Bills-Bengals game “no contest”

[RyanChristiansen]

One of Hamlin’s first questions for doctors: “Did we win?”

I rest my case. The Bills should be embarrassed. The only champion on that team is Hamlin.

[JuggernautJ]

Aside from the personal and professional considerations, of which there are many (some discussed here) I find it amazingly difficult to believe the NFL (i.e. Goodell) had the courage to cancel this game.

The implications for the gambling crowd (including the HUGE Fantasy Football community, of which I am a member) are pretty serious... this decision cost a lot of people a LOT of money.

Personally, hundreds of dollars and, far more important to me, a "four-peat".
I can only imagine what Vegas thinks...

[JWL]

Suspending the game was understandable.
Canceling it was questionable.
Potentially playing playoff games in neutral sites is crazy. At this point what is wrong in just seeding the teams based on winning percentage (along with the regular tie-breakers when necessary)?

[sluggermatt15]

Suspending the game was understandable.
Canceling it was questionable.
Potentially playing playoff games in neutral sites is crazy. At this point what is wrong in just seeding the teams based on winning percentage (along with the regular tie-breakers when necessary)?

Yes, the NFL rulebook states winning percentage decides seeding. But I feel the league is trying to appeal to Buffalo and Cincy because they will have not played 17 games, while all other clubs have.

But I agree with the posts about all the lost revenue here. I am surprised the league decided to cancel, and not resume this game. I don't see why it would have been so bad to push the start of the playoffs back one week and eliminate the "bye" week before the Super Bowl. Pushing the start of the playoffs back would have given just about all playoff teams a "bye".

[JuggernautJ]

Effectively, the Bills (who had the injured player and forced a postponement) won the game (as Cincci didn't get a chance to beat Buffalo, tie their record and have a shot at the number one seed).

Of course, in the future no team would ever leave the field after a serious injury in a game where they're ahead in the standings...
Having a team (or the players) dictate when a game can or can't proceed is indeed opening a giant can of worms...
If it was determined continuing on Monday was impossible then the game should've been rescheduled.

And I think Teo (above) had the perfect way to do so.

[JuggernautJ]

Per the NFL:
What is the impact of the Bills-Bengals game being canceled?
According to NFL Research:

The Bengals have clinched the AFC North (Ravens cannot win the division).
The Bengals can no longer obtain the AFC's No. 1 seed and first-round bye....
The Bengals will finish as the No. 2 seed with a win vs. the Ravens + a Bills loss to the Patriots. In any other scenario, the Bengals will earn the No. 3 seed.

https://www.nfl.com/news/proposed-afc-p ... ed-to-know

The Bengals could've had a shot at the number one seed had they beaten Buffalo (they've already defeated KC) now, even thought they've won their Division they are not guaranteed a home play-off game.
Cincinnati got hosed because a Bills player was injured... this is all messed up... another fine job by Goodell...

[JWL]

Yes, the NFL rulebook states winning percentage decides seeding. But I feel the league is trying to appeal to Buffalo and Cincy because they will have not played 17 games, while all other clubs have.

Yes, but what I am trying to state is that the league shouldn't play pretend. If the Chiefs are 14-3 and the Bills are 13-3, then the Chiefs are the 1 seed. If the Chiefs are 13-4 and the Bills are 13-3, then the Bills are the 1 seed.

"Well, the Bills only played 16 games and they might have won the 17th" or "Well, the Bills only played 16 games and they might have lost the 17th" is getting into wondering and playing pretend.

Let's not play pretend. Let's deal in reality. No tie-breaker will be needed here since the Chiefs and Bills are not playing the same number of games.

Also, why were domed stadiums chosen for the possible neutral site? Both Buffalo and Kansas City play outdoors. Why can't the Jets host it? That would be more embarrassment for the Jets. I say bring it on. Jets fans need more punishment.

The Jets never host playoff games. I can just see a trivia question in the year 2055. Who were two most recent AFC teams to play a playoff game in the Jets stadium? "Well, the Broncos in Super Bowl 48 but they played against an NFC team so that cannot be it. I don't know."
"The answer is the Bills vs the Chiefs following the 2022 season. It was 20 years earlier than that when the Jets played a playoff game in their own stadium."

[Bob Gill]

What about the people who attended the Monday night game? Do they get their money back?

[Lee Elder]

I’m going to express an unpopular opinion about all of this: The rest of the Bills players were being selfish for not finishing that game. They made the incident about themselves by deciding it was too much for them to proceed. At that point, Hamlin didn’t care if they played or not but uncounted thousands of people lost revenue that day because of their selfish reaction. At that point, you play the game for Hamlin. You don’t quit for yourself.

IMHO, you are ignoring the feelings of the other team. Cincinnati's players did not want to continue either. Hamlin left the stadium with his life still hanging in the balance and nobody on either team wanted to play.

[Lee Elder]

What about the people who attended the Monday night game? Do they get their money back?

That's an interesting question. In American auto racing, if an event goes one lap beyond halfway, it is considered an event. If rain comes any time after that and the event can't continue as an example, there is no ticket refund. (Formula 1 does not have the same policy.) Baseball games going beyond the visiting half of the fifth inning can be considered complete. There are 2 sporting comparisons.

The NFL game in question was still in the first quarter when it ended.