Bengals Bills Week 17 Matchup Canceled - How does this Affect the Playoff Picture?

The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills met on Monday night in a meeting of two of the top teams in the AFC. Shortly into the first quarter, Damar Hamlin went down with a cardiac arrest, and the players and coaches decided to suspend the game.

It was a horrific tragedy that shook up the entire NFL community. However, with Hamlin's outlook improving, people have now started to wonder what will happen, as this game had massive implications on playoff seeding.

The Bills were looking for a win to give them a shot at a first-round bye, and the Bengals were hoping to win, surpass the Bills in the standings, and give them the two seed in the AFC.

In a perfect world, the Bengals lose in Week 18, the Bills and Chiefs win, and that game becomes inconsequential. But if anything other than that happens, it will cause a stir in the AFC.

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The NFL's Decision

Rodger Goodell and the NFL cited three reasons for choosing to cancel this game. One, the game will not affect who makes the playoffs. Both teams have clinched their respective divisions, so while seeding is a concern, the teams have already solidified their place in the postseason.

Second, they didn't want to alter the playoff schedule. Some people thought they might eliminate the week between the Conference Championship and the Super Bowl, but the NFL seemingly didn't care for that idea.

Finally, the NFL wants every team to know their playoff path by the end of Week 18. They didn't want teams pee-weeing around while they waited for this game to finish to find out who they will face in the Wild Card weekend.

Alternative Options

If the perfect Week 18 does not happen, the NFL will have to consider alternative options. One idea that has been tossed out is an additional team added to the AFC playoff picture, so no team will receive a bye to keep things even.

While this may seem like an absurd idea, crazier things have happened in the NFL.

It's worth noting that there is a tremendous correlation between teams having a first-round bye and winning the conference. While that trend may have more to do with the best teams receiving the bye, an extra week off cannot be overlooked.

The lack of an official one-seed would also affect home-field advantage in the championship game. Friday, owners will vote on the AFC Championship game being at a neutral site should it be necessary.

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