Cincinnati Bengals possession is pushing fellow NFL workforce homeowners to vote “no” to Thursday evening’s playoff proposal, a number of sources inform CBS Sports activities.
NFL homeowners are assembly at midday ET Friday to vote on the proposed postseason modifications that might contain a impartial web site AFC Championship Sport in some eventualities, together with the potential of a coin flip deciding the placement of a possible Bengals-Ravens wild-card spherical recreation.
The latter level is what the Bengals take biggest concern with, in keeping with sources. The league formally canceled the Payments-Bengals recreation and dominated it a no-contest. The league has already topped the Bengals as AFC North champions whatever the end result of their Week 18 matchup in opposition to the Ravens.
If the 10-6 Ravens beat the 11-4 Bengals on Sunday, a situation exists the place the Ravens are the No. 6 seed and the Bengals are the No. 3 seed. In every other yr that seeding ought to imply the sport can be performed in Cincinnati. However Baltimore would have received each video games within the season collection, and because the Bengals did not play an equal variety of video games, the league has proposed {that a} coin flip would resolve the place that playoff recreation would happen.
Katie Blackburn, govt vp of the Bengals, oversees the day-to-day operations of the workforce. She was not too long ago appointed to the league’s 10-member competitors committee, and he or she voiced her considerations each on a name with committee members Thursday evening and in an electronic mail to NFL membership later. Sources described the e-mail as “prolonged” and “sturdy.”
In accordance with league sources, Blackburn is making the purpose that the essence of successful a division title is being compromised by no fault of the Bengals. Working again Joe Mixon posted the NFL’s coverage handbook for canceled video games on Twitter Thursday evening.
The NFL rulebook outlines what occurs within the occasion of a canceled recreation, and it states that the league would depend on successful share to find out playoff seeding. Blackburn is voicing that the foundations on books needs to be adopted.
Blackburn and the Bengals would want eight different votes for the proposal to be rejected. Her strongest argument, in keeping with a number of sources, is to enchantment to homeowners concerning the precedent this units. Whereas this transformation is for one postseason solely and impacts a most of 4 groups, Blackburn could make the purpose that altering the foundations already on the books per week earlier than the playoffs is not good for the league total.
It is nonetheless unclear the place the AFC Championship Sport would happen, ought to the elements within the proposal necessitate a impartial web site. Indianapolis, Detroit and New Orleans can be potential venues, however elements like logistics, resort availability and equity must be factored in. The league can also be mulling an outside venue since Buffalo, Kansas Metropolis and Cincinnati all play open air.