Where will the AFC championship game be held?
The AFC Championship could be played at a neutral venue, while a toss would determine who’d play home in a Wild Card game between the Ravens and Bengals.
NFL team owners voted and approved the resolution that changes the format of the playoffs this year, following the cancellation of the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, the league announced Friday.
The resolution involves the possibility of the AFC Championship Game being held at a neutral venue, while a toss could possibly be used to determine who would play home in a Wild Card game between the Baltimore Ravens and Bengals.
The AFC Championship will be played at an impartial venue chosen by the NFL in the event the two finalists end up with a different number of regular-season games.
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Scenarios for a neutral venue
If Buffalo (vs. New England) and Kansas City (vs. Las Vegas) win or tie in Week 18, then the AFC Championship game between the Bills and Chiefs would be at a neutral venue. Indianapolis has reportedly been proposed, but the NFL hasn’t given its comment on the matter.
If Buffalo and Kansas City lose and Baltimore wins or ties, the championship between the Bills and Chiefs would be at a neutral venue.
If Buffalo and Kansas City lose and Cincinnati wins, the championship between the Bills or Bengals against the Chiefs would be at a neutral venue.
“We believe this is an approach that would only affect four teams and would directly address the potential inequity of 30 teams playing 17 games and two teams playing 16 games,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
In the North of the AFC
If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati in Week 18, they will have beaten the Bengals, a divisional opponent, twice, but they won’t be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for one of 17.
So, if the Ravens defeat the Bengals and both teams must play a Wild Card against each other, the venue will be determined by a toss.
If Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if the Ravens and Bengals are not due to meet in the Wild Card round, the venues will be determined through the normal tiebreaker procedures used by the NFL.