UKBillFan

The Super Bowl is the goal. The number one seed is the preferred way to it. However, a number one seed hasn't won the Super Bowl in the last four seasons - actuallly, three of them were won by the number two seed.

I was trying to think back to week three, and whether Wednesday practice was only a walk through after the Titans game. I thought it was.

Now listened back - yes, it's only neutral field if Monday's result may have had an impact on the seedings.

Would like a testimonial game for Damar to be held between the teams as part of the 2023 pre-season.

Sounds like they're cancelling the Bills-Bengals game now; it won't be finished.

It's either/or. Either the AFCCG is played at a neutral venue or the one seed benefits are split between one and two. Seems a bit harsh on the Bengals as they'd still have a shot at number one seed under normal circumstances if the Chiefs lose on Saturday, and they beat the Ravens. As it is, if the Bills beat the Pats, they'll be stuck at three. It's why I think they should extend both play offs to eight teams, scrap the bye and then implement the suggestion that if two of the Chiefs, Bills or Bengals play one another, it should be on neutral field. An issue then is if the Ravens beat the Bengals. I'd be tempted to given the Ravens the AFC North and number three seed in that circumstance on basis of divisional record (would be 4-2 vs 2-4 the Ravens would have beaten the Bengals twice). The number five seed can then be sorted between the Bengals and Chargers, should the Chargers win, on winning percentage.

The relief to see the change of thread title and then to find the original tweet. Very positive news, albeit with some way to go.

If the Bills announce that a load of people from the street will be playing them then barely anyone will turn up and watch. It won't be entertaining, it won't be a spectacle and it wouldn't help the local community that much. I agree with you that, if the Bills decide not to play, then they should forfeit though, and the same time, I don't think the Pats can just be given the win. I think the big sign will be if the Bills undertake a full practice today. If they do, then the game will definitely be going ahead.

Which would mean, even if the Ravens beat the Bengals, they wouldn’t get the third seed. And if both the Bills and the Bengals win, the latter won’t get a shot at first. Or if the Chiefs and the Bills win, the latter wouldn’t get a chance to get to one.

Plus the Bills still trained for the game and went through the usual processes. It wasn’t treated as a bye week.

Maybe I should have said companies and individuals, but my point still stands. It does go deeper into the issues of the world, but being reliant on footfall of one franchise does open up people and businesses to risk. Go back and read my original comment - what happened in Oakland and San Diego? They didn’t (possibly but probably not) lose one game; they lost at least eight or nine a year and, unlike this scenario, there’s no way of it being made up.

The Chiefs and Bengals losing with the Bills winning does not cement the standings - the Ravens would then have a shot at three, if we play and beat the Bengals.

That is sadly a risk for companies which rely on a NFL team to such an extent. For example, what must have happened in Oakland when the Raiders moved to Vegas, or what happened in San Diego when the Chargers moved (back) to LA?

If only I was an elite person. You failed to answer the question. ETA - In fairness, Mango’s response is far better than mine.

I really need to sleep, so just to answer the thread title, I think the Bills would forfeit but the Patriots wouldn’t necessarily be given a win. They would stay on 16 games and the play off positions would be worked out on a tiebreak basis.

How about losing out on the Pats game not going to have an overall impact, as it will just be replaced by a play off game anyway - one which is not guaranteed at the start of the season?

We’re talking about one game. The Bills will have at least one game in the play offs which, in August, was not guaranteed. And no one seemed to bring up the issues of family members on the breadline losing out when the Browns game was switched to Detroit.

Personally I think the majority of people who take on violent or dangerous jobs get into a position where they don’t consider their own mortality - otherwise they would change paths.

I don’t think players go out there thinking “I could die here”. I doubt many even set much stall by the more likelier outcome of paralysis or concussion. Not only are they concerned for a friend, I think it is possible events on Monday woke some up about their own mortality, considering how innocuous the tackle was which led to Damar’s cardiac arrest. It would never happen but I wonder what would be the next step if every single Bills player decoded to retire tomorrow? They have every right to do so but it’d be difficult to play the game which must go on.

Whatever happens in week 18, there will be some weight on Bills-Bengals. There is no set of outcomes where it won’t have some kind of impact on seedings.

I think it was Happy Days who made the comment earlier - players are prepared for bad injuries up to the point of paralysis and severe concussion. But a player suffering a cardiac arrest on the field is completely different to any of that, and certainly different from seeing a dead stranger in a RTA. Life does go on and will go on. But it is up to the players and coaching staff to individually decide the pace it will happen and, as a fanbase, the least we can do is support whatever decision they make rather than belittle them if they make the ‘wrong’ one. As I said before, I think the Bills will play the Patriots on Sunday but I doubt every physically available player will turn out.

For Bills fans, yes, to a degree. But not necessarily for the fans of the Bengals or the Ravens.

The Chiefs losing wouldn’t reduce the importance of the Bills-Bengals result. Whatever mix of results in week eighteen, there will be something riding on it.

I wish people would stop comparing NFL players to emergency workers or members of the armed forces. Massive credit to all who serve, but it comes with a completely different expectation to what is normal and abnormal. Sitting on backsides saying THEY MUST PLAY is hardly the kind of ‘support’ I expected from the majority of Bills fans considering what happened on Monday night. It feels akin to telling the players and coaching staff to man up and stop grizzling.

In terms of conference record, if the Chiefs, Bills and Bengals all win then the Chiefs would be 9-3, the Bills 9-2 and the Bengals 8-3. The Bills would have one up on the Chiefs due to head to head but the system would be potentially depriving the Bengals of a chance to get the one seed, as if they beat the Bills they’d be 9-3 after defeating both of their nearest rivals. There are no set of week 18 results which would lock down the seedings, which is the issue the NFL has.