Playoff Solutions Assuming they don’t replay the Bengals game.

[KingBoots8]

8 minutes ago, Roy Hobbs said:

The league might be best served by waiting on the results from this weekend's games before deciding if/when to resched the Bills/Bengals.

This, to me, is the only thing that makes sense.

 

its very likely the league will have to make some tough decisions, but in the event KC and the Bengals somehow both lost, replaying the game is likely a moot point for the 1 seed (provided the Bills play, and win).

 

there would need to be some magic worked to resolve 2/3 seeds between KC and Cinci but that seems like an easier situation than shuffling the top 3 teams. I think they are hoping to avoid that, but more than likely they will have to come up with something. 
 

it serves them better to wait this week out before having to make that call.

 

 

Hopefully we get some good news soon from Hamlin and the boys can focus on winning for him (when they are ready). truth be told, as much as I “care”, I don’t care about football right now. Thinking about it serves as a nice distraction, but beyond that if the Bills came together and said “we can’t play” I will support it no matter what. Family comes first.

Edited January 3, 2023 by KingBoots8

[BillyBilliams]

35 minutes ago, dma0034 said:

So I've been thinking non-stop about this: Call this a tie and modify the playoffs:

 

Any games between Bills/Chiefs/Bengals would have to be on a neutral site. Chiefs get a bye and home field for round two. If/When the Bills play the Bengals in round 2 it will be on a neutral field. If the Chiefs advance and one of the Bills/Bengals advance it too will have to be on a neutral site.

 

That doesn't make sense.  The Bills were a full game clear on Cincinnati.  It benefits Cincy and KC more than Buffalo by doing this.  This means Cincy clinches the division and Baltimore doesn't have a chance to advance.  Buffalo then loses their advantage for beating KC earlier this season, and KC is awarded the playoff advantage despite losing to Cincy AND Buffalo.

[Warriorspikes51]

Bills at Bengals as first game of Wild Card weekend. A “bye” in that both teams move on to the Divisional round

 

1 KC

 

2 BUF vs 3 CIN  (Top 3 Reseeding)

 

4 vs 7

5 vs 6

 

 

[dma0034]

3 minutes ago, BillyBilliams said:

 

That doesn't make sense.  The Bills were a full game clear on Cincinnati.  It benefits Cincy and KC more than Buffalo by doing this.  This means Cincy clinches the division and Baltimore doesn't have a chance to advance.  Buffalo then loses their advantage for beating KC earlier this season, and KC is awarded the playoff advantage despite losing to Cincy AND Buffalo.

 

 

Only way the game could be a tie imo. Which I don't support. I'm firmly in the play the game on Jan 15th

[BillyBilliams]

51 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I think you're misreading my point. .Going forward, it's objectively unfair to the rest of the league to not have one team get a loss and one team get a win for this game prior to the conclusion of week 18.

If KC didn't and Baltimore didn't lose to Buffalo and Cincy this season, then the call for unfairness would be in the cards.  

[dma0034]

1 minute ago, BillyBilliams said:

If KC didn't and Baltimore didn't lose to Buffalo and Cincy this season, then the call for unfairness would be in the cards.  

 

Ravens didn't lose to the Bengals though.....

[BillyBilliams]

1 minute ago, dma0034 said:

 

 

Only way the game could be a tie imo. Which I don't support. I'm firmly in the play the game on Jan 15th

 

They could base records on a 16 game schedule, rather than the 17 game schedule?  Raiders are out of the playoffs, so their game doesn't matter.  Just have KC take Week 18 off and have Buffalo play New England.  If Buffalo wins, they get the 1 seed.  If they lose, it goes to KC.  I'm not factoring Cincy simply because they are 1 loss behind both teams.  Have them play Baltimore for the division.

[BLeonard]

2 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Bills at Bengals as first game of Wild Card weekend. A “bye” in that both teams move on to the Divisional round

 

1 KC

 

2 BUF vs 3 CIN  (Top 3 Reseeding)

 

4 vs 7

5 vs 6

 

 

So, KC gets a bye, the Bills play the Bengals, but both advance to the next round, while 4 plays 7 and 5 plays 6?

 

You'd have KC, BUF, CIN and two other teams in the divisional round.  How you gonna have games with 5 teams?

[BillyBilliams]

Just now, dma0034 said:

 

Ravens didn't lose to the Bengals though.....

 

Oh yeah, you're right, but they're 1.5 games back.  I don't really care about their butthurtness.

[dakrider]

The game can't be replayed without disrupting the entire rest of the league.  So there is no game.  Teams will simply have to go with the records they have. So if KC wins on Sunday, they get the #1 seed.  If KC loses and Bills win, Bills get to keep #1 seed. If KC and Bills lose and Cinci wins, Cinci gets #1 seed. And if all 3 of these teams lose on Sunday, then Bills also keep #1 seed. There simply is no other way. 

