This Aggression Will Not Stand, Man

“i feel like i’m taking crazy pills!” — mugatu

We have all, by now, found our own way to make sense of this proposal by the NFL on how to handle the AFC playoff seeding, (and thus the site of the AFC championship game) after the decision to cancel the Bills Vs Bengals MNF game.

What the NFL has (supposedly) tried to do here is make it so that they’ve eliminated any unfair advantage due to two teams not being able to compete in the same amount of games as the rest of the conference. 

And they have accomplished this. Almost.

Prior to the MNF game, the Bengals had an opportunity to clinch the #1 overall seed, a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The last I checked, the Bengals did not lose or even tie that game on Monday night. (And no, the “No Contest” decision does not mean the same as a tie. It means the game didn’t happen.) 

Yet the remaining scenarios as proposed by the NFL are equivalent to that as if the Bengals lost, with no options resulting in the Bengals being able to achieve that top slot. They’re being dubbed “AFC North champs” going into week 18, yet have the risk of not hosting a playoff game through the entire playoffs?! 

All the while, everyone in the league, fan bases of all other 31 teams and even my counterparts at Rally Towel Sports, seem to accept this decision. Mostly due to the fact that they’re “tired” or “it’s a tough situation”.

Sure, but what this decision effectively is doing, is making positive spins for four teams (KC, BUF, NE and BAL) and totally fucking one. Take a guess who.

Sincerely, 

Disappointed