stlbills13

Anyone know when said meeting is?

If they go with this proposal and KC wins on Saturday, how long do you play the starters on Sunday? Obviously you still want the 2 seed but health is also important with no bye and it's been a weird week.

Yeah kind of. They still practiced and prepared for a game so they didn't get the typical rest involved with a bye week. I would also say the emotional drain from the game makes it less like a bye week too. But there's no doubt the players came out more physically healthy than other teams (minus Taron and Hamlin of course)

With the Hamlin news from today, this team is going to steamroll everyone, everywhere. But yeah it's be amazing if it happened in Orchard Park

Go Raiders

There are no solutions that will be completely fair but that suggestion is horrendous

The NFL never should have had the Chiefs game on Saturday. It never made sense other than to try to jam a popular player into an otherwise boring time slot. Now depending on what happens with the Bills/Bengals game, it could give the Bills no incentive to play their starters on Sunday which then could give the Patriots a win and a playoff spot all while eliminating the Dolphins, Steelers, and potentially the Jags. I know the Hamlin situation is unexpected and a one-in-10 million scenario but it still never made sense to have KC play on Saturday.

The Bills don't owe anything to anybody to operate under a normal schedule/situation but I do think the NFL owes it to everyone to communicate a definitive plan well before this weekends games are played. The NFL is king of the Friday afternoon news dump though so I expect it Friday at 4:30

The NFL can't wait until to see how the weekend games turn out even if that's what they would rather do. I say don't play the game but I see good and fair arguments on either side. I just think every team in the NFL should know what is at stake when the games start on Saturday. If the NFL says they aren't going to play the game and they're gonna seed based on win %, then if KC wins on Saturday, I am in favor of resting almost everyone Sunday against NE.

I would assume the Bills players are getting at least some more frequent/detailed updates than the rest of the public. It may not be much different but I would think it's helping them cope a little better.

Plus Georgia and TCU do get 9 days off. Not a full bye but it's not played in a normal timeframe either The week off before the Super Bowl is a big deal. But getting rid of it may still be the best solution. I just don't think the NFL will do it. I also am not so sure having the Bills/Bengals play a standalone week 19 game is a good idea for the emotional well-being of the teams. And I definitely don't like the idea of all the other playoff teams getting a bye.

Yeah I truly believe the best way to seed the teams would be to rank them based on the number of losses each team has. I know that's unfair to Cincy since they could have given the Bills a 4th loss but somebody is going to get screwed here no matter what you do. So if all teams won this weekend, I would group KC and BUF together (3 losses) and BUF gets the 1 seed based on H2H. Then Cincy gets the 3 seed due to 4 losses. BUF or CIN are going to have a legitimate complaint in almost any scenario and that includes making them finish the game.

If the week off before the Super Bowl is so meaningless and can be taken away without any thought, why do they have it in the first place? There are behind the scenes events that happen that is dependent on what teams are in the Super Bowl including partnering with airlines, hotels, etc. Airlines/hotels are required to block certain flights into the Super Bowl city in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl and then they release (and jack up prices) flights from the Super Bowl participant cities to the Super Bowl host city. For example, if Buffalo and Philly play in the Super Bowl, flights out of NY and PA to Arizona are going to be pricier than flights from say Boston to Arizona. I know it's just corporate greed but that is the model of the NFL. Obviously the teams care about the week off too. The players are totally rested for the Super Bowl leading to high quality play (yes high quality play is going to happen either way - it's the Super Bowl, but this allows for better health too). This also allows for proper game planning. Even getting NFL teams to the Super Bowl is a logistical nightmare so this allows teams extra practice/prep days that would otherwise be taken away by a travel day. The week off before the Super Bowl is a big deal. A very big deal. But I do believe taking it away in this very unique situation is a reasonable scenario. I just don't think they will.

I don't see the NFL pushing the playoffs back a week. It's way more disruptive than people think. And all teams except the Bills and Bengals getting a bye week is pretty unfair at this point in the season. I don't really consider the last 10 days to be a "mini" bye week for the Bills and Bengals consider they practiced/prepared for a game and the mental/emotional toll it took. There is no fair solution. I am probably okay with just using win % even though it gifts the Chiefs the 1 seed. Honestly I'm not 100% convinced the Bills are going to win this weekend anyway given the desperateness of the Patriots and the emotionality of the Bills so it might not be gifting them anything. Plus, this Chiefs team looks awfully vulnerable (although they could flip a switch in the playoffs). Take the 2 or 3 seed and go win a Super Bowl

I feel like that goes against their exact rule of not creating an advantage for other teams which this would do

I would not resume this game. It doesn't make logistical sense and I don't think it makes emotional sense. Somebody is going to get a raw end of the deal with how the playoffs are seeded but oh well. I do think the Bills need to play on Sunday. I think the whole world would understand if they closed practices to the media, shut down player/coach media availability, etc. I think given it's a divisional game, you could probably even get away with one less day of practice and start on Thursday. Hopefully you get some sort of positive update on Hamlin in the next 24 hours or so. Obviously I doubt he ever plays football again and he may not ever be the same person but there are still positive outcomes in that scenario. The traumatic experience is something that the players will never fully get over and it's going to take some players longer/shorter than others to be ready to go back to work. There is no right answer on when that happens. In my personal life, the sooner the better has been the answer but that doesn't mean that's what should happen

