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The NFL announced Thursday night that the Bills-Bengals game that was postponed Monday following Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffering a cardiac arrest will not be resumed. The game will be declared a no-contest.
As a result, the Bills and Bengals will finish with a 16-game season, altering playoff seeding implications. A big factor in that impacts the Ravens greatly.
First, the Ravens are no longer in play for AFC North title contention. Even if the Ravens were to defeat the Bengals in Week 18, the Bengals winning percentage would be higher due to their 16-game schedule, meaning the Ravens will finish in second place in the AFC North.
However, the Ravens are still playing for a possible home game in the Wild-Card round. If the Ravens defeat the Bengals and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos in Week 18, the Ravens and Bengals would meet in the playoffs as the No. 6 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. The NFL would then host a coin toss to determine the location for the Ravens-Bengals playoff game.
NFL clubs will consider Friday in a Special League Meeting a resolution recommended by the Commissioner and approved today by the Competition Committee, governing both the AFC Championship Game and ramifications on the AFC North winners. Here’s the two-part resolution: pic.twitter.com/2Cz8r8K4Zn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2023
Reason for coin toss if Ravens win: Baltimore will have defeated Cincinnati, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 6, 2023
Per source, owners will vote tomorrow on the following proposal, among others: If Ravens beat the Bengals on Sunday, home-field advantage for a wild-card game between those two teams would be determined by a coin flip.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 6, 2023
This means the Ravens, with a victory in Week 18 and a winning coin toss could play once again at M&T Bank Stadium this season.
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