NFL: JAN 13 NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Vikings at Rams
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One of the biggest games in Week 18 will be going down in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers hosting the Panthers in a game where there will be a lot on the line.

If the Panthers win, they'll clinch the NFC South, but if they lose, that means we'll see an NFL rarity: A team with a losing record will make the playoffs. A loss by Carolina would guarantee that the NFC South winner would go into the postseason with a losing record at 8-9. Whether it's the Panthers or the Bucs, the winner of the division will get to host a playoff game on wild card weekend and that will likely spark a new debate about whether the NFL needs to change its playoff format so that a team with a losing record can't host a postseason game. 

Over the past five years, there have been two teams that have won a division with a losing record and in that span, there's certainly been some outcry that the NFL shouldn't award a home playoff game to a team with a losing record or to a team that has a much worse record than its opponent. 

After the 14-win Vikings were forced to play a road playoff game last season, the Lions decided to propose a new playoff format for 2025. 

Under the Lions' proposal, the seven teams in each conference would still consist of four division champions and three wild card teams. However, the big change is that the teams would be seeded by who has the best record. Under this proposal, a wild card team could be seeded ahead of a division winner if the wild card team has a better record. This means that a wild card team could be seeded as high as No. 2. Under the current format, the four division winners get the top four seeds followed by the three wild card teams. In the current format, no wild card team can be seeded higher than fifth. 

The Lions decided to withdraw their proposal just before it was set to be vote on back in May, so no changes were made to the NFL's existing playoff format for this year. 

If this new proposal would have been in place this year, the NFL playoff race would have a much different look, especially in the NFC. 

Here's what the NFC playoff seedings look like right now: 
1. Seahawks (13-3) 
2. Bears (11-5)
3. Eagles (11-5)
4. Panthers (8-8)
5. 49ers (12-4) 
6. Rams (11-5)
7. Packers (9-6-1)

If the Lions' proposal had passed, here's what the NFC standings would have looked like heading into Week 18: 
1. Seahawks (13-3) 
2. 49ers (12-4) 
3. Bears (11-5) 
4. Eagles (11-5)
5. Rams (11-5) 
6. Packers (9-6-1) 
7. Panthers (8-8)

In this situation, the Seahawks would have already clinched a home game, but the NFC West would still be on the line when they play the 49ers on Saturday night. Also, the Panthers and Buccaneers would be going into Week 18 knowing that the winner of the NFC South would be getting the seventh seed and playing a road game in the opening round. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been showing support for a possible change to the playoff format. When Goodell was asked about Detroit's proposal back in April, he seemed to be enthusiastic about it. 

"I thought it is a very healthy proposal and a very healthy point that we need to evaluate and continue to look at," Goodell said. "It went through many different forms. There was some great data to show that we should really look at some form or version of this."

If the the NFL gets another team with a losing record hosting a playoff game this year, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if there's a new proposal to change the playoff format at the next owner's meeting in March. 

That being said, the Panthers could make the playoffs with a winning record (9-8) if they beat the Bucs on Saturday, but even if that happens, there could still be a call for change. In 2024, the NFL didn't have a team with a losing record make the playoffs, but the Lions still made their proposal. 

Last year, the Lions' proposal didn't have enough support, but that could change if another 8-9 team hosts a playoff game. 

If the Buccaneers or Panthers do make the postseason with a losing record, it would mark just the seventh time in NFL history that a sub-.500 team has made the playoffs. 

Here's the full list of teams that have gotten into the postseason with a losing record: 

1982 Browns (4-5)
1982 Lions (4-5)
2010 Seahawks (7-9)
2014 Panthers (7-8-1)
2020 Commanders (7-9)
2022 Buccaneers (8-9)

Note: The Browns and Lions both made it during a strike-shortened season where the NFL expanded the playoff field to 16 teams. The other four teams on the list all won their division. 

As you can see, both the Panthers and Buccaneers have already made the playoffs once with a losing record, which means if one of them makes it to the playoffs this year at 8-9, they'd become the first team in NFL history to do it twice. 

For the Panthers to make the playoffs with a losing record, they'd have to lose to the Bucs on Saturday and then the Falcons would have to beat the Saints on Sunday. For the Bucs to get in at 8-9, they'd have to beat the Panthers and then have the Falcons lose to New Orleans.