Potential decision made for Championship Game location

[Ra-cha-cha]

Week 17 Buffalo-Cincinnati game will not be resumed; neutral AFC Championship Game site being considered (nfl.com)

Just now, Ra-cha-cha said:

Week 17 Buffalo-Cincinnati game will not be resumed; neutral AFC Championship Game site being considered (nfl.com)

 

Week 17 Buffalo-Cincinnati game will not be resumed; neutral AFC Championship Game site being considered 

Published: Jan 05, 2023 at 09:18 PM

The NFL announced today that the Week 17 Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals game will not be resumed and has been cancelled.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed all clubs of his decision earlier today, after speaking with the Bills, the Bengals and NFL Players Association leadership.

"This has been a very difficult week," Goodell said. "We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them."

Among the key factors in arriving at this decision:

Not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club would qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game.

It would require postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, thereby affecting all 14 clubs that qualify for postseason play.

Making the decision prior to Week 18 is consistent with our competitive principles and enables all clubs to know the playoff possibilities prior to playing the final weekend of regular season games.

Cancelling the game between the Bills and Bengals creates potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios. In an effort to mitigate those inequities, NFL clubs will consider tomorrow in a Special League Meeting a resolution recommended by the Commissioner and approved today by the Competition Committee, consisting of two elements:

1 - The AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games and both could have been the number one seed and hosted the game had all AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season. Those circumstances involve Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifying for the game as a road team and are listed below:

Scenario 1

Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 2

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 3

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins – a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

2 - If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati in Week 18 it will have defeated Cincinnati, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.

If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati and if those two clubs are schedule to play a Wild Card game against one another, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss. If Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play one another in the Wild Card round, the game sites would be determined by the regular scheduling procedures.

"As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities," Goodell said. "I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances."

[thunderingsquid]

PLEASE no neutral site in Detroit.  That would be awful. 

Just heard on SiriusXM 88 that it might be in Indy which is fine with me. 

 

[NewEra]

9 minutes ago, thunderingsquid said:

PLEASE no neutral site in Detroit.  That would be awful. 

Just heard on SiriusXM 88 that it might be in Indy which is fine with me. 

 

Agreed.  No Lions turf plz

[cba fan]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Agreed.  No Lions turf plz

Indy has same turf as does Cincy. 🤷‍♂️

 

[NewEra]

5 minutes ago, cba fan said:

Indy has same turf as does Cincy. 🤷‍♂️

 

Hmm.  I thought they were different types of Turf, guess not.  did they change this year or are the turfs names just different, but are made equally?
 

https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/football-team/which-nfl-stadiums-have-artificial-turf-vs-real-grass?amp

[Not Applicable]

Domes suck and are totally depressing. Taking the AFCCG out of possibly Arrowhead or Buffalo is an abomination, which is why I'm not remotely surprised that was the decision Goodell went with.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Patrick Fitzryan

[DieHardFan]

This is total BS! 

 

I paid my Season Ticket bribe for 32 years to keep my senority through some pretty lean years for the RIGHT to (pay for ) and have ownership of MY SEATS for the playoffs. 2020 and the COVID reshuffling was bad enough (choose a sure thing or give it up to bet on an uncertain game). Fortunately I was able to reach a trade with a fellow STH and make both but NO THANKS TO THE NFL!

 

Now the NFL will make sure every kardashian, two-bit celebrity, and has been NFL player gets a seat and it at best it will be another lottery to get what should be mine. 

 

And since it was conveniently omitted, I await another reeming when it comes to a bye for the #1 seed.

 

Screw you NFL!

 

 

[Einstein]

I’d rather they just flip a coin to decide whether the game would be in Buffalo or KC.

[BADOLBILZ]

 

Vegas

[Dr.Sack]

I’m waiting on a full decision before I unleash my fury. 

[Punching Bag]

52 minutes ago, DieHardFan said:

This is total BS! 

 

I paid my Season Ticket bribe for 32 years to keep my senority through some pretty lean years for the RIGHT to (pay for ) and have ownership of MY SEATS for the playoffs. 2020 and the COVID reshuffling was bad enough (choose a sure thing or give it up to bet on an uncertain game). Fortunately I was able to reach a trade with a fellow STH and make both but NO THANKS TO THE NFL!

 

Now the NFL will make sure every kardashian, two-bit celebrity, and has been NFL player gets a seat and it at best it will be another lottery to get what should be mine. 

 

And since it was conveniently omitted, I await another reeming when it comes to a bye for the #1 seed.

 

Screw you NFL!

 

So ticket representative will be contacting you about PSLs soon?

 

[HerdMentality]

Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA.

[LeGOATski]

Hopefully will be played in Nashville. Open air and natural grass, plus fans tend to like visiting that city.

