The NFL has announced that the Bills/Bengals Week 17 contest will not resume and has officially been cancelled, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero passes along (on Twitter) the NFL’s logic for not resuming the game:
- “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.”
“This has been a very difficult week,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement (via Pelissero). “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.”
We learned earlier tonight that the NFL’s owners would be meeting tomorrow to discuss the AFC playoff picture. Pelissero has passed along the scenario recommended by Goodell and the league’s Competition Committee, which met earlier tonight. Considering the “potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios,” the AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games and could have been the top seed had they played an entire 17-game schedule. This would require the Bills or Bengals to qualify for the AFC Championship as a road team, and it would also be dependent on one of three scenarios heading into the final weekend:
- Buffalo, Kansas City both win or both tie this weekend: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site
- Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Baltimore wins or ties: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site
- Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Cincinnati wins: Bills/Bengals vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site
If Buffalo wins on Sunday and the Chiefs lose, no neutral sites will come into play and the Bills will have the No. 1 seed, as Schefter clarifies (on Twitter). If a neutral site does come to into play, it’s uncertain where the game will be played. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets that the NFL is still working through what city would host the game.
There’s a second issue surrounding the Ravens’ and Bengals’ spots in the playoff standings. If Baltimore beats Cincinnati this weekend, the Bengals would still have the higher winning percentage (and higher seed) by virtue of having played less games, but the Ravens would still have won both of these divisional matchups. If the Ravens win this weekend and the two teams meet up in the Wild Card round, then a coin toss with determine the home site. Still, with Bengals owning the better winning percentage, they’d still be crowned division champs, per Pelissero (on Twitter).
“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.”
For what it’s worth, Jones tweets that the NFL never considered adding an eighth playoff team. We learned earlier that such a drastic change would require collective bargaining with the NFL Players Association.
What’s the logic regarding the possible neutral-site championship game?
Canceling the game means chiefs have home field advantage currently.
Bills and Bengals both beat the Chiefs this year. So it’s a weird situation where chiefs wouldn’t have it but do because of the Hamlin injury.
So in theory. Not giving the chiefs homefield during the championship game somewhat offsets Bengals Bill’s losing out on a chance to host it.
Of course it could all be for nothing and we wind up with #6 hosting #7, which could probably revert back to #6 #5 #4 hosting if they wind up in the afc champ game against a lower seed.
Appreciate the insight. Thank you.
KC doesn’t deserve home field over the Bills assuming neither lose week 18
They neutral site championship game will only happen if the bills or bengals face KC. Everything else is normal
Da Fuq?
I wonder how this works out for revenue. Because bengals looked like the better team in that game. Seems the chiefs got hosed a bit
The only people who wont get hosed is the NFL. Despite whatever they say about the only concern of ours is….it sure seems like the only concern is not taking things off schedule which would probably cost the owners money and is why this decision will probably be made. Seems like 100% of what the NFL does is a money grab. The game should be completed. Same score. Same time on the clock. Same field position. 1st and 10 Bengals. It was like a playoff game. But probably too expensive. The NFL is so annoying I’m not sure I can even get invested in whatever their remainder of the season looks like. I hope the ratings for the playoffs are terrible. So disappointed I put dollars in those leaches pockets by buying some shirts. If you cancel the game whatever happens has an asterisk in my opinion. At least there is hockey and college basketball.
I was going to say don’t be so melancholy… but alas, a tiger can’t change it’s stripes.
You were able to discern that in 9+ minutes of play? Yes the Bengals scored a TD but the Bills drove on them too. Less than 10 minutes into the 1st hardly decides the outcome
Exactly. We’re like two weeks removed from the Vikings coming back from a 30+ point deficit and this guy wants to call it based on nine minutes of action.
And how often has the Vikings come back happen ? Anyone who watched the game saw clearly the bengals were the better team.
Perhaps you watched a different game than the rest of us? I don’t understand how you could reach that conclusion after each team possessed the ball exactly once. And both drives ended with a score. Sure, the Bengals technically “outplayed” Buffalo by managing to reach the end zone, but they did not “clearly” prove themselves to be superior
How often have teams come back to win after being down 4 or more points? A lot actually.
Bills were down 4 points. Teams often overcome being down 4. Happens a couple times a week sometimes.
Steelers beat the Ravens last week after being down 7
Chiefs beat Denver last week after being down 4
Tampa Bay beat Carolina last week after being down 4
The Vikings were able to come back due to ineffective QB on other side of the ball who set up short-field scoring opportunities.
pick DENVER. we’re a Neutral site.
Or Atlanta….
