Bengals not happy with potential neutral site playoff game

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/as-nfl-vote-on-afc-playoff-modifications-looms-bengals-ownership-pushing-other-teams-to-vote-against-changes/amp/

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CIN/cincinnati-bengals/ ownership is pushing fellow NFL team owners to vote "no" to Thursday night's playoff proposal, multiple sources tell CBS Sports.

NFL owners are meeting at noon ET Friday to vote on the proposed postseason changes that would involve a neutral site AFC Championship Game in some scenarios, along with the possibility of a coin flip deciding the location of a potential Bengals-Ravens wild-card round game.

The latter point is what the Bengals take greatest issue with, according to sources. The league officially canceled the Bills-Bengals game and ruled it a no-contest. The league has already crowned the Bengals as AFC North champions regardless of the outcome of their Week 18 matchup against the https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/BAL/baltimore-ravens/.

If the 10-6 Ravens beat the 11-4 Bengals on Sunday, a scenario exists where the Ravens are the No. 6 seed and the Bengals are the No. 3 seed. In any other year that seeding should mean the game would be played in Cincinnati. But Baltimore would have won both games in the season series, and since the Bengals didn't play an equal number of games, the league has proposed that a coin flip would decide where that playoff game would take place.

Katie Blackburn, executive vice president of the Bengals, oversees the day-to-day operations of the team. She was recently appointed to the league's 10-member competition committee, and she voiced her concerns both on a call with committee members Thursday night and in an email to NFL membership later. Sources described the email as "lengthy" and "strong."

Instead of a coin flip, each team should each have to pick their best Madden player. The Bengals player has to play as the Bengals and the Ravens player plays as Buffalo.

The game has to start with the score as it was in Buffalo-Cincinnatti before play was stopped.

Determine the seeding in the normal way based on the game result.

I hope that Katie Blackburn gives them hell.  

@NutinButtLove

@NutinButtLove

While your idea might sound ridiculous, I think it's much more fair to CIN and BUF than Goodell's current proposed plan.

If the 2 teams involved were the Colts and the Texans, then sure, there's no need to play the game.  But we're talking about a game with huge playoff implications.  Imagine the AFC Championship comes down to the Chiefs vs. Bills, and they end up playing the game inside a dome in a place like Indy or ATL?  How utterly dumb!

I sincerely hope these owners show some backbone and vote against Goodell's plan.

@bluecompass

Right. I mean the idea that you can make up new rules the week before is ridiculous. Where would that stop? What could they deem unprecedented next year and decide to change to their liking.

If this was week 7 or something similar there would be zero conversation about seed changing and neutral site bs.

It would follow the written rules of what to do in a no contest game. 

They need a 2/3 majority to pass, only four teams are involved, who else is possibly going to vote no on the proposal and why would they when it doesn't concern them. I'm guess the neutral site will be in Detroit, Indy or Atlanta. 

So the solution to play a Madden game sounds more fair then playing at a neutral site? Geez but ah ok. 

If anyone has a better idea then what the NFL has proposed then I and (I am sure) they would love to hear? Just remember, there is no way of rescheduling the Bills/Cincy game (especially at this point) without inconveniencing the rest of the playoff teams and basically creating a logistical nightmare.

Depends on how many friends the Bengals have…

Well it passed so let's all move on to the weekend.... Bengals got the worst of the deal imho.  

Here’s a novel idea - how about the Bengals just win so they don’t have to worry about it?

As a Ravens fan, that Coinflip shit is dumb. Bengals won the division pretty much by definition and should host at home. 

Bengals win kc win and NE win 

so there won’t be any coin flip or neutral field 

done deal 

One of those friends wasn't the Buffalo team owner who voted yes (is what I am hearing on Cincy media)...so in their time of need the Cincy Bengals backed the Buffalo Bills' players in their refusal to play on Monday night (in their time of need), but the Bills' team owner shoved the knife into Cincy when they requested solidarity over agreeing to a bad plan, one that very well will lead Cincy into playing in Buffalo in January in the 2nd playoff game. 

Let us remember if Cincy had beaten Buffalo on Monday night, they would have gotten the #2 seed provided they finished the season with a win versus a QB less Baltimore Ravens' team. From what I saw, Burrow was slicing that zone secondary of the Bills pretty good. Threatening to increase their lead that drive. 

This all stinks to high heaven and is another instance of the league using this injury to further their own selfish narrative. That game should have been resumed at a later date in Cincinnati and if the Bills had refused to play then it should have been forfeited. 

@bluecompass

 chic chi chic cardinal chic is dat u..

Absolutely horrible decision by the NFL, and if it blows up in the NFL's face, with the Bengals losing a coinflip and having to play a road game to start the playoffs... this entire season will have an asterisk next to it, and nobody will ever be able to argue that it was a valid NFL season!

All they had to do was rule the Bengals / Bills game a no contest, and settle everything else just as it would always be settled... based on winning % first... then go to tie-breakers!  There was nothing wrong with that... but they "fixed it" anyway, and by fixing it, they broke it!

Congrats, you are the proud owner of the worst take of the day!

(1) NO, he's not saying they should play Madden instead of playing the football game. He's saying they should play Madden to determine homefield in the Ravens/Bengals #3 vs. #6 matchup in the wildcard game.  That game will NOT be played on a neutral field. Maybe you should actually read up on the proposal before you criticize the people who are criticizing it. 

(2) The solution that is better than this solution was a VERY simple one, and has already been proposed countless times, and I guarantee all of the people involved in making this decision, knew about that option:  DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  That was the correct decision. The Bills/Bengals game is a no contest... proceed!  

This was not at all complicated, and I promise you, THAT solution was more fair for every team than the abortion of a solution these mental midgets came up with!

Correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t Baltimore have won the division and the 3 seed if Buffalo beat Cincy and then they beat Cincy week 18? This solution just guaranteed Cincy the 3rd seed, if they beat Baltimore they get a home game 1st round, if they lose to Baltimore they STILL get the 3 seed but have only a 50/50 chance of playing the 1st round vs Baltimore at home. Seems things worked out just fine for them imho let’s stop trying to make smoke where there is literally no fire