[BillyBilliams]

Just now, BLeonard said:

So, KC gets a bye, the Bills play the Bengals, but both advance to the next round, while 4 plays 7 and 5 plays 6?

 

You'd have KC, BUF, CIN and two other teams in the divisional round.  How you gonna have games with 5 teams?

 

yeah that doesn't make sense either.  You also give KC 2 bye weeks.

[DrDawkinstein]

There's no way they can rescheduling anything or move the playoff/Super Bowl schedule around.

 

If anything, the Bills and Bengals eat this game. Either as a tie, or they just play a 16 game schedule and standing is determined by Win %.

 

Assuming we all win out next week, gives us:

 

1 KC

2 Buffalo

3 Cincy

 

Which at this point, I'm fine with. Better than a loss last night. And KC's D is so sus, they could go out round 2 and AFC Champ still goes through Buffalo. Assuming we survive Round 2, these injuries tho...

[zow2]

Forget the Bengals game.  That will never be made up.  At this point I'm just wondering if the Bills will be prepared to play New England.  That's definitely not a given that Buffalo players will be in a frame of mind to play at all.

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, BLeonard said:

So, KC gets a bye, the Bills play the Bengals, but both advance to the next round, while 4 plays 7 and 5 plays 6?

 

You'd have KC, BUF, CIN and two other teams in the divisional round.  How you gonna have games with 5 teams?

 

Ahhhh dang you're right. There goes that idea.  I really liked it too! 

[Success]

4 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

There's no way they can rescheduling anything or move the playoff/Super Bowl schedule around.

 

If anything, the Bills and Bengals eat this game. Either as a tie, or they just play a 16 game schedule and standing is determined by Win %.

 

Assuming we all win out next week, gives us:

 

1 KC

2 Buffalo

3 Cincy

 

Which at this point, I'm fine with. Better than a loss last night. And KC's D is so sus, they could go out round 2 and AFC Champ still goes through Buffalo. Assuming we survive Round 2, these injuries tho...

 

Yeah - I don't fear going to KC like I have in previous years, and we may not even have to.  By the time we get to the AFCCG, it may still be in Buffalo.

 

Losing the rest week would hurt w/ this banged up team, but it can't be perfect.

 

[Mark92]

Honestly I don't know how this Bills team moves on from what has happened.  If Hamlin pulls through then it's going to take a lot for this team to get back in the right mind frame to be playing their best ball of the year.  If the unthinkable happens then there is no way this team can finish their season.  Absolutely tragic and sad what has happened.  

[jletha]

Just now, Mark92 said:

Honestly I don't know how this Bills team moves on from what has happened.  If Hamlin pulls through then it's going to take a lot for this team to get back in the right mind frame to be playing their best ball of the year.  If the unthinkable happens then there is no way this team can finish their season.  Absolutely tragic and sad what has happened.  

It is brutal and will certainly impact their psyche. But also football is what they know and is often an outlet for them. In 2008 Washington lost Sean Taylor during the season and continued on.

 

Obvi every player must make the decision that works best for them and I wouldnt fault anyone that wants to take a break. But I also wouldnt be surprised if the team *wants* to play starting Sunday.

[DrDawkinstein]

4 minutes ago, Mark92 said:

Honestly I don't know how this Bills team moves on from what has happened.  If Hamlin pulls through then it's going to take a lot for this team to get back in the right mind frame to be playing their best ball of the year.  If the unthinkable happens then there is no way this team can finish their season.  Absolutely tragic and sad what has happened.  

 

The same way the team pulled through when Kevin Everett was paralyzed on the opening kickoff, and finished that game and played the whole season. The same way the Steelers pulled through when Shazier was paralyzed on the field.

 

Especially now that he is in stable (yet still critical) condition.

 

I think we'll see some players leave the game. Hearing lots of chatter about Tre retiring (which might be best for everyone). But its all just chatter at this point.

[Koufax]

I have no problem at all if the Bills do not ever continue this game, and I have no problem at all if the New England game is canceled or forfeited. We are less than 24 hours in, but what matters is first of all Damar, and second of all the mental state of the players. If that means the next snap in a football game is Jan 14/15 against the Ravens in Buffalo as the 3 seed, or any other variation along the way, I hope it is with Damar watching and on his way to a full recovery.

[TheBrownBear]

5 minutes ago, Mark92 said:

Honestly I don't know how this Bills team moves on from what has happened.  If Hamlin pulls through then it's going to take a lot for this team to get back in the right mind frame to be playing their best ball of the year.  If the unthinkable happens then there is no way this team can finish their season.  Absolutely tragic and sad what has happened.  

