Owners of the 32 NFL teams have accepted the circuit’s proposal regarding the ability to hold the American Association Finals (AFC) at a neutral venue.
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The NFL Network found out on Friday afternoon.
That contingency stems from the canceled Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills after safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest Monday night.
The NFL has decided not to resume this meeting, which directly impacts the AFC’s ranking. The final confrontation of that association will therefore be played at a neutral venue if the two teams involved have not played the same number of regular-season games and if the lowest-ranked team could have been No. 1 had they played all the Games scheduled in their schedule.
Additionally, the owners have agreed that if Maryland’s team ever defeats Ohio’s, the location of a potential first-round playoff meeting between the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens — two teams from the AFC North Division — will be decided by a coin toss Sunday.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor doesn’t like that solution.
“We were in control and we aren’t anymore. There are positives [de cette solution] for many teams and negative for us,” he said during his press conference on Friday.
The Bengals are guaranteed to win their group, which would normally have guaranteed them at least one playoff game at home. They could now lose this privilege with a loss to the Ravens.