NFL Not Ruling Out Postseason Bubble

Shortly after the prospect of an MLB playoff bubble surfaced, the NFL may be considering such a setup. During the most recent competition committee meeting, Sean Payton suggested gathering playoff-qualifying teams in a bubble, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.

The NFL has not dismissed the idea, with executive VP Troy Vincent indicating all options are currently on the table. Such a scenario would need to be approved by the NFLPA, but Garafolo adds the union has already considered such a concept (Twitter link).

Stationing teams in regular-season bubbles did not gain much traction this offseason, but the postseason would not bring as many complications. Fourteen teams will qualify for the playoffs this year — the most since the strike-altered 1982 campaign — but that certainly makes a bubble easier to pull off than a 32-team format. Still, teams carrying 69-player rosters (counting practice squads) along with dozens of coaches will make it difficult.

Thus far, the NFL has not seen a coronavirus outbreak. Less than 1% of players have tested positive since the league began testing. But the NBA and NHL bubbles have generated strong reviews so far, while baseball has seen two teams — the Marlins and Cardinals — be forced to pause their seasons because of rampant positive tests. The NFL carries the risk of this happening as well, considering its roster sizes and plan to play all regular-season games in teams’ usual stadiums.

A bubble would also nix home-field advantage, which matters far more in the NFL playoffs than it does in baseball. Attendance is set to be limited or scrapped, depending on cities, to start the regular season. Some teams have ruled out fans for all of the 2020 slate. Others have released limited-capacity plans. It is obviously not certain where the country will stand with the COVID-19 pandemic by January, so it may be a bit before the league commits to a centralized playoff location.