz