With the NFL cancelling Bengals vs. Bills, the league passed a proposal trying to combat potential inequities between the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 seeds in the playoffs should they arise.
Because the Bengals and Bills no longer had a 17th game, the Bengals lost their shot at the No. 1 seed whereas the Bills just had to win and have the Chiefs lose (they could have clinched it outright with two wins to end the season).
According to the proposal ratified by NFL owners Friday, the league's solution is to play the AFC championship at a neutral site if it ends up being Bills vs. Chiefs. The way Week 18 shook out, because the Bills and Chiefs both won, neither technically "earned" home field advantage in the postseason.
Despite the Bengals also winning in Week 18, the Bills and Chiefs winning kept them away from the No. 1 seed. So if they make the AFC Championship, the game will be treated as normal seeding.
On Thursday, the NFL announced where it will be playing in the event of a Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship: Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
MORE: Why NFL's 2023 playoff proposal could hurt Cincinnati Bengals
Where would a neutral site game be played?
The big question of where the AFC Championship game would be played in the event of a Bills vs. Chiefs showdown was answered Thursday. It will be in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, per the league.
Detroit wasn't in the picture from the start. The Lions were eliminated in Week 18, but Detroit had previous plans to resurface Ford Field to replace the slit film turf with monofilament field turf, per Kyle Meinke.
With that, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was discussed as the next best solution. Indianapolis has, of course, hosted major events in its downtown center before (Final Four), and it would have be a truly neutral site between Buffalo and Kansas City.
According to Albert Breer, the NFL had yet to talk to the Colts about the possibility on Thursday. But as the league formalizes its plans under a new set of circumstances, they will need to soon designate a neutral site should those scenarios come to pass.
Update: Lucas Oil Stadium is not, in fact, an option, as a national volleyball tournament will be occurring that weekend, per the Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer. The NFL will have to explore other options outside of Indianapolis.
Some people have raised the possibility of Lucas Oil Stadium being a potential neutral site for the AFC championship game. But there is a national volleyball tournament there that weekend, so Indianapolis is out.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 6, 2023
Update: The NFL has reportedly been working on a neutral site selection, and a decision could be made this week ahead of wild card games, per The Washington Post's Mark Maske.
The NFL has been working on determining the neutral site for a potential Bills-Chiefs meeting in the AFC championship game. It's possible that decision could come this week.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) January 10, 2023
Update: Radio host Bob Fescoe reports that Atlanta is "likely" going to be the neutral site for the AFC Championship Game if that resolution is needed.
It’s likely Atlanta is going to be the AFC Title Game neutral site. How ATL was picked as the likely site is a wild story. I’ll share it tomorrow morning on @610SportsKC #ChiefsKingdom
— Bob Fescoe (@bobfescoe) January 11, 2023
Atlanta is a sensible location considering that it is a similar distance away from Buffalo and Kansas City. It also is a domed stadium, something that the NFL is looking for if the game is held at a neutral site.
Update: The NFL announced on Jan. 12 that Atlanta will host the AFC Championship if Bills vs. Chiefs occurs. Mercedes-Benz Stadium wins out as the potential neutral site.
"As part of standard NFL contingency planning, Atlanta was designated a possible backup host site for postseason games prior to the start of the 2022 season and is almost equidistant from both potential participating teams' cities," the league said in a release.
Here is the NFL's full statement.
