{"id":177996,"date":"2023-01-05T17:18:10","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T17:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nfl-down-to-2-options-on-suspended-bills-bengals-game-could-have-major-implications-for-chiefs\/"},"modified":"2023-01-05T17:18:10","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T17:18:10","slug":"nfl-down-to-2-options-on-suspended-bills-bengals-game-could-have-major-implications-for-chiefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nfl-down-to-2-options-on-suspended-bills-bengals-game-could-have-major-implications-for-chiefs\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL down to 2 options on suspended Bills-Bengals game, could have major implications for Chiefs"},"content":{"rendered":"
(KCTV) – While Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s condition continues to tentatively improve in a Cincinnati hospital following his scary collapse and cardiac arrest on-field during Monday Night Football, the NFL is reportedly down to two options on how best to deal with the suspended Bills -Bengals game.<\/p>\n
Both options would have significant implications for the Chiefs and their quest for the AFC’s top playoff seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home field advantage. <\/p>\n
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the league office is weighing two options:<\/p>\n
one. Don’t make up the Bills-Bengals game, and let the standings stand where they may<\/b>, with the Bills and Bengals each playing 16 games on the season instead of the requisite 17. This would suddenly set up the Chiefs to snag the AFC’s top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win this Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs entered this past weekend’s slate of games in the #2 slot, with the Bills at #1. <\/p>\n
If the league went with this option, the Chiefs would finish with the same number of losses, but one more win, than the Bills, since the Bills would be missing a game on their schedule. <\/p>\n
2. Push back the playoffs by a week<\/b>, with the Bills and Bengals making up their game during the weekend of Jan. 14, which is when the NFL playoffs were supposed to begin. In this case, the playoffs would instead begin the weekend of Jan. 21, and the extra week between the conference title games and the Super Bowl would be eliminated. The conference championships and Super Bowl would then be played on back-to-back Sundays. <\/p>\n
If the league chose this option, the Chiefs would not get the top seed and first-round bye unless they defeated the Raiders this Saturday AND the Bills lost at least one of their last two games against the New England Patriots this Sunday or against the Bengals the following weekend.<\/p>\n
Vigils have been held in New York and Cincinnati for Hamlin, as he remains sedated and intubated in the hospital, although reports state that his condition is moving in a positive direction.<\/p>\n
A separate NFL reporter had previously said on Wednesday that the league office was considering essentially a lottery system to help determine the top AFC seeds in the playoffs, in the case of the Bills-Bengals game not being able to be made up. It’s unclear how serious that potential solution is being considered, though, as no other reporters have corroborated the report, and the latest report does not include that option. <\/p>\n
Copyright 2023 KCTV. All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(KCTV) – While Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s condition continues to tentatively improve in a Cincinnati hospital following his scary collapse and cardiac arrest on-field during Monday Night Football, the NFL is reportedly down to two options on how best to deal with the suspended Bills -Bengals game. Both options would have significant implications for the …<\/p>\n