Tim Benz: Preemptive shortening of NFL season is not the way to go

In each of the last two years, the Steelers have suffered crushing late-season losses over the final four weeks that have prevented them from making the playoffs.

In 2018, the Steelers inexcusably lost to the Raiders in Oakland in Week 13. Then they suffered a heartbreaking defeat in New Orleans in Week 16.

Last year, the Steelers dropped their final three games to the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens.

Maybe 2020 will provide a different solution. Just stop playing after 12 games.

That’s one rumored suggestion for the National Football League to avoid looming concerns about spreading coronavirus around the league. Early Sunday morning, ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio posted a story that read, “Multiple coaches have suggested to PFT the possibility of reconfiguring the schedule to consist of 12 total games.”

The NFL hasn’t played a 12-game regular season since 1960. It jumped to 14 games in 1961. Then bumped to 16 games in 1978. Twice, labor disputes have impacted the length of the season, shaving it to 15 games (with three replacement-player games per team) in 1987. And in 1982, the regular season was only nine games long.

As Florio points out, in that 1982 season, the league just went with a 1-8 seeding bracket for the playoffs in each conference, and divisional alignment didn’t matter. He thinks that should happen again in 2020 if this eventuality should occur.

Sorry NFC East!

One coach told PFT that “teams would play their division rivals only once, and one of their interconference games would be scrapped.”

The theory is, if four weeks are clipped, that’ll allow more flexibility for makeup games to be squeezed in, and then, hopefully, the playoffs can start on time. It’ll also move the process along in general so there isn’t a wait to get to the end of the season.

In other words, why give the 0-4 Houston Texans — who likely won’t make the playoffs — 12 more weeks to have an outbreak and maybe infect the playoff-contending Indianapolis Colts in Week 15?

It’s not an unprecedented move for the NFL. And, yes, it’s an option commissioner Roger Goodell should consider in the event of a league-wide covid-19 outbreak.

But why punt on four weeks before you have to do so? And why 12 weeks? Why not 10? Or 14? If the virus was predictable enough to plan around in advance to that degree, I don’t think we’d all be in this mess in the first place.

If the NFL had that kind of defeatist attitude about being unable to complete a season without covid-19 wrecking it, they never should’ve started in the first place. Or they should’ve gone with a bubble-model as the NBA and NHL did.

If a 12-game structure is truly being considered, the logistics are complicated enough that the league should put it in place immediately.

Like, today.

Because the rescheduling efforts would be massive. And to fit the parameters above, some teams might need to start changing games right away.

For instance, as of now, the Cincinnati Bengals are slated to exceed their three divisional games by Week 9. And two of their three interconference games would need to be moved up substantially as their tie against the Philadelphia Eagles will be their only NFC game before Week 11.

The Eagles and Giants are already scheduled to have both their games against each other out of the way by Week 10. The Cleveland Browns and Bengals are already supposed to play each other a second time on Oct. 25.

We’re also talking about eliminating and reconfiguring scheduled bye weeks. So start negotiating with the NFL Players Association about that ASAP. Keep in mind the byes, as of now, extend into Week 13.

Not to mention, what if a playoff-bound team has managed to play 10-11 games without cancellation? Are they supposed to sit around for 2-3 weeks waiting for the playoffs to start?

I’m sure these pieces on the chessboard can be moved around enough to make such a model work. In the end, it’ll be complex. And it likely won’t be equitable.

What I’m not sure about, though, is if the dollars and cents will work. As in the bottom line of the revenue sharing with the players.

The NFL is already taking a financial hit with the loss of ticket revenue. This plan would only be adding two additional playoff games — the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchups. Yet it’d be cutting four weeks of regular-season games per 32 teams.

Again, if necessary, so be it. Making a few billion dollars isn’t as good as making many billions of dollars.

But it’s a pandemic. Take what you can. Yeah. I get that.

I just feel like the NFL has already cast the die on 2020. My bet is they are going to get in what they can, as conventionally as they can.

If the league can’t outlast the virus, then it can’t outlast the virus.

But I just saw a Stanley Cup raised in September. The Preakness was run in October. And The Masters is about to be played in November.

The Super Bowl can be played in March. Or April. If that means 17 weeks of regular-season television dollars, plus a full slate of playoffs, that’s what’s going to happen.