I personally don't think the score at the time of the cancelation of the game is relevant since it was the first quarter but I understand the general point. My reasoning is more so this: I think the most likely outcome is a cancelation of the game and it's declared no contest. The NFL is not going to give the Bills a loss for this game unless the Bills volunteer for it. So in that case, the playoffs would be determined based on win %. In that case, KC and BUF are ahead of CIN (assuming all 3 win this coming weekend) and then from there, I give BUF the 1 seed over KC due to H2H

Somebody is going to get screwed no matter what decision is made. I think the NFL should do all they can to make sure no team is rewarded because of it. Yes I am a Bills fan but here is how I would do it - The Bills have to play on Sunday barring something very very unfortunate happening to Hamlin within 24 hours of the game. Even then, I might say the Bills have to play even if it's just going through the motions. Ignore the implications for the #1 seed - NE, MIA, PIT, and even JAX could have an outcome riding on the result of that game. That result could mean 2nd contracts, coaching firings, etc. - If the Bills, Cincy, and KC all win this weekend, I would group the 3 loss teams together (KC and BUF). I don't think the Bills should be punished and the Chiefs rewarded just because KC played an extra game. From there, BUF would get the 1 seed due to H2H tiebraker. - Even though I think Cincy has handled this with 100% class and respect, I think they would be the team to get the hardest break and they'd move to the 3 seed. My reason behind this is that there was no guarantee they'd be the 2 or 1 seed even with a win over the Bills last night. Again, I truly would hate to see them get the rawest end of this deal but they had 4 losses going into the game. I personally think both Cincy and Buffalo would get screwed if the game had to be played. Sure Cincy could win and then own the tiebreaker over the Bills, but then they still have to play Baltimore (potentially/likely) on a short week. Obviously playing that game for the Bills seems crazy. There are 1,000 outcomes that could make my plan messier such as the Ravens beating the Bengals (then do they have a rightful claim to the division having beaten Cincy twice but played more games?) but to me this is the simplest plan that does not reward a team outside of BUF/CIN and does not also severely punish both BUF/CIN. There is no way they are going to push back all the Week 18 games a full week. Hotels are booked by fans, tickets have been bought, etc. That would be a nightmare. There is the possibility to push back the first round of the playoffs and have the Bills play Cincy that weekend (assuming there are still playoff implications) but that seems like it has too many moving pieces/issues such as 1) all other teams getting an extra week of rest than BUF/CIN 2) some fans of teams like TB, SF, MN, etc could have already made hotel/travel arrangements for that weekend 3) TV deals that pay the NFL a lot of money would have to have a say 4) as stupid as it seems, teams appreciate the week off before the Super Bowl especially with how logistically crazy it is Again, someone is going to have a legit gripe for how this is handled. You can say that a team like KC shouldn't get screwed since they weren't involved but you could just as easily say they shouldn't be rewarded. To me, the focus is how do you make this best for BUF/CIN and then go from there. Maybe it's something like Buffalo, Cincy, KC have to evenly split revenue from home playoff games. I know money doesn't solve all but you can also bet these owners are considering the money side of this as well as the competitive side.

It sounds insensitive but gambling, fantasy football, etc are a big moneymaker for the NFL in terms of interest which leads to ad revenue, viewers, etc. I think those things will be factored into their decision whether that's right or not.

I know it seems heartless but I feel like the NFL has to make/announce a decision today in regards to this game but also the week 18 schedule and playoff situation. Again, it may seem inappropriate but the playoffs are still going to go on and you need to give all parties involved ample time to adjust if needed. The NFL hurts themselves more times than not but they are probably in a no-win situation here

Total guess: - The NFL will want Buf/Cin to finish their game. They won't outright say it and they won't push back if the players say no, but they will make that the first option. - The Bills definitely say no to playing. The Bengals would obviously rather play but they agree to canceling - The NFL hopes and prays that LV beats KC on Saturday or that the Bills lose to the Patriots so that this single incident doesn't decide the 1 seed. - The Bills will still be a little shell-shocked on Sunday even if Hamlin is declared to be okay before then. It will be a tough game. - The Bills likely go into the playoffs at the 2 or 3 seed. It's a really tough break in a season of really tough breaks but I'm not sure what else can be done. Even if you finish this game, I feel like it would be hard for the Bills to win so all you're doing is risking injury and losing the tiebreaker to the Bengals. - I do expect the Chiefs to flip a switch in the playoffs but they have looked very beatable lately. They could be the 1 seed and still lose their first game and I don't think anyone should be surprised.

If they play the game this week, I don't see any way the Bills win. So I'd maybe rather just cancel it and go to win %. We get the 2 seed likely but that's better than losing and being the 3 seed. It sucks that the Chiefs will get an all time gift but it will be even sweeter to knock them out

Yeah I'm torn on this one. I hate Miami fans and would love to see them miss the playoffs. But I also think they have far and away the best chance out of them, NE, and NYJ to beat the Chiefs in the first round

I agree although my wishful thinking is that Hackett was the only issue and the Broncos look like the team people thought they'd be before the season and they beat KC in a thriller. Anyway back to reality, if we get the 1 seed, it was incredibly earned

Yeah White hasn't been very good. Burrow/Chase/Higgins are actually a QB/WR combo that can exploit it. But they're going to exploit almost any secondary unless you get consistent pressure on Burrow. That is the key to the game. It will be hard to run on the Bengals too but I would like to see our RBs be more involved in the pass game. Don't get me wrong, Cincy has some great talent on defense but they have a strong system and make a lot of "effort" plays. You have to wear them down and accept the 4-5 yard checkdowns they give you