Unlike other sports with 82+ games, in reality it makes more games meaningful. Just think how many more teams would be "alive" in December if there was a 7th seed. Also, if they went to only one bye, then that #1 seed becomes even more critical to achieve.

That extra meaningfulness for 2 teams comes at the expense of all the other regular season games for all the other teams...not to mention that teams that would've been on the bubble before, would now be comfortably in, which is less meaningful for those teams. Basketball's playoffs are a joke. All they do is eliminate the teams that outright suck. It's not even a big deal to make the playoffs in the NBA.

 

So I don't like it at all. The NFL already has a system where the regular season isn't nearly as important as NCAA's regular season. We don't need to add another 4 teams to the mix who don't have to worry about how they fell short of expectations because "hey, we made it in barely, so who cares about all that now?"

 

Having said that, I'd prefer this over a 17th regular season game.

Agreed.

 

An extra game is complete idiocy. I can live with another team in the playoffs as much as I'd never vote yes for it.

 

Having said that, I'd prefer this over a 17th regular season game.