{"id":179111,"date":"2023-01-06T19:19:05","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T19:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cincinnati-bengals-lose-challenge-to-nfl-changes\/"},"modified":"2023-01-06T19:19:05","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T19:19:05","slug":"cincinnati-bengals-lose-challenge-to-nfl-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cincinnati-bengals-lose-challenge-to-nfl-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati Bengals lose challenge to NFL changes"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Cincinnati Bengals are not happy with the NFL’s updated playoff scenarios that were released late Thursday night.<\/p>\n
While they have every reason to feel this way, the team ultimately lost its fight to the NFL on Friday.<\/p>\n
After officially canceling the Week 18 Bills at Bengals game, the NFL needed to map out what Week 18 would like for the Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. All three teams had a lot at stake heading into Monday’s game.<\/p>\n
The Bengals are 11-4 and are currently a game and a half up over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings. By default, when the NFL declared the Bengals would only play 16 games this year, the Bengals became the AFC North champions, regardless of what happens in Sunday’s game.<\/p>\n\n
The reason is the overall record is the first determining factor in division titles. If the Bengals win, they’ll be 12-4 and the Ravens would be 10-7. If the Ravens win and the Bengals lose, the Bengals would be 11-5 and the Ravens would be 11-6.<\/p>\n
The NFL’s new scenario has a big role in what the playoffs could look like for the Bengals and it’s not favorable to Cincinnati. As it stands today, in the NFL’s rule book, if a game is canceled, win percentage determines playoff seeding. However, league owners voted on the newly proposed scenarios Friday and the Bengals came up short<\/p>\n
Here’s the NFL’s competitive policy for canceled games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a game is cancelled, a team’s standing in its division or in its conference (eg, qualification as a Wild Card in the playoffs or position in playoff seeding) shall be determined on the basis of its final record. When necessary, playoff tiebreakers shall be calculated according to per game average for all teams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
If the Bengals beat the Ravens on Sunday, nothing changes and Cincinnati will host the Wild Card round game at Paycor Stadium regardless of opponent. Here’s the layer that is unfavorable to the Bengals.<\/p>\n
The NFL’s new proposal states if the Bengals lose to the Ravens in Week 18 and if those two clubs are scheduled to play a Wild Card game against one another, which is highly likely, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss. This means the Bengals could be AFC North champions on paper and not get the benefit of hosting a playoff game, like every other division winner.<\/p>\n\n
That’s why the Bengals fought hard against the league’s proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I’m concerned, we just want the rules to be followed,\u201d Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. \u201cWhen a game is canceled, you just turn to winning percentage to clarify everything so we don’t have to make up rules. There’s several instances this season when a club is fined or people in our building are fined and we’re being told, ‘Follow the rules. It’s black and white. It’s in the rulebook.’ So now when we point out the rules and you’re told, we’re going to change that, I don’t want to hear about fair and equitable when that’s the case.\u201d<\/p>\n