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

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

I really feel the fairest thing would be for the Bills to take the 3 seed. 2 seed to the Bengals and 1 seed to the Chiefs. Of course, if the Chiefs manage to bungle the Vegas game then they will earn the 3 seed, Bills 2 seed and Bengals 1 seed.

 

To me this arrangement of the Bills being the 3 seed makes sense. The Bills were going to have to beat the Bengals in Cincinatti to hold onto a better seeding than the Bengals. Essentially all we are doing is moving the pivotal week 17 game to the Divisional round of the playoffs. 

 

Now the Chiefs do get the 1 seed in this scenario but there is simply no way to make it fair all the way around for everyone. And let's face it, this Bengals game was a total toss-up. The Chiefs had at least a 50/50 chance of regaining the 1 seed anyway had the game been played.

 

Also, I'm not the least bit afraid of playing KC in KC. I think we match up quite well with the Chiefs. The Bengals on the other hand I think present some serious mismatches with their WR trio. But as I mentioned before, the Bills have to beat the Bengals in Cincinatti either way. 

 

At the end of the day, i really don't care where we are at 1, 2, or 3. 

[Mango]

So I think as dumb as this post is you’re on to something.

 

As long as the Bills handle business in NE (Big If), nothing will change the fact that they have more conference wins and the head to head. 

[Buffalo03]

34 minutes ago, Mango said:

This is by far my least favorite. Take the loss. Move on. Let the league and the team start to put the trauma behind them. 
 

Reshuffle the whole league, to have them be the only story line in the country. For two teams already in as high seeds. It will be nonstop talk about Hamlin. 
 

If the locker room wants this sure. But it doesn’t “feel” like they do. And my pulse on the city is that they don't want this either. It just provides so little value. 

Also, KC has like an 80% chance of losing one of their wins. This definitely favors CIN and BUF. By a wide margin. 

Why would playing the week after be your least favorite? It's fair for all parties involved. I don't like the idea of just taking a loss after everything this team has put into this season and all the adversity they have faced to just take a loss. All teams should have the same amount of games played. If we lose, then it is what it is. But a generator or dice roll is even more dumb than just moving the playoffs back a week and playing the game. There's a week between the championship games and the Super Bowl where nothing is going on. It's literally right there in front of them

[mikemac2001]

1 hour ago, HalftimeAdjustment said:

 

So, in that case the possible options would be (assuming the Bills do play in Wk 18):

KC W: 0.823 T: 0.794 L: 0.764

BUF W: 0.812 T:  0.781 L: 0.75

CIN W: 0.75 T: 0.718 L: 0.687 

 

In that case:

 1) Bengals vs Ravens is meaningless (Ravens cannot exceed 0.687 Win%)

 2) Bengals cannot win the #1 seed

 3) Bengals cannot get the #2 seed unless Buffalo loses and they win ... I think they take the tiebreaker on division W/L % but not sure.

 4) Chiefs are in the driver's seat for #1 and only lose it with a loss or tie plus a BUF win.

 

This is OK, it is more balanced between the Bills and Bengals than a forfeit of course, but it is defensible. 

I think conf % makes sense it’s pretty even and all the games this weekend could swing it 

[vanhalen26]

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

[Mango]

1 minute ago, Buffalo03 said:

Why would playing the week after be your least favorite? It's fair for all parties involved. I don't like the idea of just taking a loss after everything this team has put into this season and all the adversity they have faced to just take a loss. All teams should have the same amount of games played. If we lose, then it is what it is. But a generator or dice roll is even more dumb than just moving the playoffs back a week and playing the game. There's a week between the championship games and the Super Bowl where nothing is going on. It's literally right there in front of them

I mean, my dice thing was clearly a joke. 
 

Moving an entire league is a behemoth task first of all. Most fair to who? Maybe the Steelers? 
 

Not the Bills or Bengals who will play a meaningful football game while the entire league sits at home for 7 days.

 

Im suggesting that the way the standings are today remain the same. How is that not the absolute most fair? 
 

When the McDaniels calls to complain about this, the league can tell him without an ounce of remorse, “a guy died on the field. We’re not doing this.”
 

Im not asking for a league mandated loss. I’m saying if the team doesn’t want to replay the game and wants to move on. I get the sense that’s the case but I could be wrong. 

[Doc Brown]

5 minutes ago, vanhalen26 said:

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

Who would play the 6 and 7 seed on Wild Card weekend then?

[BillyBilliams]

19 minutes ago, vanhalen26 said:

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

 

Then the 6 and 7 seeds have no game.  They'd need a result from this game to find out who they play.  This is why I'm advocating to just give both teams a win in the standings.  This does screw Baltimore, because they'd have no opportunity at the division title, but it is what it is for them TBH.

