The NFL is reportedly leaning toward not resuming the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game that was suspended on Monday night, which would leave the league with some unprecedented circumstances surrounding the postseason and how to determine seeding. If the game is not played, the NFL could make one of two very unique changes to the playoffs.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “First Take” Thursday that he does not believe the Bills-Bengals game will be resumed. Instead, NFL officials are mulling over two possible scenarios. Schefter laid them both out.
Scenario 1: No. 1 seed gets choice of home field or a bye
“You call the Bengals-Bills a tie. The No. 1 seed gets the choice of home field throughout the playoffs or the bye,” Schefter explained. “The No. 2 seed gets whatever isn’t chosen — so either a bye, or home-field advantage. That would be one scenario that I think the league has talked about.”
Scenario 2: Play the AFC Championship Game at a neutral site
“The other one might be even more viable and more discussed and might be the one the league enacts before Saturday’s games,” Schefter said. “If there is an AFC Championship Game in the end that involves teams that don’t have the same amount of games played, where Monday night’s non-result factors into who gets home-field advantage, I think the league would say we’re not gonna have any home-field advantage this year. We’re gonna play the conference championship game on a neutral site.”
Adam Schefter believes the NFL will not look to resume the Bengals vs. Bill game and that league is working towards either a potential neutral site AFC Championship game or 1 seed choosing between getting having a bye or home field with 2 seed getting whatever not picked. pic.twitter.com/MKnRLcRGNQ
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 5, 2023
If the Bills and Bengals do not resume their game, Cincinnati has no chance of earning the No. 1 seed.
Cincinnati had a chance to play their way into the No. 1 seed in the AFC with consecutive wins to finish the season, which would have made them 13-4. The Kansas City Chiefs are 13-3 and play the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. The Bengals could have earned the No. 1 seed in the case of a KC loss to the Raiders. Without the chance to beat the Bills, Cincinnati cannot earn the wins necessary to tie the Chiefs, where the Bengals hold a head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Bills are also hurt because they too could have earned the top spot without needing a KC loss. The Bills have the same amount of losses as KC (3) and beat them head-to-head.
If the Bills and Bengals play, the Chiefs will be at risk of losing the top seed. If they don’t and the Chiefs beat the Raiders, Kansas City will clinch the top spot.
The Baltimore Ravens could potentially have the biggest negative impact if any of the aforementioned scenarios are utilized. The Ravens have clinched a postseason spot, but they needed a Bengals loss to Buffalo and to beat Cincinnati in Week 18 in order to win the AFC North. If Bills-Bengals does not resume, Baltimore will not have an opportunity to win the division and secure at least one home playoff game.
We have heard numerous possibilities for how the NFL could proceed. A final decision will likely be made before Saturday.
