NFL Reveals Bills vs. Chiefs Neutral Site for Potential AFC Championship
The NFL revealed its neutral site of choice for a potential AFC Championship featuring the Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
According to ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the potential game.
"We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. "We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both clubs for their assistance in the planning process. We know, if necessary, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will provide a world-class atmosphere for the competing teams, our fans and partners."
The only outcome that would send the Bills to Atlanta is if they and the Chiefs both make it to the AFC Championship Game. Any other matchup would result in the host being the higher-seeded team.
Had the Bills won that Week 17 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, they would have clinched homefield advantage with a win in Week 18.
However, with neither team "clinching" homefield, this is the solution the NFL chose.
The NFL doesn't need more problems on its plate, so traveling to a city like Cleveland, Pittsburgh or New York could bring on unpredictable weather.
When the NFL plans its Super Bowls, the league almost always has scheduled the neutral-site game in either a closed-roof stadium, like this year's Super Bowl home in Glendale, Arizona, or a warm-weather city. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted a Super Bowl before. It also recently hosted a massive neutral-site game at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.
Atlanta is also both in the range of 800-900 miles away from Buffalo and Kansas City, a very possible matchup and a rematch of the 2020 AFC Championship game.
The AFC Championship game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 29.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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