Playoff Solutions Assuming they don’t replay the Bengals game.

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

I really feel the fairest thing would be for the Bills to take the 3 seed. 2 seed to the Bengals and 1 seed to the Chiefs. Of course, if the Chiefs manage to bungle the Vegas game then they will earn the 3 seed, Bills 2 seed and Bengals 1 seed.

 

To me this arrangement of the Bills being the 3 seed makes sense. The Bills were going to have to beat the Bengals in Cincinatti to hold onto a better seeding than the Bengals. Essentially all we are doing is moving the pivotal week 17 game to the Divisional round of the playoffs. 

 

Now the Chiefs do get the 1 seed in this scenario but there is simply no way to make it fair all the way around for everyone. And let's face it, this Bengals game was a total toss-up. The Chiefs had at least a 50/50 chance of regaining the 1 seed anyway had the game been played.

 

Also, I'm not the least bit afraid of playing KC in KC. I think we match up quite well with the Chiefs. The Bengals on the other hand I think present some serious mismatches with their WR trio. But as I mentioned before, the Bills have to beat the Bengals in Cincinatti either way. 

 

At the end of the day, i really don't care where we are at 1, 2, or 3. 

[Mango]

So I think as dumb as this post is you’re on to something.

 

As long as the Bills handle business in NE (Big If), nothing will change the fact that they have more conference wins and the head to head. 

[Buffalo03]

34 minutes ago, Mango said:

This is by far my least favorite. Take the loss. Move on. Let the league and the team start to put the trauma behind them. 
 

Reshuffle the whole league, to have them be the only story line in the country. For two teams already in as high seeds. It will be nonstop talk about Hamlin. 
 

If the locker room wants this sure. But it doesn’t “feel” like they do. And my pulse on the city is that they don't want this either. It just provides so little value. 

Also, KC has like an 80% chance of losing one of their wins. This definitely favors CIN and BUF. By a wide margin. 

Why would playing the week after be your least favorite? It's fair for all parties involved. I don't like the idea of just taking a loss after everything this team has put into this season and all the adversity they have faced to just take a loss. All teams should have the same amount of games played. If we lose, then it is what it is. But a generator or dice roll is even more dumb than just moving the playoffs back a week and playing the game. There's a week between the championship games and the Super Bowl where nothing is going on. It's literally right there in front of them

[mikemac2001]

1 hour ago, HalftimeAdjustment said:

 

So, in that case the possible options would be (assuming the Bills do play in Wk 18):

KC W: 0.823 T: 0.794 L: 0.764

BUF W: 0.812 T:  0.781 L: 0.75

CIN W: 0.75 T: 0.718 L: 0.687 

 

In that case:

 1) Bengals vs Ravens is meaningless (Ravens cannot exceed 0.687 Win%)

 2) Bengals cannot win the #1 seed

 3) Bengals cannot get the #2 seed unless Buffalo loses and they win ... I think they take the tiebreaker on division W/L % but not sure.

 4) Chiefs are in the driver's seat for #1 and only lose it with a loss or tie plus a BUF win.

 

This is OK, it is more balanced between the Bills and Bengals than a forfeit of course, but it is defensible. 

I think conf % makes sense it’s pretty even and all the games this weekend could swing it 

[vanhalen26]

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

[Mango]

1 minute ago, Buffalo03 said:

Why would playing the week after be your least favorite? It's fair for all parties involved. I don't like the idea of just taking a loss after everything this team has put into this season and all the adversity they have faced to just take a loss. All teams should have the same amount of games played. If we lose, then it is what it is. But a generator or dice roll is even more dumb than just moving the playoffs back a week and playing the game. There's a week between the championship games and the Super Bowl where nothing is going on. It's literally right there in front of them

I mean, my dice thing was clearly a joke. 
 

Moving an entire league is a behemoth task first of all. Most fair to who? Maybe the Steelers? 
 

Not the Bills or Bengals who will play a meaningful football game while the entire league sits at home for 7 days.

 

Im suggesting that the way the standings are today remain the same. How is that not the absolute most fair? 
 

When the McDaniels calls to complain about this, the league can tell him without an ounce of remorse, “a guy died on the field. We’re not doing this.”
 

Im not asking for a league mandated loss. I’m saying if the team doesn’t want to replay the game and wants to move on. I get the sense that’s the case but I could be wrong. 

[Doc Brown]

5 minutes ago, vanhalen26 said:

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

Who would play the 6 and 7 seed on Wild Card weekend then?

[BillyBilliams]

19 minutes ago, vanhalen26 said:

Here’s a bizarre idea but maybe it works.  Restart the cancelled game on wild card weekend - but its only purpose is for seeding purposes for divisional round.  
 

Win or lose, both teams move to the divisional round but seeding is based on the now completed full season schedule.

 

KC would get a bye still into the divisional round as well.

 

Not sure if there is a way to make that work - but effectively have 3 AFC playoff games still and this seeding game.  

 

Then the 6 and 7 seeds have no game.  They'd need a result from this game to find out who they play.  This is why I'm advocating to just give both teams a win in the standings.  This does screw Baltimore, because they'd have no opportunity at the division title, but it is what it is for them TBH.

[Buffalo03]

18 minutes ago, Mango said:

I mean, my dice thing was clearly a joke. 
 

Moving an entire league is a behemoth task first of all. Most fair to who? Maybe the Steelers? 
 

Not the Bills or Bengals who will play a meaningful football game while the entire league sits at home for 7 days.

