AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
The Bills-Bengals game, which was postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, will be ruled a no-contest by the league.
The game carried significant seeding implications for the playoffs, and the league has released a memo detailing the possibilities now that the game won't continue. The game could be held at a neutral location.
Significant updates on the health of Hamlin came through on Thursday.
Buffalo Bills @BuffaloBillspic.twitter.com/4Fyd2JZVLb
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportRecap from Damar Hamlin's doctors:▪ Damar is awake and using a breathing tube▪ Bills staff saved his life▪ Damar is communicating through writing and asked who won the game
▪ Best possible outcome is for Damar to return to who he was before the game pic.twitter.com/994h8YIUTf
The league schedule is moving forward with two games on Saturday and Sunday despite positive reports on Hamlin's health.
The top of the seeding picture isn't decided in Week 18 of the football season. According to the memo, there are some considerations for how to handle certain scenarios based on a resolution recommended by the commissioner.
The ultimate decision on the hypotheticals lies with the owners of the league, according to the memo.
Here's how the proposal looks on paper if it's approved.
✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content The Kansas City Chiefs have the best record in the league. They will keep that position if they beat the Raiders.
Even if the Chiefs beat the Raiders, the Bills would still be the top seed because they would have won their last two games. They own a head-to-head advantage over Kansas City because of their 24-20 win in October.
The outside shot at the No. 1 seed was one of the things that the 11-4 Bengal were fighting for.
They would have jumped the Bills with a victory against the Ravens and a Bills loss to the Pats.
If theBengals lost to the Raiders they would have overtaken the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs were 13-4, but they lost to the Cincinnati Reds 27-24 on December 4.
The league is dealing with hypotheticals now that the Bills-Bengals game is no longer taking place.
It's clear the competition committee doesn't want to give the Chiefs home-field advantage in the playoffs if the Bills win in the meaningless game.
The game will go down in three different circumstances.
Field Yates @FieldYatesA summary of the proposal for the AFC Championship Game:14-3 Chiefs vs. 13-3 Bills: neutral site13-4 Chiefs vs. 12-4 Bills: neutral site13-4 Chiefs vs. 12-4 Bengals: neutral site
Week 18 has no bearing on a possible Bills-Bengals championship game: that would be in Buffalo.
There is one more thing to keep in mind.
The head-to-head will be decided by the Ravens' win over Cincinnati.
The 11-5 Bengals have a half-game advantage over the 11/6 Ravens. If the Ravens had lost to Buffalo, they would have taken the division.
If the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Broncos, the Ravens and Bengals would play each other in the playoffs. The Bolts would have the advantage over the Ravens in the tie-breaker.
If that happens, the home team will be decided on a coin flip.
Tom Pelissero @TomPelisseroThe Bengals will be recognized as the AFC North champions regardless of the outcome of Sunday's game, per league source.
A coin flip could end up deciding home field in a playoff rematch with the #Ravens. But Cincinnati has the higher winning percentage and has won the title.
The caveat here is that no matter what happens in Week 18 the bengals are still the champion of the north.
If the Ravens win, they will travel to the winner of the Tennessee-Jacksonville game, while the loser will host the Cincinnati team.
The competition committee, which already consists of some owners or top team brass, most notably a member with a large stake in the matter, should be able to pull through the resolution.
John Mara is the owner of the New York Giants.
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