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

[BRH]

18 minutes ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

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. 

    

Would this be like how Tennessee “didn’t practice” during the week before the COVID game when they whomped us?

 

or like how every high school or college team “doesn’t practice” during the off-season?

 

No way to enforce this, unfortunately. 

[Seventeen]

7 minutes ago, BRH said:

Would this be like how Tennessee “didn’t practice” during the week before the COVID game when they whomped us?

 

or like how every high school or college team “doesn’t practice” during the off-season?

 

No way to enforce this, unfortunately. 

 

Sure there is - the NFL tells the 5 teams if they're caught at their facility or practicing elsewhere the 1st week, they forfeit the playoff game. 

[BRH]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

Sure there is - the NFL tells the 5 teams if they're caught at their facility or practicing elsewhere the 1st week, they forfeit the playoff game. 

And what in the league’s history tells you they would actually do it?

[HOUSE]

Call it a tie and move on

[Seventeen]

13 minutes ago, BRH said:

And what in the league’s history tells you they would actually do it?

 

Nothing as you already know, but once again this is an unprecedented situation. Frankly, I don't care if the 5 teams get an extra week even if they do practice. 

   

6 hours 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.

 

Except for the simple fact the Bills have yet to practice this week ...

   

Edited January 4, 2023 by Roy Hobbs

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Call it a tie and move on

 

Or that. They either null the game and move on or call a tie and move on. Same effect. They are the least bad options.

[UKBillFan]

9 hours ago, HalftimeAdjustment said:

 

I just think the level of disruption that entails is not a precedent the league will want to set. This would require more than a commissioner decision, it would require serious buy-in from ownership. It's true that Damar Hamlin is a major national story right now. But really... most of the people across the country (non-Bills fans) will soon take the approach that however the playoffs are resolved, will not affect his recovery or prognosis. So why should their team (whomever it is) be negatively impacted by this? They (non-Bills fans) can both support him and pray for him and also want to get on with the NFL playoffs regardless of what happens to the Buffalo Bills. 

 

It would have been inhumane to require the Bills and Bengals to complete the game after witnessing his collapse on the field. It does not follow that other players and teams across the league want their plans disrupted for multiple weeks in order to accommodate the Bills or the Bengals. I just don't see the league bending over backwards to accommodate this game. I believe they just haven't announced any resolution because they don't need to and it would look terribly insensitive. Probably from their standpoint the ideal situation is this:

   - Damar regains consciousness before they have to announce any resolution

   - They can cancel the game rather than require a Bills forfeit without any difference in the standings.

 

But if they HAVE to I think they go for a Bills forfeit before they reschedule the entire playoff schedule. In any case I think that they will delay announcing as long as they can, in the hopes that Damar's condition improves. Which is also the right thing to do.

Though, in this scenario, plans wouldn’t be disrupted beyond Chiefs, Bengals or Bills possibly not getting to play one or two games at home despite holding a weakened number one seed. And the Bills were forced to play a home game elsewhere in the regular season to start with. Plus two further teams get a shot at the play offs.

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

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 …😄

In fairness, the title of the OP is “if Bills-Bengals is not replayed”.

[BillsFanSD]

1 hour ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

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. 

    

It's a big deal because you're punishing the two teams that were directly adversely affected by the injury.  That's the opposite of what we should be looking to do.

[Seventeen]

3 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

It's a big deal because you're punishing the two teams that were directly adversely affected by the injury.  That's the opposite of what we should be looking to do.

 

If you make the game a tie, the Chiefs would likely have the #1 seed and the Bills/Bengals would be playing wild-card weekend. One could also look on that as punishment by preventing either team from a chance at the #1 seed. 

[Aussie Joe]

21 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

In fairness, the title of the OP is “if Bills-Bengals is not replayed”.

Ok… but why add an 8th team ..why should that team be given an opportunity that they have not earned according to the rules in place at the start of the season and which we have played 90 percent of the season  games  already working towards an outcome where only 7 teams make it?

[TH3]

No path is going to be “fair”

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

If you make the game a tie, the Chiefs would likely have the #1 seed and the Bills/Bengals would be playing wild-card weekend. One could also look on that as punishment by preventing either team from a chance at the #1 seed. 

So what?  That was a very possible outcome anyway.  This thing about giving everybody bye weeks except for Buffalo and Cincinnati was never going happen under any other circumstance and feels like something that you're devising for the express purpose of making life as difficult as possible for these two franchises.  Why single them out like that?

[boyst]

if i am buffalo or cinci and the nfl is asking me to play an extra game to decide this game i am declining and forfeiting. if they tell me i need to show up, i get my players on a plane and send them to miami. or to the game but forget the pads.

 

i am not wasting the potential injuries on a game like this when every other team will not get the same disadvantage and handicap.

 

and if they play this game and a player gets injured which impacts the game or games moving forward - the nfl will not want that egg on their face.

 

edit -- and buffalo has more to lose because the bengals play cheap and dirty beyond the rules. it's pathetic.

Edited January 4, 2023 by boyst

[Seventeen]

4 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

So what?  That was a very possible outcome anyway.  This thing about giving everybody bye weeks except for Buffalo and Cincinnati was never going happen under any other circumstance and feels like something that you're devising for the express purpose of making life as difficult as possible for these two franchises.  Why single them out like that?

 

Not singling out anyone - there is no good option. There is also no time to fit in another Bills/Bengals game if wild-card weekend is not moved. Like everyone else here, just throwing out options. 

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

Not singling out anyone - there is no good option. There is also no time to fit in another Bills/Bengals game if wild-card weekend is not moved. Like everyone else here, just throwing out options. 

There are no good options, but some options are obviously worse than others.

 

From the Bills' standpoint, the worst "regular" outcome of Monday's night's game was a loss.  That should be the floor on what the league does going forward.  Buffalo should not have to accept a "solution" that's worse than just taking the loss and moving on.  Playing an extra game while everyone else gets the week off is crazy.  The Bills should not agree to that, and the league should not propose it. 

[Seventeen]

5 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

There are no good options, but some options are obviously worse than others.

 

From the Bills' standpoint, the worst "regular" outcome of Monday's night's game was a loss.  That should be the floor on what the league does going forward.  Buffalo should not have to accept a "solution" that's worse than just taking the loss and moving on.  Playing an extra game while everyone else gets the week off is crazy.  The Bills should not agree to that, and the league should not propose it. 

 

Thanks for your opinion. There are plenty of folks who disagree with you and proposed alternate scheduling so the Bills-Bengals "regular" game can be made up. 

[UKBillFan]

22 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Ok… but why add an 8th team ..why should that team be given an opportunity that they have not earned according to the rules in place at the start of the season and which we have played 90 percent of the season  games  already working towards an outcome where only 7 teams make it?

 

To negate the advantage of the number one seed; to lessen it's importance. Do that and it's easier to waive Bengals-Bills, particularly if the Benglas beat the Ravens on Sunday.

[Aussie Joe]

1 minute ago, UKBillFan said:

 

To negate the advantage of the number one seed; to lessen its it

importance. Do that and it's easier to waive Bengals-Bills, particularly if the Benglas beat the Ravens on Sunday.

So would you be ok with the 8 seed winning the SB?

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Aussie Joe

[Buffalo03]

7 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

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

 

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. 

They have to play Sunday anyway. Eventually they have to move on. Playing that game is important 8n my opinion 

[May Day 10]

18 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

So would you be ok with the 8 seed winning the SB?

 

 

If it is the Jets... and they go to KC and beat the Chiefs, then win in Buffalo, and win in Cincinnati, then beat the Eagles in the Superbowl... I think I would be OK with it.