NFL Owners Agree To Expand Playoff Bracket To 14 Teams, Beginning With 2020 Season

NFL has announced they’re expanding its playoff bracket from 12 to 14 teams beginning in the 2020 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

This new structure will feature seven teams per conference, with one bye game going to the top team of each conference.

With the new playoff adjustments, fans will see three wild-card games from each conference, including games between the No. 2 and the No. 7 seed. So basically, fans will get to watch six wild-card games during the wild-card weekend.

If this playoff structure had taken place in 2019, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers would have battled in the AFC, while Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams faced off in the NFC. The second-seeded team from each conference will have a slightly more difficult path to reach the Super Bowl. Three wins must be achieved instead of two.

Earning the No. 1 seed is just as important as having the only first-round bye. The last 14 teams in the Super Bowl since 2013 all had first-round byes.

The playoff change was approved on Tuesday, with 24 of the 32 NFL owners in the agreement of the changes.

From the league standpoint, this playoff structure will boost league revenues by nine figures annually.