Falcons to Host Potential Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship Game
The NFL is keeping Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium open for business.
After deciding to declare the Jan. 2 game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game a "no-contest" following Damar Hamlin's collapse, the NFL decided to host a potential Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs game in Atlanta.
Now that Hamlin's health appears to be improving, the league is crafting plans to adjust following the decision to cancel the game.
Because the Bills and Bengals, who are among the conference's top-3 teams, played an unequal amount of games to end the season, the NFL looks to give each team as competitive of a chance as possible in the playoffs.
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 a few days ago.
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.
Had the Bills won that game against the Bengals, they would have clinched home-field advantage with a Week 18 win against the New England Patriots, which triggered the decision for the neutral-site game that might take place in Atlanta on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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