Much has been made about the possible coin toss between the Bengals and the Ravens after the NFL’s owners passed a resolution in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency that could see Cincinnati’s and Baltimore’s chances of hosting a home playoff game reduced to a 50–50 split.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon was acutely aware of that possibility when he took the field on Sunday for the AFC North regular-season finale. When he broke through and found the end zone in the first quarter, he made his thoughts on the coin toss crystal clear, trolling the idea with his touchdown celebration.
After his score, Mixon took the advice of former Bengals star Chad Johnson by taking a coin out of his glove and flipping it in the air. He was joined by a few of his teammates in awaiting the result of the toss before the group ran away in celebration.
Mixon, like many of Cincinnati’s players, coaches and fans had already expressed his feelings about the NFL’s rule changes after the announcement was made Thursday. “So we not following the rules no more,” the running back tweeted Thursday night, along with screenshots of the NFL’s game operations manual and a breakdown of the competitive policy for canceled games.
The Bengals (11–4) entered Week 18 already having been declared the AFC North champions, but without a guaranteed home playoff game because last Monday’s game against the Bills was canceled after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field. The Buffalo safety remains in critical condition but has shown significant signs of improvement in his ongoing recovery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Should the Bengals win on Sunday, they’ll clinch a home playoff game. On the other hand, a loss to the Ravens could result in a coin flip for home field between the two teams, if the two division rivals are matched up in the wild-card round.
Following Mixon’s score, the Bengals led 10–0, a margin they stretched to 17–0 early in the second quarter.
