NFL Owners to Discuss AFC Seeding Posibilities

The NFL will try to sort through the complicated ramifications of cancelling Monday Night Football's Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals game during a meeting on Friday. The owners will convene to discuss the possibility of adjusting rules in pursuit of a fair solution to the AFC standings and seeding issues the league faces one week away from the postseason.

Owners will convene on Friday to discuss AFC playoff seeding in the absence of Bills-Bengals being played. https://t.co/leqT1cLtsl
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 6, 2023

Entering Monday Night Football, the Bills held the top seed in the AFC thanks to a tie-breaker they earned by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 in Week 6. Due to the cancellation of the Bills' game against the Bengals, the Chiefs could hypothetically exceed the Bills' win percentage in Week 18 and earn the AFC's top seed through no fault of the Bills.

On the other side of the coin, the Bengals would get an unfair advantage under the current rules. By avoiding a potential loss against the Bills, the Bengals could finish the season no worse than 11-5, meaning the 10-6 Baltimore Ravens would be robbed of a chance to win the AFC North by defeating the Bengals on Sunday.

Proposed solutions include potentially playing an AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and Bills on a neutral field and deciding the third seed via coin flip should the Ravens defeat the Bengals. It's hard to envision a solution that would satisfy everyone, but we should gain clarity on the NFL's plans later today.