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NEW YORK -- The NFL is considering a proposal made by the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs to expand the playoffs by two wild-card teams.
However, like the dozens of proposals submitted annually by teams and individuals before the NFL meetings, it probably will not be enacted this year because it takes only nine of the 32 teams to defeat it.
Under the proposal, the playoffs would increase next season from six teams to seven for each conference with only the team with the best record in each conference getting a first-round bye. It is being considered by the league's competition committee, which is split on the idea, an indication getting it through is unlikely.
The meetings are March 23-26 in Phoenix.
When the league voted in June 2001 to go from six divisions to eight, it decided to continue with 12-team playoffs. At that time, commissioner Paul Tagliabue and other top officials said the NFL wanted to see how the system worked before changing it.
Under the new format, teams play only six of their 16 games within their divisions, leaving open the possibility that a weak division could be won by a team with a record of 8-8 or 7-9. Because there are now just two wild-card teams instead of three, that leaves open the possibility that a team with a winning record could miss the playoffs while a .500 team makes it.
That happened in 1985, when Cleveland won the AFC Central at 8-8 while Denver (11-5) missed the postseason. In that year, only five teams made the playoffs from each conference.
But the six teams that made the playoffs from each conference in the first season of the eight-division format were the six with the best records.
Among other items to be discussed at the meetings is a proposal to change the overtime system to allow both teams a shot at the ball. That idea, which had considerable backing after a record number of overtime games in the regular season, seems to have lost momentum in the two months since.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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