With the NFC East winner poised to have a .500-or-worse record and with NFC wild-card teams expected to have double-digit victories, there have been increasing public calls for the playoffs to be reseeded.
But those calls are mostly from fans and the media; they have not happened within the NFL.
A source with knowledge of the NFL's thinking said the idea of reseeding teams has come up but "has gotten zero steam. It's never been a consideration."
So one of the NFC East teams, likely the Dallas Cowboys (6-7) or the Philadelphia Eagles (5-7), will wind up hosting a playoff game at a time when its record is worse than that of the wild-card teams that open the postseason on the road.
As odd as the records might appear this season, the NFL doesn't believe there's reason to change its seeding format for future postseasons, either.
The Cowboys have lost three straight games and four of their past five but still lead the division thanks to their 37-10 home rout of the Eagles in October. Dallas visits Philadelphia in Week 16.
"It's a blessing, fortunate enough, I don't know how it is, we're still in the lead for our division," Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said Friday. "You have to be thankful for that. But we can't hang our hat on that. We have got to figure out our issues right now, fix them and get better."
The Eagles also have lost three straight and will aim to rebound Monday night with a victory over returning Eli Manning and the last-place New York Giants (2-10).
Coach Doug Pederson called his team a "long shot" to make the playoffs this past week, but Philadelphia's remaining games after Monday night are against Washington (3-9), Dallas and then the Giants again.
