How Bengals vs. Bills cancelation could impact Kansas City’s playoff picture

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs win Saturday at Las Vegas, coach Andy Reid’s squad will end with one of the best report within the AFC at 14-3.

However they could not host the AFC Championship Recreation.

That’s as a result of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell plans to advocate a decision at a Particular League Assembly on Friday that might make sure the Buffalo Payments and Cincinnati Bengals aren’t punished for the cancellation of their Week 17 showdown.

“Cancelling the sport between the Payments and Bengals creates potential aggressive inequities in sure playoff eventualities,” the NFL introduced on Thursday night. “In an effort to mitigate these inequities, NFL golf equipment will take into account tomorrow (Friday) in a Particular League Assembly a decision advisable by the Commissioner and authorized right this moment (Thursday) by the Competitors Committee.”

The Bengals led 7-3 with round 5 minutes left within the first quarter Monday at Paycor Stadium when Payments security Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the sphere earlier than being transported through ambulance to the College of Cincinnati Medical Heart.

The sport was postponed initially and canceled altogether Thursday to keep away from impacting the complete NFL playoff slate.

Had the Payments received and completed with the identical report because the Chiefs, coach Sean McDermott’s squad would have hosted an AFC Championship Recreation between the groups by advantage of a Week 6 head-to-head win.

With that in thoughts, if Kansas Metropolis and Buffalo each win this weekend — the Chiefs play Saturday on the Raiders and the Payments host New England on Sunday — an AFC Championship Recreation between the 2 groups can be performed at a impartial website.

If Buffalo and Kansas Metropolis each lose and Baltimore beats Cincinnati, a Chiefs-Payments AFC Championship Recreation nonetheless can be performed at a impartial website.

If Kansas Metropolis and Buffalo lose and Cincinnati beats the Ravens, a Chiefs-Bengals AFC Championship Recreation can be performed at a impartial website as effectively.

Cincinnati beat Kansas Metropolis in Week 13, giving the Bengals a possible tiebreaker in opposition to the Chiefs in the event that they completed with the identical report.

Hamlin’s docs stated Thursday he is now speaking through pen and paper after being sedated Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This has been a really tough week,” Goodell stated. “We proceed to concentrate on the restoration of Damar Hamlin and are inspired by the enhancements in his situation in addition to the super outpouring of help and look after Damar and his household from throughout the nation. We’re additionally extremely appreciative of the superb work of the medical personnel and commend every certainly one of them.”

Moreover, if Baltimore beats Cincinnati and the golf equipment are set to satisfy within the Wild Card spherical, the host group for the sport can be decided through coin flip.

Nonetheless, the Bengals are assured to have the next win proportion whatever the final result of the season finale in opposition to the Ravens.

Which means, if Cincinnati and Baltimore are set to satisfy within the Wild Card spherical, the Bengals would host and the Ravens can be a street group based mostly on regular NFL playoff scheduling procedures.

“As we thought-about the soccer schedule, our rules have been to restrict disruption throughout the league and decrease aggressive inequities,” Goodell stated. “I acknowledge that there is no such thing as a excellent answer. The proposal we’re asking the possession to contemplate, nonetheless, addresses essentially the most vital potential equitable points created by the tough, however obligatory, resolution to not play the sport beneath these extraordinary circumstances.”

It’s unclear how playoff seeding shall be decided. The NFL’s launch did not tackle the way it will deal with which group is given the highest seed and a first-round bye if Kansas Metropolis, Buffalo and/or Cincinnati all end inside a half-game after Sunday’s motion.
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