Mercedes-Benz Stadium may be the venue for one of the biggest games in the NFL playoffs. Here are the details announced by the NFL owners on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.
If either the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills don’t make it to the AFC Championship, the game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
AFC Championship Game Could Be Played in Atlanta If…
Here are the scenarios in which the AFC title game would be played in Atlanta, a neutral site this year:
- 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.
When is The 2023 AFC Championship Game Being Played?
The AFC Championship game is set for Sunday, January 29, 2023, in either Buffalo, Kansas City or Atlanta.
The need for a neutral site arose after the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo game was canceled following the on-field collapse of Damar Hamblin.
In a news release, the NFL said, “If the Ravens (10-6) defeat Cincinnati in Week 18 and the Chargers (10-6) beat the Denver Broncos, and if Baltimore and Cincinnati are scheduled to play a wild-card game against one another, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss. If Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play one another in the wild-card round, the game sites would be determined by the regular scheduling procedures.”
“We believe this is a focused approach that will only affect four teams, and directly address the potential for competitive inequity resulting from 30 teams playing 17 games and two playing 16 games,” Goodell said during a Friday conference call. “It was critical for the owners to vote today so that clubs know going into this weekend what they’re playing for.”
Final Words
The NFL playoffs begin this weekend with the wildcard round.