Bills Fall to Bengals, Falcons Won't Host AFC Championship Game

The Atlanta Falcons were close to seeing a playoff game in their home stadium - but a loss by the Buffalo Bills brought that idea to an end.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Falcons, had a chance to host its first conference championship game since opening in 2017 ... but will have to wait at least another year.

Following the "no contest" ruling of the regular season matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals after safety Damar Hamlin was stretchered off the field and taken to the hospital, the NFL announced that Mercedes-Benz Stadium would host a potential AFC Championship game between Buffalo and the Kansas City Chiefs.

When the Chiefs took a 27-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, the lone result needed for Atlanta to host the AFC Title game was a Bills win against the Bengals on Sunday - but it wasn't meant to be, as Cincinnati marched into Buffalo and secured a 27-10 triumph in the AFC Divisional round.

The NFL put tickets on sale for Atlanta's AFC Championship game earlier this past week and sold over 50,000 in the first 24 hours; Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a 75,000-seat venue, making this a notable loss for the city and league office.

But ultimately, the stadium - which hosted the Super Bowl during the 2018 season - will have to wait to see another playoff game ... with the hopes that the Falcons will be a participant.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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