The NFL is moving toward a solution, necessitated by the decision not to proceed with the Week 17 game between the Bills and Bengals.
Per multiple sources, the Competition Committee will convene at 6:00 p.m. ET to vote on the approach to AFC playoff seeding based on the fact that Buffalo and Cincinnati will have played 16 games, and that the rest of the conference will have played 17.
It’s unclear whether the vote will be binding. Most likely, it will proceed to the Commissioner, who could in theory veto it. Given the circumstances, it’s highly unlikely that a full ownership vote would be required.
Possibilities include a neutral site for the AFC Championship, if it involves two of the three teams most affected by the cancellation of the game — the Bills, Bengals, and Chiefs. Some have suggested that, if the Chiefs are the No. 1 seed, they would choose either the bye or home-field advantage against the Bills or Bengals, whichever finishes as the No. 2 seed.
The possibility of adding an eighth team to the AFC playoff field would require collective bargaining with the NFL Players Association. There is no indication that any such discussions with the union have happened.
There presumably is a small theoretical chance that Bills-Bengals will still be played, given the unexpected good news from earlier today about the status of Damar Hamlin. That would require configuration of the playoff schedule. All indications currently point, however, to the game not being played.