UKBillFan

I'd be slightly disappointed if we voted for it.

I read 25 out of the 32 teams voted in support of the solution, so seven presumably voted against (or abstained?) I wonder who they were? The Bengals is obviously one. The Bills? The Chiefs? The Ravens? The Giants, perhaps, due to close links to the Bills? Would still leave two teams who voted against the proposal.

I cannot believe the news which has come through already considering it's only four days since it happened. Just so relieved, for Damar, his family, the coaching staff, the players. The first responders and medical team deserve so much praise and love too.

I think the Bengals would have won on head to head. It would have been Bengals at #1, Bills at #2 and Chiefs at #3 in that scenario, I believe?

Though if the Bills had beaten the Bengals, followed by the Ravens winning, then the Ravens would have won the AFC North. It's a fudge, really.

The Bengals will be annoyed that they didn't get a shot at number one seed.

I would have been happy if they had said any Bengals-Bills post season game would be held at a neutral venue.

I assume if the Chiefs win and the Bills lose, and both teams get to the AFCCG, then it will be held at Arrowhead?

Thanks; that changed from the previous proposal. Not sure how I feel about that though I suppose the Bills would have been seeded higher than the Chiefs even if they had lost to the Bengals, if they then beaten the Pats and the Chiefs lost to the Raiders. Again, it's the Bengals losing out the most.

I think it will be on a neutral field, as the Chiefs and Bills will have played a different number of games. Same with Chiefs and Bengals. But Bills and Bengals will be played at either Orchard Park or the Jungle, depending on how Sunday plays out.

Well that would be the Bengals issue to deal with; they'll only have to travel to the Ravens if they lose on Sunday. Beat them, and they get HFA over them. Burrow said on Wednesday some Bengals players didn't feel, at that point, like they wanted to play on Sunday. Higgins agreed that he was relieved the game was called off. So they can try and claim it was all on the Bills but it wasn't, and understandably so. So should we forfeit?

Yes, wouldn't be completely surprised if we follow the Bengals lead. Indeed, I hope we do.

Yes, I mentioned those loses for the Bengals.

The Bills could be upset that the number one seed has been taken out of their hands. The Chiefs could be upset that they're going to lose HFA if they face the Bengals or Bills, even though circumstances may have dictated that they would have claimed number one outright. All teams could feel like they've lost out by this. In truth if the Chiefs hadn't lose at the Colts, or the Bills hadn't lost to the Jets/Vikings, or the Bengals hadn't lost to the Steelers/Browns/Cowboys with a second string QB, then they'd be in a stronger position anyway.

They should just stick Ravens-Bengals on a neutral field if they make the play offs, providing the Bengals lose on Sunday. Or, hey, beat the Ravens on Sunday and it won't even come into consideration.

The Titans would have to lose too. If they beat the Jags, the Jags could take the seventh seed.

This is a good point. By cancelling the game, it's basically been treated as a loss by the Bills but not the quite same for the Bengals. The Bills now lose control of the number one seed and have to rely on the Raiders beating the Chiefs to have a chance. The Bengals have been given the AFC North, even though if they had lost to the Bills and again to the Ravens they would have finished second. But if they lose to the Ravens they'll still get the chance of hosting the play off game, despite being swept by them. Then again, they also get a stronger schedule toi play next year and potentially a weaker position in the draft. It's convoluted, especially when it comes to the Bengals.

Going off other forums and Twitter I'm not sure if other fanbases (particularly the Bengals and Chiefs) really give a damn about Damar now they know he's likely to be ok. They're feeling bitter about being "screwed over" with the number one seed. Can't imagine there being a good reception over the moves.

No one knows now Bengals-Bills would have finished. There's so many variables to consider, so many things which could have happened after the Hamlin incident, or if the Hamlin incident hadn't happened. I guess a flip of the coin would have been a simple move though whoever lost would have resented it.

As you say, every team has gained to a degree and lost to a degree due to this scenario. What they should have done is nullified the advantages gained by the number one seed to the best of their ability - for me, that means add an eighth seed, remove the bye, and have any game which involved a combination of the Bengals, Bills and Chiefs played on a neutral field. The AFC North should be decided on Sunday; if the Ravens won, they’d take the division and the higher seed based on divisional record as they would have swept the Bengals and would have taken the division had the Bills beaten the Bengals on Monday night. If the Bengals win, they would take the division. At least then, there wouldn’t be a coin flip if the Bengals and Ravens met in the play offs to decide home field and, should the Bengals lose against the Ravens, they’d provisionally get a better position in the draft and an easier schedule, on paper, in 2023. As it is, it’s a fudge.

But no one knows what benefits each of the teams should have had - that's the issue. The only was we would know for sure is Bills-Bengals being played.

I was going to ask how the NFL is screwing KC when they've basically been gifted the first seed but...

That number keeps coming up.

There would be something poetic about us being at 3.

The Bills are still better than the Pats, and they came within a stupid fumble of taking the lead against the Bengals with very little time left, albeit I appreciate playing away from the Jungle is different for them. The probability is that the Bengals would have beaten the Bills but no one can say that for certain.