Bills Advance to AFC Championship Game - In Neutral-Site Atlanta?

For the Bills and others, if the league decides on a neutral site for the AFC Championship Game, there might not be too many candidates on the list as strong as Atlanta.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 6, 2023

With the chances of at least one of the teams involved in the emergency shuffle of games, the NFL is considering playing the AFC Championship Game at a neutral site.

So ... the Buffalo Bills trying to go to the Super Bowl via a trip through the Atlanta Falcons' stadium?

It actually makes sense.

The NFL is preparing for several different scenarios for AFC playoffs matchups after deciding to declare Monday night's Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game a "no-contest" following Damar Hamlin's collapse.

Now that Hamlin's health appears to be improving, the league is crafting plans to adjust following the decision to cancel the game.

Because the Bills and Bengals, who are among the conference's top three teams, will play an unequal amount of games to end the season, the NFL looks to give each team as competitive of a chance as possible in the playoffs.

Among the options? Neutral-site games.

With the chances of at least one of these teams reaching the AFC Championship Game high, there could be a few scenarios that may trigger the decision to host the contest at a neutral site.

Why not Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons?

The NFL doesn't need more problems on its plate, so traveling to a city like Cleveland, Pittsburgh or New York could bring on unpredictable weather.

When the NFL plans its Super Bowls, the league almost always has scheduled the neutral-site game in either a closed-roof stadium, like this year's Super Bowl home in Glendale, Arizona, or a warm-weather city. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted a Super Bowl before. It also recently hosted a massive neutral-site game at the Peach Bowl a few days ago.

Atlanta is also both in the range of 800-900 miles away from Buffalo and Kansas City, a very possible matchup and a rematch of the 2020 AFC Championship game.

Not too many sites are as equidistant between those cities, and Cincinnati is just under 500 miles away from Atlanta.

When the league decides on a neutral site, there might not be too many candidates on the list as strong as Atlanta.

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Published Jan 6, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.