If the NFL ends up having to play the AFC Championship Game at a neutral site, it won’t take place at Lucas Oil Stadium.
According to a report from the Indianapolis Business Journal, the city officials rejected the NFL’s request to use Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, as the venue for the AFC Championship Game that will take place on Jan. 29:
“Indianapolis was approached to host the game, but the city already has an event on its calendar at Lucas Oil Stadium and that would make it nearly impossible for the NFL to host the game there.
The Central Zone Invitational, a national volleyball tournament hosted by Capitol Sports Center, is expected to draw as many as 30,000 people downtown, with a peak hotel room occupancy exceeding 7,000 rooms, which accounts for nearly every room in downtown Indianapolis.”
The Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals Week 17 game was canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest following a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins. Thankfully, medical personnel managed to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat before he was taken to a hospital.
Hamlin had his breathing tube removed, and he communicated with teammates and coaches during a meeting via FaceTime.
The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) will earn the top seed with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18. The Bills (12-3) and Bengals (11-4) were also in the running for the NFL’s top seed, so the league has decided to use a neutral site for the Conference Championship Game if any of these three scenarios play out, via NFL.com:
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- Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both win or tie in Week 18 + both teams advance to the AFC title game.
- Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both lose + Cincinnati (11-4) also loses or ties in Week 18 + Buffalo and Kansas City advance to the AFC title game.
- Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both lose + Cincinnati (11-4) wins + the AFC title game is either Bills-Chiefs or Bengals-Chiefs.
The Bills will host the New England Patriots on Sunday, and the Bengals will welcome the Baltimore Ravens. If Baltimore wins, and if they face Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round, the league will hold a coin flip to determine home advantage for that game.