It was obviously very traumatic, but it was a fluke and Hamlin is almost certainly going to survive.  I feel pretty confident that the team will rally in his absence. 

[bobobonators]

19 minutes ago, dakrider said:

The game can't be replayed without disrupting the entire rest of the league.  So there is no game.  Teams will simply have to go with the records they have. So if KC wins on Sunday, they get the #1 seed.  If KC loses and Bills win, Bills get to keep #1 seed. If KC and Bills lose and Cinci wins, Cinci gets #1 seed. And if all 3 of these teams lose on Sunday, then Bills also keep #1 seed. There simply is no other way. 

this is actually fairly objective. 

[boyst]

30 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

They will just be delayed one week.

i'd rather take the forfeit than risk playing an extra week and the wear and tear while everyone else rests.

21 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

There's no way they can rescheduling anything or move the playoff/Super Bowl schedule around.

 

If anything, the Bills and Bengals eat this game. Either as a tie, or they just play a 16 game schedule and standing is determined by Win %.

 

Assuming we all win out next week, gives us:

 

1 KC

2 Buffalo

3 Cincy

 

Which at this point, I'm fine with. Better than a loss last night. And KC's D is so sus, they could go out round 2 and AFC Champ still goes through Buffalo. Assuming we survive Round 2, these injuries tho...

not to mention what i just mentioned. we can't risk more injuries and a wasted week to likely face a loss.  rest up and recover. go beat up on some boston scum and whoever wants to feel our wrath in the wildcard.

[bobobonators]

1 minute ago, boyst said:

i'd rather take the forfeit than risk playing an extra week and the wear and tear while everyone else rests.

Same boat here. 
 

Either don’t play the game at all or forfeit at this point. Id rather go into the playoffs on normal schedule as the #2/3 seed than emotionally AND physically exhausted on little rest. 

[Figster]

7 hours ago, DrPJax said:

I really do understand your point , yet losing a grandparent ( having lost all of mine and my father. 96 year old mom was watching and cheering for Bills tonight!) is not as unexpected as losing a peer in your age group right in front of your eyes while playing the sport you do as well for a living. There is a difference.  Josh unlikely was there as his grandmother passed ( I could be wrong , just my experience over the years ) and many grandparents have chronic illness etc.  Possibly losing a younger peer , who you spend more time with than grandparents usually, is a very unexpected trauma.  Just a thought.  Not sure he will be ready to play lights out in this situation; may be very affected as many team men were crying , and extremely shaken just witnessing the resuscitation, let alone considering the possibility of him passing. He did dedicate the game to his grandmother and did play well. This type of thing makes you realize your own vulnerability though. 

 Two different scenario's. Absolutely. thanks DrPJax  for the great posting / replies. Myself personally, watching the whole thing unfold in front of us. I don't think you even had to be a Bills fan or a football fan for that matterfor this to traumatize you a little. I cried like a baby last night and its hard to think about the faces of our players right now and not tear up. I can't even begin to imagine how all the players must feel. 

 

Speaking of vulnerability, added chest protection perhaps?

 

Thanks again doc

Edited January 3, 2023 by Figster

[chongli]

1 minute ago, bobobonators said:

Same boat here. 
 

Either don’t play the game at all or forfeit at this point. Id rather go into the playoffs on normal schedule as the #2/3 seed than emotionally AND physically exhausted on little rest. 

 

Then the Bills probably won't get the bye week to rest.

[Dick_Cheney]

It's interesting to see that ESPN has completely removed this game from the Playoff Machine. You can't even hypothetically see what would have been what.

[chongli]

4 minutes ago, boyst said:

i'd rather take the forfeit than risk playing an extra week and the wear and tear while everyone else rests.

 

There won't be a forfeit. The NFL wouldn't want egg on its face for forcing one team to take the loss because of an injury like this. There either will be a tie, double win, or no contest declared. Plus, Cincy would not accept a win by foreit. KC, if they had any balls, wouldn't accept the number 1 seed this way either.

[phypon]

28 minutes ago, dakrider said:

The game can't be replayed without disrupting the entire rest of the league.  So there is no game.  Teams will simply have to go with the records they have. So if KC wins on Sunday, they get the #1 seed.  If KC loses and Bills win, Bills get to keep #1 seed. If KC and Bills lose and Cinci wins, Cinci gets #1 seed. And if all 3 of these teams lose on Sunday, then Bills also keep #1 seed. There simply is no other way. 

I think this is essentially the best way.  Outside of this, Bills forfeit the Cinci game, do the best they can with the backups against NE and use the NE game as a bye for the starters for physical rest/ailments and proceed from there.  