[HerdMentality]

10 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

Hopefully will be played in Nashville. Open air and natural grass, plus fans tend to like visiting that city.

Too close to either KC or Cincy for me. I vote PennState or U-Mich. Out of the box thinking.. What a HUGE spectacle!! 

Edited January 6, 2023 by HerdMentality

[LeGOATski]

3 minutes ago, HerdMentality said:

Too close to either KC or Cincy for me. I vote PennState or MU.

Interesting idea. I can't see them holding it at a college stadium, though, when there are perfectly good NFL venues available.

[TheBrownBear]

20 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

Hopefully will be played in Nashville. Open air and natural grass, plus fans tend to like visiting that city.

I like this idea a lot.  Agree with the others that it shouldn't be played in a dome.

[CorkScrewHill]

I am surprised there is no mention of a scenario where if the Bills play the Bengals in the divisional round that there would be a coin flip for that since the Bengals would be the 2 seed if they beat the Ravens and if they had defeated the Bills. In the scenarios laid out the Bills are treated favorably.

[FieldGeneral]

7 hours ago, Einstein said:

I’d rather they just flip a coin to decide whether the game would be in Buffalo or KC.

 

We've seen the end to that movie too often. 

[Arkady Renko]

This helps visualize it. 
 

 

[Shortchaz]

If it’s how playoffs usually go, we won’t have to worry about it. I.e. someone usually gets upset 

[LabattBlue]

I would take a neutral site over KC every time.  

[BRH]

13 minutes ago, Arkady Renko said:

This helps visualize it. 
 

 

so of the possible outcomes - and taking game probabilities entirely out of the equation - the Chiefs get the 1 seed 75% of the time and the Bills get it 25%.  Bills get 50% of the 2 seed possibilities with the other two teams getting 25% each. Bengals get the 3 seed 75% of the time and Bills 25%.  Chiefs can’t get the 3, Bengals can’t get the 1, we can land anywhere between 1-3.  A KC-Buffalo AFCCG is 50% likely to be at a neutral site, with Buffalo and KC having a 25% chance each of hosting.  And KC is 87.5% likely to host a KC-Cincinnati AFCCG.  Again, this doesn’t account for the actual game outcome probabilities.  
 

Bengals really don’t have a lot to complain about.  They have more losses than either of the other two teams.  If they were 12-3 instead of 11-4, this chart would look different.  They can talk all day about how the first nine minutes of Monday’s game looked, but that doesn’t matter and I’m glad the NFL agreed.  We were hurt too - we no longer control our own destiny.  Tough to find a situation where KC has a right to complain, given that they got waxed by both of the other teams and will not have to play a true road game (again). 
 

I’m okay with it.  

[Warriorspikes51]

24 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

I would take a neutral site over KC every time.  

Yes and if we win our game Sunday, it's assured the title game is either in Buffalo or at a neutral site. If we make it that far

Edited January 6, 2023 by Warriorspikes51

[ddaryl]

8 hours ago, DieHardFan said:

This is total BS! 

 

I paid my Season Ticket bribe for 32 years to keep my senority through some pretty lean years for the RIGHT to (pay for ) and have ownership of MY SEATS for the playoffs. 2020 and the COVID reshuffling was bad enough (choose a sure thing or give it up to bet on an uncertain game). Fortunately I was able to reach a trade with a fellow STH and make both but NO THANKS TO THE NFL!

 

Now the NFL will make sure every kardashian, two-bit celebrity, and has been NFL player gets a seat and it at best it will be another lottery to get what should be mine. 

 

And since it was conveniently omitted, I await another reeming when it comes to a bye for the #1 seed.

 

Screw you NFL!

 

 

 

 

Dude this is an uprecedented situation, be thankful Hamlin is alive

[billsfanmiamioh]

16 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

 

 

Dude this is an uprecedented situation, be thankful Hamlin is alive

Pretty sure that person was whining a couple weeks ago in another thread about not being able to get any “extra” playoff tickets when they went on sale to season ticket members. Seems to be a reoccurring theme. 

[Einstein]

2 hours ago, FieldGeneral said:

 

We've seen the end to that movie too often. 

 

There’s a 50% chance the game would be in Buffalo with my idea.

There is a 100% chance we would be on the road with this idea:

[Warriorspikes51]

 

[LabattBlue]

Meltdowns occurring all over chiefsplanet.com. 😂

 

I am sure that our resident Chiefs troll(in disguise) is among those screaming unfair…of course he would come here and say otherwise. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by LabattBlue

[Matt_In_NH]

What is interesting to me is if Buffalo wins this week and KC loses, the Bills will get the one seed and get the bye and home field advantage?  This seems unfair to KC becuase the unequal game thing is still in affect and if it was played, it is possible KC could have gotten the one seed outright.  I dont think they listed all the possibilities. 

10 hours ago, DieHardFan said:

This is total BS! 

