Falcon Report

Falcons to Host Potential Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship Game

The AFC Championship game could see a neutral home in Atlanta.
Jeremy Brener|
Falcons to Host Potential Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship Game
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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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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