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With the cancelling of Bills-Bengals during the regular season, the NFL standings in the AFC were in flux. Instead of making the game up, the NFL went about business as usual to finish the regular season. For the NFL playoffs, this left some questions about whether or not the AFC Championship game should be played at a home venue or neutral site. The NFL announced on Thursday that the neutral site for the AFC Championship if it’s between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will be in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Check out the official statement below:
New from @nfl345 pic.twitter.com/uyMv4st4lD
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) January 12, 2023
Again, this only applies if the AFC Championship game ends up being between the Chiefs and the Bills. If it is any other matchup, normal rules would apply, and the better seed would host the game. In this scenario, it is being reported that previous season ticket members that had committed to purchasing championship tickets will have first priority if this matchup were to happen, per James Palmer.
As the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs are on bye for Wild Card weekend. They will face the lowest seed that emerges from this weekend’s slate. The Bills will take on the No. 7 Miami Dolphins for the third time this season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 15 on CBS.