[Buffalo03]

18 minutes ago, Mango said:

I mean, my dice thing was clearly a joke. 
 

Moving an entire league is a behemoth task first of all. Most fair to who? Maybe the Steelers? 
 

Not the Bills or Bengals who will play a meaningful football game while the entire league sits at home for 7 days.

 

Im suggesting that the way the standings are today remain the same. How is that not the absolute most fair? 
 

When the McDaniels calls to complain about this, the league can tell him without an ounce of remorse, “a guy died on the field. We’re not doing this.”
 

Im not asking for a league mandated loss. I’m saying if the team doesn’t want to replay the game and wants to move on. I get the sense that’s the case but I could be wrong. 

It would be most fair to all teams. If us and the Bengals play one less game, that's not fair to the other teams that played 17 games. The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game? Or is it fair to both us and the Bengals who both have a chance at the 1 seed to just not get our shot at it because people think we should forfeit? No, it's stupid. Play the 17 games, move back the playoffs one week. It's simple and fair for all parties. Making a Chiefs game not count is beyond asinine

Edited January 4, 2023 by Buffalo03

[HappyDays]

As someone who has said the only way through this is to take the game off the schedule and award seeding based on win percentage, I'm intrigued by this format:

 

 

The idea is certainly outside the box but also 100% logical.

[Charles Romes]

Bills-Bengals game completion next Thursday, wildcard game(s) involving those teams stretched to the following Wednesday, AFC divisional games stretched to the following Tuesday, AFC championship game the Monday after NFC championship Sunday. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Charles Romes

[Buffalo03]

12 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

As someone who has said the only way through this is to take the game off the schedule and award seeding based on win percentage, I'm intrigued by this format:

 

 

The idea is certainly outside the box but also 100% logical.

So, the losing team between the Bills and Bengals plays Thursday to finish the regular season and then turns around and plays a wild card game 3 days later? Am I seeing that right?

[HappyDays]

6 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

So, the losing team between the Bills and Bengals plays Thursday to finish the regular season and then turns around and plays a wild card game 3 days later? Am I seeing that right?

 

No, the AFC wildcard round would be pushed to the following week. Bills and/or Bengals would get 10 days rest before their wildcard round. So you would sort of stagger the two conference playoffs so that any team who participates in the Super Bowl has a bye at some point during the playoffs, but not the week before the Super Bowl like usual.

 

I still think win percentage with a 16 game schedule for Bills and Bengals is the easiest way to move forward, but if the NFL is looking for a way to have every game played and still be totally fair with regards to seeding then this would be the only way I've seen that makes sense. I don't care what they decide. But it's an interesting idea.

[Buffalo03]

3 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

No, the AFC wildcard round would be pushed to the following week. Bills and/or Bengals would get 10 days rest before their wildcard round. So you would sort of stagger the two conference playoffs so that any team who participates in the Super Bowl has a bye at some point during the playoffs, but not the week before the Super Bowl like usual.

 

I still think win percentage with a 16 game schedule for Bills and Bengals is the easiest way to move forward, but if the NFL is looking for a way to have every game played and still be totally fair with regards to seeding then this would be the only way I've seen that makes sense. I don't care what they decide. But it's an interesting idea.

I think playing game and moving everything back is the best way to move forward 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

53 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

 The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game?

 

That is fair in this scenario. Bills hold the tie breaker over KC. It would be irrelevant that the Bills played one less game. 

28 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

I think playing game and moving everything back is the best way to move forward 

 

I just don't think anyone wants to play the game. Just move on. The game will played again.. in the Divisonal round. That is enough. 

[Just in Atlanta]

Delay the playoffs a week to allow a Bills Bengals game? Seems like the least disruption and the most fair.

[GunnerBill]

23 minutes ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Delay the playoffs a week to allow a Bills Bengals game? Seems like the least disruption and the most fair.

 

I really don't think it is the most fair. You give every other AFC playoff team a week's bye. 

 

The best of a bad bunch option is just to cancel that gave, leave everything else unchanged and decide seeding on conference record. 

[Aussie Joe]

8 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

The other possibility is for the NFL to change the structure of the Play Offs.

 

Open the Play Offs to eight teams rather than seven, and scrap the bye for the first seed. In the AFC, if/when the Chiefs, Bengals and/or Bills meet, the game/s will be held on a neutral field. That negates much of the first seed advantage and placings can then be decided by win percentage without completing Bills-Bengals.