I assume they’d look to Indy since it’s close to all three top seeds, and the dome would neutralize any perceived weather advantages.
or Switzerland
London AFC Championship game anyone?
Exactly my first thought… how is the NFL going to capitalize on this monetarily and force this neutral site event to an international venue.
Think it would be best for the Bills to focus on recovery and healing. They should step away from the playoffs.
They should win the super bowl for damar.
What a stupid comment, just unplug
neutral site??? how’s that fair to all of the other teams that played all of thier games?? seems like this only benefits the two teams that walked off the field. it was a sad situation but you’re punishing the other teams and thier fans
Walked off the field? Yikes man, bad take. This proposal sucks for many reasons but the Bengals and Bills are getting hosed for a game that wasn’t able to be completed
they should of played Wednesday. they could make them play next week and let all the afc playoff teams have a bye week.
@Doig…..You seem to think the only fair option is for any disadvantage go to Cincy and Buffalo.
I hope your real life self is a bit sharper.
Who? The Chiefs? They lost to both teams and hardly deserve the 1 seed. I hope the Raiders destroy them on Saturday,then this whole conversation is nullified.
but still have a better overall record.
If Bills win and Chiefs lose, 13-3 > 13-4.
and what about the Ravens??? Don’t you think they deserve the chance to win thier division and knock the Bengals into a wildcard game? no doing it this way only benefits Buffalo and Cincinnati
Ravens need to win this week for that to matter. How does this benefit the Bengals? You really think they are content with a North title? If they beat Buffalo they were in play for the #1 overall seed. Who knows how the game would end, but they certainly started out with enough juice to topple Buffalo.
Adding the eighth team, even if it requires limited collective bargaining, could make all the machinations for neutral sites go away.
I guess all those knuckleheaded Week 1 Raider fans were right, Las Vegas is gunna host the AFC Championship. Get well soon, Damar!
Bengals/Ravens in back to back weeks would be interesting.
Is it fair to the cities and business owners in the cities who would have benefited from the revenue that their NFL team should be playing in a championship game at home?
This announced plan by the NFL makes about as much as having the result of the Bills/Bengals game determined by 101 computer controlled simulations of Madden.
Detroit or Minnesota as the likely neutral sites. Detroit is most likely going to miss the playoffs and Minnesota will be out by halftime of the wildcard round.
Vikings stadium will be available.
If the Bills win and Bengals win and Chiefs lose how is the game between Bengals vs Chiefs not on a neutral field?! Bengals beat the Chiefs in head to head matchup. If Bengals and Chiefs each have 4 losses. The same should apply to the decision of both Bills and Chiefs having 3 losses. The team that seems to be getting hosed in this entire scenario is Cincinnati…
Game should of been played Tuesday. Hamlin had the best care possible. There is nothing the team could do more. And I guarantee Hamlin would of wanted the game to be played if he was able to comment on it. It’s a multi billion dollar business my job is still going on the next day and probably even current day if dropped into cardiac arrest. Everyone knows injuries and even death can be a part of this game. Every year a college athlete or two dies and every year you see stories of a high school football player.
I wonder if they refund the cost of the ticket since the game has been canceled
If it comes down to a neutral site, Las Vegas or Los Angeles seem like the only two logical destinations in my opinion.
Only logical? Detroit or Indy are closer to all three teams that might be affected, making it easier for everyone, including the fans, to travel.
Are all of you freaking DUMB? Indianapolis is the logical neutral site as it’s centrally located for the Chiefs, Bills and/or Bengals.
Since the game could not be completed, i.e., no winner and loser determined, and neither team culpable for the subsequent cancellation or negligent in any way, the NFL should simply declare a tie. That seems to be the fairest, most equitable way to proceed. The other scenarios being bantered about, at least those that I’ve heard to date, are untenable at best.
@Heinz….Declaring a tie for a game that only went about 9 minutes might be similarly untenable.
Neutral site is such a farce. Tell me there are no kickbacks and $100 handshakes when it is being decided which city will be awarded the location. Its completely clean cut and not political in any way right. Leave it to an organization like the NFL to take a tragic event such as this and have the perception be that they exploit it for financial gain. Hmmm, can we add an 8th team at the last second? Force a team to not have a bye and play one more game we can sell tickets to and get big ratings on and play a ton of commercials. More money. Can we put this new 1 vs. 8 game in a stadium that seats 100K? I love that idea Roger. I second that emotion. In fact, can we make the season 20 games? I’m bad at math but that has to be more money, right? Let’s have a vote but how about 25 games. If guys get tired we can replace them with robots. They should be so ashamed of themselves but I am confident they are not. The NFL is just a team of pickpockets. Nothing more.