Zac Taylor, Bengals Players Give Their Thoughts On Playoff Changes

Cincinnati could be the first division champion in NFL history to start the playoffs with a road game.

CINCINNATI — Zac Taylor and the Bengals players made it clear to the media on Friday that Cincinnati got the rough end of the NFL's playoff changes.

All 32 team owners met on Friday afternoon to discuss the changes that need to be made following the Bengals-Bills cancellation. Of the 32 in attendance, 25 owners voted yes for the proposed changes.

Cincinnati now has to beat Baltimore on Sunday to secure a home playoff game, even though they're AFC North Champions.

"As far as I’m concerned, we just want the rules to be followed and when a game is canceled that you just turn to winning percentage to clarify everything so we don’t have to make up the rules," A frustrated Taylor said. "There’s several instances this season where the club is fined or people in our building are fined and we are being told to follow the rules. It’s black and white in the rulebook. 

"So, now, when we point out the rules and you are told we are going to change that, I don’t want to hear about fair and equitable when that is the case. So what this team will do is all we can control going into a game this weekend and doing our best to win. We are going to channel our energy into that."

If the Bengals lose to the Ravens and face Baltimore in the Wild Card round, home-field advantage would be determined by a coin toss.

Here is how the AFC Championship will play out based on Week 18's results:

• If BUF and KC win this weekend, a BUF/KC AFC title game would be at a neutral site.

• If BUF and KC lose, and CIN loses or ties, a BUF/KC AFC title game would be at a neutral site.

• If BUF and KC lose and CIN wins, a BUF or CIN/KC would be at a neutral site.

Taylor is wondering how Cincinnati benefits at all from these changes.

"Opportunities lost for us that we had a chance to control that now we don’t. Fine. But it seems like there are positives for a lot of teams and just negatives for us," Taylor said. "So, we have the opportunity to play for a coin flip that can only negatively impact us. We don’t have the opportunity to play for a coin flip that positively impacts us. Again, let’s just follow the rules and we accept that. We just have to turn our focus to getting ready for Baltimore and then doing everything we can to control what we can control at that point."

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase told reporters a coin flip "doesn't feel right," but that they are not taking it as another chip on the team's shoulder.

"We don't really have a chip on our shoulder, everybody's trying to beat us right now," Chase said. He did appreciate how Taylor defended the team.

"He cares about us," Chase said about Taylor's public frustration. "We know he cares about us. He showed us all last year and this year. ... I don't really care about [the changes], I have no control."

Ted Karras is holding a similar mindset, making one thing clear: just win Sunday.

"It's what the NFL decided," Karras said. "I think it's a pretty old-school precedent in football. I mean, we can take that all the way back to Friday Night Lights with the coin flips. We need to take care of business to avoid it. So if it comes down to it, it does, but that is not my plan as of right now."

Karras got even more animated when he walked past Chase's media session.

"Let's settle it the real way and f*****g win," Karras yelled in the locker room. 

More fuel to a raging fire burning inside Paycor Stadium.

"Let's settle it the real way and (bleeping) win."

It wasn't on camera, but #Bengals captain Ted Karras made his statement loud and clear today. @fox19

You think this locker room is motivated? pic.twitter.com/9eTFquVrid

— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) January 6, 2023

The Bengals and Ravens clash at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday on CBS. Watch via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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