On the latest episode of Up & Adams, AP Senior NFL writer and insider, Rob Maaddi, joined Kay Adams to dive into a litany of topics. During their conversation, Adams proposed giving the upcoming NFL round a bit more flair, suggesting a new name for the upcoming Divisional Round.
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“What do we have to change the name of this weekend from Divisional Round, it’s like Jim Nance calling some golf thing at Augusta, to something a little more pizzazz, more characteristic of what it is?”
Maaddi, who said that he initially liked the idea, jokingly suggested that an “informal poll” may be in order for the members of the Associated Press. And, after asking Adams for a new name suggestion, she promptly responded with the phrase “Throwdown Round.”
While Maaddi did not seem overly enthusiastic about the new name, Adams does make somewhat of a solid point. The NFL playoffs currently kick off with the ‘Wild Card’ round and are capped off by the Super Bowl. It’s unlikely that the conference round needs a name change. So adding some extra flair to the Divisional Round of the playoffs could be warranted.
However, the league is currently considering much more than just a simple name change for the Divisional Round. After the Minnesota Vikings failed to secure a home game for the playoffs this year, despite finishing the regular season with a record of 14-3, chatter about changing the seeding and or formatting styles of the playoffs began to pop up across the sports news world.
On January 11, the lead NFL insider for NFL on CBS, Jonathan Jones, noted that there were “Three games this week featuring teams with better records than their opponents, but playing on the road.” As a result of this, Jones announced that the NFL would indeed be taking “another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format.”
"The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format." – @jjones9 👀 pic.twitter.com/wpbam29Y5m
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2025
Jones, along with various other media pundits and fans alike, suggested that perhaps the top four teams in the win percentage for each conference should receive a home game, rather than the division winners. Others have argued that this is a hasty decision by the NFL brass.
Should that change be enacted, it would effectively render all future divisional titles worthless, as it guarantees nothing for its recipients. If the NFL no longer wishes to reward its division winners, then the aforementioned Adams may get her chance at a ‘Throwdown Round’ after all.
Adams may have intended for this segment to be a silly conversation starter, but her underlying idea appears to be closer to reality than she may realize.
