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By now, even the most casual NFL fan is aware of the scary incident that unfolded when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter of Buffalo’s showdown with the Bengals on Monday night. While football immediately took a backseat to his health, the league found itself in an unenviable position after the contest was suspended before it was ultimately canceled on Thursday.
Hamlin has exhibited a number of positive signs as he continues to recover at the Cincinnati hospital he was rushed to following the incident, and the Bills have made it clear they are determined to cap off their season against New England on Sunday.
Skip Bayless was one of the many people who ended up in hot water for failing to read the room by wasting no time speculating on the potential impact Hamlin’s injury (and the ensuing postponement and cancelation) could have on the NFL playoff picture. With that said, it became increasingly difficult to ignore the elephant in the room in the days that followed, as the league had to inevitably figure out some way to deal with the competitive fallout.
On Thursday night, we got our first look at the proposed contingency plan concerning the three possible scenarios that are poised to have a fairly significant impact on the postseason. The unprecedented scheme could result in the AFC Championship game being played at a neutral side, but if the Ravens beat the Bengals on Sunday, things will get much more complex.
There was never going to be a perfect solution for the issue at hand, but at first glance, it does seem like the Bengals got the short end of the stick. Cincinnati could’ve theoretically secured the top seed in the AFC if it had beaten Buffalo and Baltimore (although that would have been contingent upon the Raiders defeating the Chiefs on Saturday), but that’s no longer in the cards for the boys in black and orange.
If we’re being honest, it looks like the Bengals will get screwed the most. Now, they’ll most likely be the three seed, which means they’ll have to travel to Buffalo for a potential Divisional game. Look, I know it was only the first quarter, but they were gonna win that, man.
— Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) January 5, 2023
Bengals fans weren’t the only people who were less than thrilled with this development, as one player also wasted no time expressing their displeasure.
Shortly after the news broke on Thursday, running back Joe Mixon hopped on Twitter to accuse the NFL of going against the preexisting rules it had in place for this kind of scenario (although it appears the section he’s referring to is superseded by language that gives the commissioner the option to intervene when an “emergency occurs in an NFL game”).
🤔So we not following the rules no more🐸☕️ pic.twitter.com/AreAM1xAsp
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 6, 2023
At the end of the day, there was no way the NFL was going to figure out a plan that makes everyone happy. As a result, it’s hard to blame Mixon for airing his grievances, but at some point, you have to accept the proposal (which still needs to be officially approved by the league’s owners) is probably the best solution we’re going to get.