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The challenge of making the AFC playoffs in the absence of a Week 17 game between the Bills and Bengals has escalated to the highest level in sports.
According to multiple sources, the NFL owners will hold a meeting Friday over the issue. The meeting will take place via video conference, not in person.
With the Bills and Bengals not playing, seeding will be decided on winning percentage. But that would create a perceived unfair advantage for the Chiefs, who would get a top seed simply by beating the Raiders on Saturday — even though the Chiefs lost to the Bills and the Bengals. The situation also creates a competitive disadvantage for the Bengals, who could have landed in #2 or even #1 if they had won the game against the Bills.
As one source explained to PFT, the owners will have to work out some “controversial” aspects to finalize the plan. The exact options for the owners are currently unknown.
It is also not known whether the situation will be resolved by a simple majority or a supermajority of 24 votes.
Regardless, the league has yet to make a decision. On Friday, hopefully, the owners will.