 

I paid my Season Ticket bribe for 32 years to keep my senority through some pretty lean years for the RIGHT to (pay for ) and have ownership of MY SEATS for the playoffs. 2020 and the COVID reshuffling was bad enough (choose a sure thing or give it up to bet on an uncertain game). Fortunately I was able to reach a trade with a fellow STH and make both but NO THANKS TO THE NFL!

 

Now the NFL will make sure every kardashian, two-bit celebrity, and has been NFL player gets a seat and it at best it will be another lottery to get what should be mine. 

 

And since it was conveniently omitted, I await another reeming when it comes to a bye for the #1 seed.

 

Screw you NFL!

 

 

Did they say how they will sell seats for the neutral site game?  It is possible they will give the option to season ticket holders.  While I understand your frustration, do  you not see there is no ideal solution here?  It is at a neutral site because home field was not fully determined, it could have gone either way including the Bills not having it meaning you would have to go to KC.

[BillyBilliams]

10 hours ago, thunderingsquid said:

PLEASE no neutral site in Detroit.  That would be awful. 

Just heard on SiriusXM 88 that it might be in Indy which is fine with me. 

 

 

I don't like Indy simply because it's proximity to Missouri.  Yes, I understand Kansas City is the same miles difference to Indy than Buffalo, but what people are not getting is the entire state are huge KC fans.  I spent my high school years in Missouri, and there were very rare Rams fans back then.  Everybody were KC red.  West of Indianapolis are rabid Chiefs fans.

[Matt_In_NH]

2 hours ago, BRH said:

Bengals can’t get the 1

There is no way to do this fair but this sucks for the Bengals.

[KDIGGZ]

KC should not get the bye. If they get the bye then Bills get home field. Nobody earned either 

[BillyBilliams]

10 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

What is interesting to me is if Buffalo wins this week and KC loses, the Bills will get the one seed and get the bye and home field advantage?  This seems unfair to KC becuase the unequal game thing is still in affect and if it was played, it is possible KC could have gotten the one seed outright.  I dont think they listed all the possibilities. 

Did they say how they will sell seats for the neutral site game?  It is possible they will give the option to season ticket holders.  While I understand your frustration, do  you not see there is no ideal solution here?  It is at a neutral site because home field was not fully determined, it could have gone either way including the Bills not having it meaning you would have to go to KC.

 

How would it be unfair?  If KC loses and Buffalo wins, then KC finishes the season 13-4 and Buffalo finishes 13-3.  KC has more losses and are behind in literally every tiebreaker possible.  They could "play" the Bills/Bengals game, start the game and run the clock out to a 0-0 tie and Buffalo would still finish ahead of them.

[Stads]

6 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

What is interesting to me is if Buffalo wins this week and KC loses, the Bills will get the one seed and get the bye and home field advantage?  This seems unfair to KC becuase the unequal game thing is still in affect and if it was played, it is possible KC could have gotten the one seed outright.  I dont think they listed all the possibilities. 

Even if we lost to Cincinatti, a KC loss to the Raiders would have given us the #1 seed over KC (equal losses, tiebreaker for us head to head). Cincinatti would have an issue since cancelling our game gives them no chance at the #1 seed. I think I have that right, but my brain don't work too good 

[BillyBilliams]

6 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

There is no way to do this fair but this sucks for the Bengals.

 

Don't lose 32-13 to Cleveland and you wouldn't be talking about this.  In fact, if you didn't lose 32-13 to Cleveland, you'd be the 2 seed right now.

[DrBob806]

Cleveland is the answer if it's Bills-BenGals. 

 

Chicago is the answer if it's Bills-Chiefs.

 

Play the game outside, no dome.

[Matt_In_NH]

4 minutes ago, BillyBilliams said:

 

How would it be unfair?  If KC loses and Buffalo wins, then KC finishes the season 13-4 and Buffalo finishes 13-3.  KC has more losses and are behind in literally every tiebreaker possible.  They could "play" the Bills/Bengals game, start the game and run the clock out to a 0-0 tie and Buffalo would still finish ahead of them.

 

Oh the tiebreaker....that is what I was missing, thanks

[Buffalo03]

Does anyone know if we are the 2 and the Bengals the 3, if we play each other in the Divisional round, is that neutral? Or is that just the championship game?

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, Buffalo03 said:

Does anyone know if we are the 2 and the Bengals the 3, if we play each other in the Divisional round, is that neutral? Or is that just the championship game?

 

Buffalo is home

[BillyBilliams]

Just now, Buffalo03 said:

Does anyone know if we are the 2 and the Bengals the 3, if we play each other in the Divisional round, is that neutral? Or is that just the championship game?

We would be the 2.  Buffalo is currently 12-3 and Cincinnati is currently 11-4.  Buffalo has the better record.