 

Im suggesting that the way the standings are today remain the same. How is that not the absolute most fair? 
 

When the McDaniels calls to complain about this, the league can tell him without an ounce of remorse, “a guy died on the field. We’re not doing this.”
 

Im not asking for a league mandated loss. I’m saying if the team doesn’t want to replay the game and wants to move on. I get the sense that’s the case but I could be wrong. 

It would be most fair to all teams. If us and the Bengals play one less game, that's not fair to the other teams that played 17 games. The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game? Or is it fair to both us and the Bengals who both have a chance at the 1 seed to just not get our shot at it because people think we should forfeit? No, it's stupid. Play the 17 games, move back the playoffs one week. It's simple and fair for all parties. Making a Chiefs game not count is beyond asinine

Edited January 4, 2023 by Buffalo03

[HappyDays]

As someone who has said the only way through this is to take the game off the schedule and award seeding based on win percentage, I'm intrigued by this format:

 

 

The idea is certainly outside the box but also 100% logical.

[Charles Romes]

Bills-Bengals game completion next Thursday, wildcard game(s) involving those teams stretched to the following Wednesday, AFC divisional games stretched to the following Tuesday, AFC championship game the Monday after NFC championship Sunday. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Charles Romes

[Buffalo03]

12 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

As someone who has said the only way through this is to take the game off the schedule and award seeding based on win percentage, I'm intrigued by this format:

 

 

The idea is certainly outside the box but also 100% logical.

So, the losing team between the Bills and Bengals plays Thursday to finish the regular season and then turns around and plays a wild card game 3 days later? Am I seeing that right?

[HappyDays]

6 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

So, the losing team between the Bills and Bengals plays Thursday to finish the regular season and then turns around and plays a wild card game 3 days later? Am I seeing that right?

 

No, the AFC wildcard round would be pushed to the following week. Bills and/or Bengals would get 10 days rest before their wildcard round. So you would sort of stagger the two conference playoffs so that any team who participates in the Super Bowl has a bye at some point during the playoffs, but not the week before the Super Bowl like usual.

 

I still think win percentage with a 16 game schedule for Bills and Bengals is the easiest way to move forward, but if the NFL is looking for a way to have every game played and still be totally fair with regards to seeding then this would be the only way I've seen that makes sense. I don't care what they decide. But it's an interesting idea.

[Buffalo03]

3 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

No, the AFC wildcard round would be pushed to the following week. Bills and/or Bengals would get 10 days rest before their wildcard round. So you would sort of stagger the two conference playoffs so that any team who participates in the Super Bowl has a bye at some point during the playoffs, but not the week before the Super Bowl like usual.

 

I still think win percentage with a 16 game schedule for Bills and Bengals is the easiest way to move forward, but if the NFL is looking for a way to have every game played and still be totally fair with regards to seeding then this would be the only way I've seen that makes sense. I don't care what they decide. But it's an interesting idea.

I think playing game and moving everything back is the best way to move forward 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

53 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

 The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game?

 

That is fair in this scenario. Bills hold the tie breaker over KC. It would be irrelevant that the Bills played one less game. 

28 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

I think playing game and moving everything back is the best way to move forward 

 

I just don't think anyone wants to play the game. Just move on. The game will played again.. in the Divisonal round. That is enough. 

[Just in Atlanta]

Delay the playoffs a week to allow a Bills Bengals game? Seems like the least disruption and the most fair.

[GunnerBill]

23 minutes ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Delay the playoffs a week to allow a Bills Bengals game? Seems like the least disruption and the most fair.

 

I really don't think it is the most fair. You give every other AFC playoff team a week's bye. 

 

The best of a bad bunch option is just to cancel that gave, leave everything else unchanged and decide seeding on conference record. 

[Aussie Joe]

8 hours ago, UKBillFan said:

The other possibility is for the NFL to change the structure of the Play Offs.

 

Open the Play Offs to eight teams rather than seven, and scrap the bye for the first seed. In the AFC, if/when the Chiefs, Bengals and/or Bills meet, the game/s will be held on a neutral field. That negates much of the first seed advantage and placings can then be decided by win percentage without completing Bills-Bengals.

Dont worry about delaying the AFC playoffs a week so the Bills v Bengals game can be played….This seems like the most simple solution …😄

[Xwnyer]

5 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

It would be most fair to all teams. If us and the Bengals play one less game, that's not fair to the other teams that played 17 games. The Chiefs will play 17 games. Even if they lose, they will go 13-4. If we beat the Patriots we would be 13-3. We would get the 1 seed in front of them but is that really fair considering we played one less game? Or is it fair to both us and the Bengals who both have a chance at the 1 seed to just not get our shot at it because people think we should forfeit? No, it's stupid. Play the 17 games, move back the playoffs one week. It's simple and fair for all parties. Making a Chiefs game not count is beyond asinine

Moving the playoffs back one week is insane so Bills and Bengals can play.  It gives the other 5 playoff teams a bye week.   I think best thing to do is go with conference  percentages 

[Seventeen]

14 minutes ago, Xwnyer said:

Moving the playoffs back one week is insane so Bills and Bengals can play.  It gives the other 5 playoff teams a bye week.   I think best thing to do is go with conference  percentages 

 

I'm struggling to understand why this is a big deal with this being an unprecendented situation. Tell the other 5 teams they can't practice at all the 1st week. And selfishly, it gives Micah Hyde possibly another week to return. 

    

Edited January 4, 2023 by Roy Hobbs