Report: NFL discussing using win percentage to determine playoff picture
The NFL is reportedly considering whether to base the playoffs on win percentage rather than the total number of wins in case games are canceled due to COVID-19 outbreaks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
.@AdamSchefter says the NFL is discussing a scenario in which the playoffs could be based off win percentage instead of number of wins this season. pic.twitter.com/dzDyUyGgxM
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 8, 2020
"The NFL has gone over a number of alternative scenarios and in a season of COVID, it very well may be forced to resort to one of those. And one of those that's come up, Greeny, is that the playoffs won't be based on a number of wins as it has been every year that the NFL's existed. It could just simply be that it's based on win percentage," Schefter said.
The possible solution could be in effect if the league is forced to cancel games and is unable to reschedule, leaving teams with an unequal number of contests played and making total wins an insufficient option to determine the postseason picture.
In this alternative scenario, a team that has played under 16 games could make the playoffs if its win percentage is higher than a team that has completed a full season.
In a hypothetical situation, a team finishing 10-4 would make the postseason over an 11-5 team despite playing fewer games due to its higher win percentage.
| Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 4 | 71.43 |
| 11 | 5 | 68.75 |
Schefter explained this would not be the best situation, but the plan remains one of the NFL's options.
"If the Tennessee Titans go 10-3 this year, or whatever their record is, if their win percentage is better, they go to the playoffs. Again, it is not an ideal scenario but we are not living in an ideal time," Schefter said.
The NFL has been mulling options for the Titans after more positive tests occurred Thursday, leaving the status of their Week 5 matchup with the Buffalo Bills currently unknown.