AFC Playoff Implications After Bills-Bengals Cancellation, Owners Vote on Resolution

The two AFC teams already had clinched playoff berths, but their seedings have not been secured yet.

After the decision to cancel the Bills–Bengals game that was suspended Monday when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest, NFL owners voted to pass a resolution for the upcoming AFC playoffs involving the impacted clubs.

Both the Bengals and Bills already had clinched a playoff spot before the Week 17 Monday Night Football matchup. However, the game had major postseason implications for both teams. If the Bills had won, they would have moved into position for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. If the Bengals had won, they would have secured the AFC North title and positioned themselves for the No. 3 seed.

Now, with the vote passed, potential AFC championship matchups involving the Bills, Chiefs and Bengals, depending on the results of the Week 18 games that each of the teams will play.

The Chiefs travel to face the Raiders on Saturday, while the Bills host the Patriots and Bengals host the Ravens on Sunday afternoon. If Buffalo and Kansas City win this week to claim the top two AFC seeds, and advance to the AFC championship, it will be played at a neutral site.

In addition, if Buffalo and Kansas City lose, and Cincinnati loses or ties, a Buffalo–Kansas City title game would be at a neutral site. If Cincinnati wins in the same scenario, either a Buffalo vs. Kansas City or Cincinnati vs. Kansas City title game would be at a neutral site.

Confused by all the different permutations of a potential neutral site AFC Title game? Our friends at ⁦@NFLResearch⁩ made a nice chart pic.twitter.com/pXHTfvkUoh

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2023

While the Bengals have been determined as the AFC North champions, a wild-card round game against the Ravens, who have also clinched a playoff spot, would have home-field advantage determined by a coin flip, per the vote.

Two AFC spots are still up in the air. The Jaguars and Titans will play for the AFC South title, though Jacksonville still has a wild-card path with a loss. The Patriots, Dolphins and Steelers also remain alive for a wild-card berth.  

The league gets set to return to play after Hamlin’s medical emergency brought football to a halt on Monday night. Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, though on Friday morning the Bills confirmed that he had his breathing tube removed and was able to FaceTime with his teammates. The positive update comes after the Bills reported Thursday that Hamlin is now awake and “neurologically intact,” which means he can perform larger motor movements and follow commands.

After his collapse on Monday night, both teams appeared distraught on the field, causing the game to be temporarily suspended for about an hour until the league decided to officially postpone the game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell originally announced on Tuesday that the game would not be rescheduled during Week 18. The league later decided to cancel the game altogether.