With an out of control COVID-19 outbreak rendering the Tennessee Titans’ immediate future uncertain, the NFL may be forced to make adjustments in terms of how playoff teams are determined in 2020.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter mentioned the possibility of the league using winning percentage instead of win totals to determine playoff teams if the Titans and other teams are unable to play 16 games.
“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 has come up is that the playoffs won’t be based on a number of wins as it has been every year that the NFL has existed, it could just simply be that it’s based on win percentage. That 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 where everything works out the way you’d like it to. And so, let’s see if they could play that game. Let’s see how it figures out. Let’s see if the NFL can collapse a week later on. Again, all options on the table, the NFL says. They’re going over all of them as we speak. And we’ll ultimately, we’ll see what they decide to do. But I think that in the end, with some of these positive tests, some of these facilities shutting down, some of these games being in jeopardy and we’re just now entering Week 5 tonight, it may well be that the league has no choice but to make the playoffs based on win percentage.”
The Titans currently have 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, with their Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers already being rescheduled to Week 7.
Tennessee is scheduled to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 on Sunday, but that game is in jeopardy after more new positive tests as well as pictures of teammates working out together as a local high school.
