Roger Goodell says NFL play-off expansion likely at some point

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expects an expansion in the number of teams making the play-offs "at some point.".

The league has featured a post-season with 12 teams since 1990, when it expanded from 10, and talks of an increase to 14 have consistently been shelved with owners happy with the current format.

But Goodell hinted another change could be on the cards over the weekend, when he spoke to Jacksonville Jaguars season-ticket holders at a 'Town Hall' meeting.

Changes would most likely mean an extra game on Wildcard Weekend, although broadcasting issues could mean teams playing on Monday night and the winner facing a shorter week before their divisional play-off game.

"It's a tough one," Goodell said. "And the reason I say that is it works so well right now.

"We have 12 teams that qualify for the play-offs and what it does is it's not just the number of teams in the play-offs, it's what it does to our regular season.

"I think what makes the NFL great is every game means so much. That game means a great deal. You don't ever want to lose that.

"You don't want to lose the fact that every regular season game is important. And only having 12 teams qualify, which is the smallest of any of the professional leagues by far, that's a good thing for us."

"It likely will happen at some point, but we want to be really cautious because we really like the balance we have with the importance of the regular season and the post-season and you don't want to mess with that balance You have to be really careful and cautious."