01-04-2023, 03:25 AM
The following was added to the article on footballzebras.com about three hours after Tuesday's announcement by the NFL :
"While there are very few options to schedule a resumption of the game, not scheduling a resumption of the game seems to be very unlikely. But there is one scenario in which the game might be cancelled.
In the Tuesday afternoon statement above, the league referenced a “possible resumption” which indicates that a cancellation is still under consideration. And any possible resumption would be after the Week 18 games are completed.
If the Chiefs, Patriots, and Bengals all win their Week 18 games, then the suspended game would only determine the #2 and #3 seeds. That makes it possible to consider abandoning the suspended game, and the Bengals get the #2 seed based on the fourth tiebreaker, strength of victory. (Currently the Bengals have an insurmountable lead for that tiebreaker.) For purposes of wild card games, it could mean that the both teams rematch their division foes or not. Although there is no provision for it, it is possible that the commissioner could propose that as a concession for abandoning the game, the Bills would hold home-field advantage over the Bengals if the two teams meet in the divisional playoffs or the conference championship or that such a matchup is a neutral site game (with several nonplayoff venues between both cities). There is a precedent for making playoff structural changes, as commissioner Pete Rozelle reworked the playoffs in the 1982 season that was shortened by a players’ strike.
But don’t the policies and procedures indicate the game must be resumed? Throughout the documentation, there is a common theme to avoid competitive inequities. In this particular outcome, it is possible that Goodell decides that no scenario is devoid of competitive inequities, and that wiping the game out is the lesser inequity. The only way this seems to be the viable path is if the suspended game only affects the Bills and Bengals (and tangentially, their postseason opponents) which happens only if the Chiefs, Bengals, and Patriots win in Week 18.
If the game is not resumed, standings for the playoff seeds would be calculated on win percentage as usual. Any statistics that would affect a player’s contracted performance bonus or position in the statistical rankings would be prorated to 16 games."
"While there are very few options to schedule a resumption of the game, not scheduling a resumption of the game seems to be very unlikely. But there is one scenario in which the game might be cancelled.
In the Tuesday afternoon statement above, the league referenced a “possible resumption” which indicates that a cancellation is still under consideration. And any possible resumption would be after the Week 18 games are completed.
If the Chiefs, Patriots, and Bengals all win their Week 18 games, then the suspended game would only determine the #2 and #3 seeds. That makes it possible to consider abandoning the suspended game, and the Bengals get the #2 seed based on the fourth tiebreaker, strength of victory. (Currently the Bengals have an insurmountable lead for that tiebreaker.) For purposes of wild card games, it could mean that the both teams rematch their division foes or not. Although there is no provision for it, it is possible that the commissioner could propose that as a concession for abandoning the game, the Bills would hold home-field advantage over the Bengals if the two teams meet in the divisional playoffs or the conference championship or that such a matchup is a neutral site game (with several nonplayoff venues between both cities). There is a precedent for making playoff structural changes, as commissioner Pete Rozelle reworked the playoffs in the 1982 season that was shortened by a players’ strike.
But don’t the policies and procedures indicate the game must be resumed? Throughout the documentation, there is a common theme to avoid competitive inequities. In this particular outcome, it is possible that Goodell decides that no scenario is devoid of competitive inequities, and that wiping the game out is the lesser inequity. The only way this seems to be the viable path is if the suspended game only affects the Bills and Bengals (and tangentially, their postseason opponents) which happens only if the Chiefs, Bengals, and Patriots win in Week 18.
If the game is not resumed, standings for the playoff seeds would be calculated on win percentage as usual. Any statistics that would affect a player’s contracted performance bonus or position in the statistical rankings would be prorated to 16 games."
"Knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable. "
---CARL SAGAN
---CARL SAGAN
