The NFL’s decision to cancel the Bills-Bengals game has major playoff implications for several teams.
The league is change the rules for the playoffs to accommodate the cancellation and will hold a special meeting on Friday to ask teams to vote on a resolution recommended by commissioner Roger Goodell and approved by the competition committee on Thursday evening.
Goodell said in a statement that the hope is to “limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities”, later adding: “The proposal we are asking ownership to consider, however, addresses the issues most significant potential fairnesses created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances.
The Bills-Bengals game was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field. The 24-year-old was breathing on his own and able to talk Friday morning after removing his breathing tube, and doctors said on Thursday he was doing “remarkable improvement.”
Buffalo (12-3) entered Monday night needing a win to retain the AFC’s No. 1 championship. 1 seed. The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) now occupy that spot. Cincinnati (11-4) had a chance to earn the top seed with two more wins and a Chiefs loss.
WHY DID THE NFL CANCEL THE BILLS-BENGALS GAME?
Failure to play the game through to its conclusion will have no effect on teams qualifying for the playoffs. No team would advance to the playoffs or be eliminated based on the outcome of the game.
Resuming the game would impact the other 12 teams on the playoff field as it would force the league to push back the start of the playoffs by a week. The decision to cancel a game has the least effect on the majority of the league.
WHAT ARE THE RULES CHANGES?
Instead of calling off the game and awarding playoff seeding based on winning percentage, the NFL and its competition committee approved several changes that will be presented to club owners for a vote on Friday.
The AFC Championship match will be played at a neutral venue if the participating teams have played an equal number of matches and both could have been the number 1. 1 seed and hosted the match, all clubs from the AFC have played a full 17-game regular season.
These circumstances require either Buffalo or Cincinnati to qualify for the game as a road team. If Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie this weekend, a Bills-Chiefs AFC title game would be played at a neutral site.
If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or draws, a Bills-Chiefs AFC title game would be played at a neutral site.
If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins, the Bills or Bengals against Kansas City in the AFC title game would be at a neutral site.
Also, if Baltimore beats Cincinnati in Week 18, the Ravens would have two wins over the divisional opponent Bengals but could not set up a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore. with a 17-game schedule.
Therefore, if Baltimore beats Cincinnati and those two clubs are to play a wild card match against each other, the site of that match will be determined by a coin toss.
But if the Bengals win this weekend or if Baltimore and Cincinnati aren’t scheduled to meet in the wild card round, play sites would be determined by regular scheduling procedures.
WHICH TEAMS ARE MOST AFFECTED BY CANCELLATION?
The Bills, Bengals, Chiefs and Ravens, due to three neutral site opportunities for the AFC Championship game and the coin-flip option for home advantage for a possible Ravens wildcard game -Bengals.
WHAT WAS THE NFL’S ALTERNATIVE?
This is the first time since 1935 that not all teams will play the same number of matches. The NFL’s 2022 Policy Manual for Game Operations states that a team’s “position in its division or conference” will be determined by winning percentage if a game is called. Due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the canceled game, the league proposed new rules.
WHICH NEUTRAL VENUE COULD HOST THE AFC TITLE GAME?
The league is exploring several options, including indoor and outdoor stadiums. Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, has a potential conflict over a volleyball tournament.
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