[ExiledInIllinois]

33 minutes ago, BillyBilliams said:

 

They could base records on a 16 game schedule, rather than the 17 game schedule?  Raiders are out of the playoffs, so their game doesn't matter.  Just have KC take Week 18 off and have Buffalo play New England.  If Buffalo wins, they get the 1 seed.  If they lose, it goes to KC.  I'm not factoring Cincy simply because they are 1 loss behind both teams.  Have them play Baltimore for the division.

Interesting!

[Dick_Cheney]

7 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

There won't be a forfeit. The NFL wouldn't want egg on its face for forcing one team to take the loss because of an injury like this. There either will be a tie, double win, or no contest declared. Plus, Cincy would not accept a win by foreit. KC, if they had any balls, wouldn't accept the number 1 seed this way either.

I actually think a double win would be the most fair decision possibly.

 

It essentially keeps everyone at the same place they were entering the week, but it also keeps all the final week games relevant. The teams with the most at stake would be the ones fighting for the playoffs altogether or games where divisions were on the line. Obviously this helps the Bills compared to a tie, loss, or just not counting it at all, but in my mind keeping things in the standings as they were for these teams which were both on win streaks maintains more of the playoff structure than screws it up.

 

Kansas City being gifted the #1 spot, along with the Bills and Bengals being punished for happening to be the 2 teams on the field for such an incident, is a deeply unfair "solution" which makes the final week of games just odd to play with. I really hope that's what is decided, and then of course that Hamlin shows some very positive signs and everyone is able to process this accordingly and move forward.

[SoCal Deek]

I’m guessing the league will treat the game as a tie. Done.

[Dick_Cheney]

Huge LOL at the thought of a solution where KC ends up getting 2 bye weeks. Absolutely not a chance.

 

These solutions would be slightly different depending on a lot of things. What if we were a game up on KC? What if we had been winning or tied when this happened? What if we were in the position of the Ravens? It is a genuine black swan event not only in the medical/injury sense, but in its impact to the overall structure of the game and the playoffs.

 

Assigning a double win, allowing the final week to go as scheduled (some games moved to Monday or even Tuesday), and then going from there is the most logical and sensible solution to me. Let tie breakers handle whatevershakes out depending on that in the last week for seeding.

[Figster]

7 hours ago, BIGFOOTspaceman said:

I'm not the one suggesting JA is going to be lights out good due to the fact his grandmother died, and he could be again due to Hamlin's injury.  It was a weird statement to make.  

fair enough

 

Myself personally, I think its possible in Allens case that the game itself becomes somewhat secondary to matters of life and death. As it should, allowing Josh Allen to play the game devoid of emotion. How a surgeon doing an operation might feel. My take on it anyway. 

 

Sorry If I offended you BIGFOOT

[Fleezoid]

1 hour ago, chongli said:

 

I don't think there will be games this weekend.

 

I think the NFL's official statement that the game won't be played this week also included a statement about no changes to the games this weekend. 

[Rigotz]

The NFL would be smart to wait until after the Saturday and Sunday games happen, then decide what to do with this game.

 

At that point, we'll have a complete picture of the implications of their actions. The #1 seed should not just be granted to any team without knowing full implications.

12 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I’m guessing the league will treat the game as a tie. Done.

 

So, penalize both teams because one of the players got injured? Doesn't really seem too fair to me.

[The Red King]

Coin toss.  One W, one L, just as if the game was played.  Players determine the outcome (One team flips, one calls it in the air), nothing standings-wise is altered and nobody needs to relive the trauma.

[SoCal Deek]

2 minutes ago, Rigotz said:

 

So, penalize both teams because one of the players got injured? Doesn't really seem too fair to me.

Fair? Neither is what happened last night. The league isn’t going to just give someone a win. Not happening 

[jletha]

2 minutes ago, The Red King said:

Coin toss.  One W, one L, just as if the game was played.  Players determine the outcome (One team flips, one calls it in the air), nothing standings-wise is altered and nobody needs to relive the trauma.

Yes, another on team coin flip! Its actually the fairest way.

[zow2]

I read somewhere that if tied with the same record Bills and Bengals would have the same conference record and same common opponents records.

So if it comes down to strength of victory,  our Rams and Bears games drag the Bills

down below Cinci.

[jrb2590]

yep on the coin flip -- im not sure that there can be another option that results in less complaints from any fan base short of them actually finishing this game, which i doubt. definitely better than intentionally giving one team a Win or Loss or both Ties (which hurts both teams)

 

otherwise get rid of the bye for the 1 seed in the AFC, and add an 8th playoff team, effectively getting rid of that huge advantage the 1 seed has since its tough to say which of the top 3 should get it right now.  plus the nfl gets an extra game to make up for this one that gets cancelled