NFL owners officially passed proposed revisions for the AFC playoffs after the league declared the Bills-Bengals game from Monday night a no contest. Among the changes include the AFC championship game being played at a neutral site if the two teams participating played in a different number of games, with the No. 1 seed facing the Bills or Bengals if the canceled game prevented either of those teams from a chance at the top seed.
That essentially means if the Chiefs and Bills have the same result this week, then meet in the conference championship game, that matchup will be played on a neutral field. Also, if the Chiefs lose this week and the Bengals win, those two teams would play on a neutral field if they meet in the AFC title game.
Additionally, if the Ravens beat the Bengals this weekend and then those two teams are set to play in the playoffs, the location of the game will be determined by a coin flip. Cincinnati will be considered the AFC North champions, but since a Bills win would have given Baltimore a chance at the division title, the NFL gave the Ravens an opportunity to host a playoff game.
The updated rules benefit the Bills, who would’ve had a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC with two wins to finish the season, along with the Ravens. The Bengals, however, are disappointed that the NFL didn’t just follow the rulebook for canceled games, which states that playoff seeding be determined by win percentage in the standings.
While Cincinnati tried to garner enough support against the proposal, 25 of the league’s owners voted for the proposal, enough needed for it to pass through, per Pro Football Talk.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said, per The Ringer’s Lindsay Jones, “It was critical for owners to vote today so clubs know going into this weekend what they are playing for.”
Competition Committee chair Rich McKay added that they considered splitting the proposal, but that never gained traction. He also said the rules as written are not always applicable.
“Not every circumstance is necessarily captured in every rule and policy,” he said. “Sometimes you have to make adjustments and this is one of those adjustments.”