Dont worry about delaying the AFC playoffs a week so the Bills v Bengals game can be played….This seems like the most simple solution …😄

[Xwnyer]

5 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

It would be most fair to all teams. If us and the Bengals play one less game, that's not fair to the other teams that played 17 games. The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game? Or is it fair to both us and the Bengals who both have a chance at the 1 seed to just not get our shot at it because people think we should forfeit? No, it's stupid. Play the 17 games, move back the playoffs one week. It's simple and fair for all parties. Making a Chiefs game not count is beyond asinine

Moving the playoffs back one week is insane so Bills and Bengals can play.  It gives the other 5 playoff teams a bye week.   I think best thing to do is go with conference  percentages 

[Seventeen]

14 minutes ago, Xwnyer said:

Moving the playoffs back one week is insane so Bills and Bengals can play.  It gives the other 5 playoff teams a bye week.   I think best thing to do is go with conference  percentages 

 

I'm struggling to understand why this is a big deal with this being an unprecendented situation. Tell the other 5 teams they can't practice at all the 1st week. And selfishly, it gives Micah Hyde possibly another week to return. 

    

Edited January 4, 2023 by Roy Hobbs

[BRH]

18 minutes ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

I'm struggling to understand why this is a big deal with this being an unprecendented situation. Tell the other 5 teams they can't practice at all the 1st week. And selfishly, it gives Micah Hyde possibly another week to return. 

    

Would this be like how Tennessee “didn’t practice” during the week before the COVID game when they whomped us?

 

or like how every high school or college team “doesn’t practice” during the off-season?

 

No way to enforce this, unfortunately. 

[Seventeen]

7 minutes ago, BRH said:

Would this be like how Tennessee “didn’t practice” during the week before the COVID game when they whomped us?

 

or like how every high school or college team “doesn’t practice” during the off-season?

 

No way to enforce this, unfortunately. 

 

Sure there is - the NFL tells the 5 teams if they're caught at their facility or practicing elsewhere the 1st week, they forfeit the playoff game. 

[BRH]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

Sure there is - the NFL tells the 5 teams if they're caught at their facility or practicing elsewhere the 1st week, they forfeit the playoff game. 

And what in the league’s history tells you they would actually do it?

[HOUSE]

Call it a tie and move on

[Seventeen]

13 minutes ago, BRH said:

And what in the league’s history tells you they would actually do it?

 

Nothing as you already know, but once again this is an unprecedented situation. Frankly, I don't care if the 5 teams get an extra week even if they do practice. 

   

6 hours ago, HappyDays said:

As someone who has said the only way through this is to take the game off the schedule and award seeding based on win percentage, I'm intrigued by this format:

 

 

The idea is certainly outside the box but also 100% logical.

 

Except for the simple fact the Bills have yet to practice this week ...

   

Edited January 4, 2023 by Roy Hobbs

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Call it a tie and move on

 

Or that. They either null the game and move on or call a tie and move on. Same effect. They are the least bad options.

[UKBillFan]

9 hours ago, HalftimeAdjustment said:

 

I just think the level of disruption that entails is not a precedent the league will want to set. This would require more than a commissioner decision, it would require serious buy-in from ownership. It's true that Damar Hamlin is a major national story right now. But really... most of the people across the country (non-Bills fans) will soon take the approach that however the playoffs are resolved, will not affect his recovery or prognosis. So why should their team (whomever it is) be negatively impacted by this? They (non-Bills fans) can both support him and pray for him and also want to get on with the NFL playoffs regardless of what happens to the Buffalo Bills. 

 

It would have been inhumane to require the Bills and Bengals to complete the game after witnessing his collapse on the field. It does not follow that other players and teams across the league want their plans disrupted for multiple weeks in order to accommodate the Bills or the Bengals. I just don't see the league bending over backwards to accommodate this game. I believe they just haven't announced any resolution because they don't need to and it would look terribly insensitive. Probably from their standpoint the ideal situation is this:

   - Damar regains consciousness before they have to announce any resolution

   - They can cancel the game rather than require a Bills forfeit without any difference in the standings.

 

But if they HAVE to I think they go for a Bills forfeit before they reschedule the entire playoff schedule. In any case I think that they will delay announcing as long as they can, in the hopes that Damar's condition improves. Which is also the right thing to do.

Though, in this scenario, plans wouldn’t be disrupted beyond Chiefs, Bengals or Bills possibly not getting to play one or two games at home despite holding a weakened number one seed. And the Bills were forced to play a home game elsewhere in the regular season to start with. Plus two further teams get a shot at the play offs.

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

Dont worry about delaying the AFC playoffs a week so the Bills v Bengals game can be played….This seems like the most simple solution …😄

In fairness, the title of the OP is “if Bills-Bengals is not replayed”.

[BillsFanSD]

1 hour ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

I'm struggling to understand why this is a big deal with this being an unprecendented situation. Tell the other 5 teams they can't practice at all the 1st week. And selfishly, it gives Micah Hyde possibly another week to return. 

