The NFL made the decision to cancel Monday's Week 17 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, days after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field. While Hamlin is recovering, the league decided to finish the regular season in Week 18 -- using win percentage as the decider for seeding in the AFC playoffs.
On Friday, the owners passed a proposal that would move the AFC Championship Game to a neutral site if one of these scenarios occurred:
Scenario 1: If Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie in Week 18, then a Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site. Scenario 2: If the Bills and Chiefs both lose in Week 18 and Baltimore wins or ties with the Bengals, then a Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site. Scenario 3: If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati beats Baltimore, then a Bills or Bengals vs. Chiefs championship game would be at a neutral site.As for the seeding, here's where we stand entering Week 18:
The Kansas City Chiefs have an .813 win percentage by virtue of playing one extra game. The Bills have an .800 win percentage and the Cincinnati Bengals are at .733. The Bengals won the AFC North as a result of the cancellation, ensuring a top-three seed while the Baltimore Ravens will be a wild card in the playoff standings.
Even with the seedings still to be determined, the neutral-site championship game possibility comes into play thanks to the Chiefs having the opportunity to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Here are the AFC playoff scenarios heading into Week 18:
Clinch No. 1 seed with win at Raiders OR Bills loss vs. Patriots If Chiefs and Bills both win this weekend and they end up meeting in the AFC Championship, the game would be played at a neutral site If Chiefs, Bills and Bengals all lose this weekend, then a Bills/Chiefs AFC Championship would be played at a neutral site. If Chiefs lose AND Bills win, Buffalo would be the 1 seed and Kansas City would be the 2 seed — and the possibility of a neutral-site AFC Championship game would NOT exist If Chiefs and Bills lose AND Bengals win — a Bills/Chiefs OR Bengals/Chiefs AFC Championship would be at a neutral site. Buffalo Bills (can be the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed) Clinch first-round bye AND home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with win AND Chiefs loss (a neutral-site AFC Championship would NOT come into play in this scenario. Would be 2 seed with win AND Chiefs win, or loss AND Bengals loss (If Bills win AND Chiefs win, and they meet in the AFC Championship, it would be played at a neutral site). Would be 3 seed with loss AND Bengals win (Cincinnati would get the 2 seed in this scenario because it already clinched the strength of victory tiebreaker). If Chiefs, Bills and Bengals all lose this weekend, then a Bills/Chiefs AFC Championship would be played at a neutral site. Cincinnati Bengals (clinched AFC North, can be No. 2 or No. 3 seed) Clinch No. 2 seed with win AND Bills loss (Cincinnati would get the 2 seed in this scenario because it already clinched the strength of victory tiebreaker). Would be No. 3 seed with loss OR Bills win. If the Bengals lose AND they are matched up with the Ravens in the AFC Wild Card round, a coin toss would determine home-field advantage. The specific scenario for that to occur would be for the Bengals to lose at home to the Ravens and for the Chargers to win at the Broncos. If Chiefs and Bills lose AND Bengals win — a Bills/Chiefs OR Bengals/Chiefs AFC Championship would be at a neutral site. Baltimore Ravens (can be No. 5 or No. 6 seed) The Ravens need a win and Chargers loss to be the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Would be No. 6 seed with loss OR Chargers win. If the Ravens win at the Bengals AND they end up being matched with Cincinnati in the AFC Wild Card round, a coin toss would determine home-field advantage. The specific scenario for that to occur would be a Ravens win at Cincinnati AND a Chargers win at Denver. Los Angeles Chargers (can be No. 5 or No. 6 seed) The Chargers need a win at the Broncos OR a loss by the Ravens to clinch the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Clinch AFC South with win OR tie vs. Titans Clinch final No. 7 seed wild card spot with loss vs. Titans + Steelers loss vs. Browns + Patriots loss at Bills + Dolphins loss vs. Jets Tennessee Titans (could clinch AFC South) Clinch AFC South with win at Jaguars New England Patriots (could clinch wild card) Clinch No. 7 seed with win at Bills OR Dolphins loss vs. Jets + Steelers loss vs. Browns + Jaguars win
