While focus around the football community has been on the health, well-being and recovery of Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the NFL was dealt the unenviable task of trying to make up for the canceled game in regard to the playoff picture.
The league initially postponed the Bills-Bengals tilt after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field, before canceling it later in the week. Since the Monday night game had significant playoff implications, the league had to take steps to address how to handle the canceled game’s effect on seeding and home field advantage in the playoffs.
The NFL owners passed a resolution Friday to change the AFC playoff rules after the no contest. One of the scenarios that was passed as part of the resolution directly affects the Bengals, and Cincinnati is not pleased, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
If the Ravens beat the Bengals on Sunday and those two teams are set to meet in the playoffs, the location of the game will be determined by a coin flip. The Bengals, even without a victory in the “no contest” game against the Bills, are considered AFC North champions. However, since a Buffalo win on Monday night would have given Baltimore a shot to win the division, the league felt it was right to give the Ravens an opportunity to potentially host a playoff game.
That scenario made many in the Bengals organization “livid” as the franchise feels penalized by the league’s resolution. Per the report, the league responded by telling Cincinnati that they should be happy they were named AFC North champions.
If the Bengals lose to the Ravens on Sunday and then other results around the league ultimately pit the two franchises against each other in the wild-card round next week, history could be made. If home-field advantage in the contest goes to a coin flip that ends up in the Ravens’ favor, the Bengals would become the first team in NFL history to win its division and open the wild-card round on the road.
In a memo obtained by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn urged teams to vote against the resolution put forth by the NFL.
“The proper process for making rule change is in the offseason,” Blackburn wrote. “It is not appropriate to put teams in a position to vote for something that may introduce bias, favor one team over another or impact their own situation when the vote takes place immediately before the playoffs.”
Blackburn is on the league’s competition committee, but the scenarios put forth by the NFL directly affect the Bengals, which is reasoning for the direct opposition on the team’s behalf this week.
Regardless of how the Bengals feel, the dreaded coin flip scenario can be avoided entirely with a win at home Sunday against the Ravens.
