What does the new CBA mean for the LA Rams in 2020?
By Bret Stuter
More playoff games = more opportunity
So the NFL will now allow 7 teams to enter the annual playoffs. How will that work? In recent years, the NFC and AFC advanced six teams into the playoffs. The top two teams earned a bye week, while the other four teams competed to advance.
In this new format, the NFL will allow only the top-ranked team in each conference to advance as a bye week. Teams ranked two through seven will compete on the field of play, with the second-ranked team hosting the seventh, the third-ranked team hosting the sixth, and the fourth-ranked team hosting the fifth. Keep in mind that division winners will always hold a higher rank than wild-card teams.
So if this format had been enforced in 2019, the LA Rams would have traveled to Green Bay to face the second-ranked Packers in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs. While the Rams would have been underdogs, it would have been fun seeing the Rams have a chance to compete in post-season one more time.