    

It's a big deal because you're punishing the two teams that were directly adversely affected by the injury.  That's the opposite of what we should be looking to do.

[Seventeen]

3 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

It's a big deal because you're punishing the two teams that were directly adversely affected by the injury.  That's the opposite of what we should be looking to do.

 

If you make the game a tie, the Chiefs would likely have the #1 seed and the Bills/Bengals would be playing wild-card weekend. One could also look on that as punishment by preventing either team from a chance at the #1 seed. 

[Aussie Joe]

21 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

In fairness, the title of the OP is “if Bills-Bengals is not replayed”.

Ok… but why add an 8th team ..why should that team be given an opportunity that they have not earned according to the rules in place at the start of the season and which we have played 90 percent of the season  games  already working towards an outcome where only 7 teams make it?

[TH3]

No path is going to be “fair”

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

If you make the game a tie, the Chiefs would likely have the #1 seed and the Bills/Bengals would be playing wild-card weekend. One could also look on that as punishment by preventing either team from a chance at the #1 seed. 

So what?  That was a very possible outcome anyway.  This thing about giving everybody bye weeks except for Buffalo and Cincinnati was never going happen under any other circumstance and feels like something that you're devising for the express purpose of making life as difficult as possible for these two franchises.  Why single them out like that?

[boyst]

if i am buffalo or cinci and the nfl is asking me to play an extra game to decide this game i am declining and forfeiting. if they tell me i need to show up, i get my players on a plane and send them to miami. or to the game but forget the pads.

 

i am not wasting the potential injuries on a game like this when every other team will not get the same disadvantage and handicap.

 

and if they play this game and a player gets injured which impacts the game or games moving forward - the nfl will not want that egg on their face.

 

edit -- and buffalo has more to lose because the bengals play cheap and dirty beyond the rules. it's pathetic.

Edited January 4, 2023 by boyst

[Seventeen]

4 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

So what?  That was a very possible outcome anyway.  This thing about giving everybody bye weeks except for Buffalo and Cincinnati was never going happen under any other circumstance and feels like something that you're devising for the express purpose of making life as difficult as possible for these two franchises.  Why single them out like that?

 

Not singling out anyone - there is no good option. There is also no time to fit in another Bills/Bengals game if wild-card weekend is not moved. Like everyone else here, just throwing out options. 

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

Not singling out anyone - there is no good option. There is also no time to fit in another Bills/Bengals game if wild-card weekend is not moved. Like everyone else here, just throwing out options. 

There are no good options, but some options are obviously worse than others.

 

From the Bills' standpoint, the worst "regular" outcome of Monday's night's game was a loss.  That should be the floor on what the league does going forward.  Buffalo should not have to accept a "solution" that's worse than just taking the loss and moving on.  Playing an extra game while everyone else gets the week off is crazy.  The Bills should not agree to that, and the league should not propose it. 

[Seventeen]

5 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

There are no good options, but some options are obviously worse than others.

 

From the Bills' standpoint, the worst "regular" outcome of Monday's night's game was a loss.  That should be the floor on what the league does going forward.  Buffalo should not have to accept a "solution" that's worse than just taking the loss and moving on.  Playing an extra game while everyone else gets the week off is crazy.  The Bills should not agree to that, and the league should not propose it. 

 

Thanks for your opinion. There are plenty of folks who disagree with you and proposed alternate scheduling so the Bills-Bengals "regular" game can be made up. 

[UKBillFan]

22 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Ok… but why add an 8th team ..why should that team be given an opportunity that they have not earned according to the rules in place at the start of the season and which we have played 90 percent of the season  games  already working towards an outcome where only 7 teams make it?

 

To negate the advantage of the number one seed; to lessen it's importance. Do that and it's easier to waive Bengals-Bills, particularly if the Benglas beat the Ravens on Sunday.

[Aussie Joe]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

 

To negate the advantage of the number one seed; to lessen its it

importance. Do that and it's easier to waive Bengals-Bills, particularly if the Benglas beat the Ravens on Sunday.

So would you be ok with the 8 seed winning the SB?

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Aussie Joe

[Buffalo03]

7 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

That is fair in this scenario. Bills hold the tie breaker over KC. It would be irrelevant that the Bills played one less game. 

 

I just don't think anyone wants to play the game. Just move on. The game will played again.. in the Divisonal round. That is enough. 

They have to play Sunday anyway. Eventually they have to move on. Playing that game is important 8n my opinion 

[May Day 10]

18 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

So would you be ok with the 8 seed winning the SB?

 

 

If it is the Jets... and they go to KC and beat the Chiefs, then win in Buffalo, and win in Cincinnati, then beat the Eagles in the Superbowl... I think I would be OK with it.