The good news: The Cincinnati Bengals are AFC North champions.
The bad news: Under the proposed solution to the messy AFC playoff situation, the Bengals could win the AFC North but not host a playoff game due to a coin toss.
Sounds silly but there it is. With the NFL ruling the postponed Bills vs. Bengals game a no-contest, the Bengals secure the AFC North title. That usually guarantees home-field advantage.
But in the proposal, one detail changes everything: If the Bengals lose to the Ravens in Week 18, that would mean a coin toss for which team gets to host the wild card playoff game if they meet again (which is all but a guarantee given the seedings).
It’s the NFL’s way of giving the Ravens something for the fact the no-contest gave the AFC North to the Bengals (and a Ravens win would mean they swept the Bengals this year). But it’s a very, very controversial something. Cincinnati played more road games than home games this year during the 17-game season, then effectively had one of those homestands wiped out with the cancellation. Now they could lose their home playoff game, which is a bitter pill.
Of course, the solution is simple: Just beat the Ravens in Week 18 and this is a non-factor.
Still, easier said than done. And while the proposals include neutral site AFC title games, there’s no proposal of a Bengals vs. Bills rematch at least having the chance of being played on a neutral field, which was a popular theory to make things fair.
Again, win and it doesn’t matter. But the Bengals suffer the biggest eyebrow-raising quirk of the proposals and now have oh-so-much to play for on Sunday.
A neutral AFC Championship Game site now is possible, per the NFL: pic.twitter.com/5gmd0drq7q
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2023
