NFL announces it is considering neutral site AFC championship game
Feb 1, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; The NFL shield logo is seen at midfield at SoFi Stadium. Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals will be played on Feb. 13, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL on Thursday announced some big news regarding how the situation between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will unfold.
The league released a statement Thursday night in which they said the Bengals-Bills game that was suspended in Week 17 on Monday night will not be resumed. The league recognizes that not playing the game creates a problem with the AFC seedings, so they have proposed a resolution.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recommended a plan that was approved by the league’s Competition Committee. The resolution will be considered Friday in a Special League Meeting.
The resolution calls for 2 parts – one item addresses the seeding issues between the Chiefs, Bills and Bengals; the other item addresses the issues between the Bengals and Ravens.
PART 1 – CASES FOR NEUTRAL SITE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The resolution calls for a neutral site AFC championship game if the teams involved have played an unequal amount of games, and the lack of resuming the Bills-Bengals game is the only thing preventing the teams from having had a shot at the No. 1 seed. This calls for a neutral site game if the Bills or Bengals reach the game as a road team.
There would be a neutral site AFC championship game if:
– In Week 18 Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie, then a Bills-Chiefs AFC championship would be at a neutral field
– In Week 18 Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie while the Bengals lose, then a Bills-Chiefs AFC championship would be at a neutral field
– In Week 18, Buffalo and Kansas City both lose while the Bengals win, then an AFC championship game involving the Bills or Bengals vs. the Chiefs, there would be a neutral field for the AFC championship.
PART 2 – IF RAVENS BEAT BENGALS IN WEEK 18
The Bengals will win the AFC North because they have a higher winning percentage than the Ravens, even if the Ravens beat the Bengals in Week 18. The problem is the lack of the Bengals-Bills game being completed would rob the Ravens of a chance to win the AFC North in the case they win in Week 18, which would be their second win over the Bengals this season.
The NFL’s proposal in the case that the Ravens win in Week 18 and the teams are set to play in the wild-card round, home field would be determined by a coin flip.
Roger Goodell addressed matters with a statement.
“As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities. 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,” Goodell said in the statement.