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Bengals’ Zac Taylor rages over NFL’s home field coin toss ruling in potential Cincinnati-Baltimore playoff matchup, insisting rules are ‘black and white’, after MNF was canceled due to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest
Bengals coach Zac Taylor is displeased with the NFL’s coin toss ruling to determine home field advantage for a potential wild card round playoff matchup between Cincinnati and AFC North rival, Baltimore. Specifically, Taylor took issue with the league’s decision to ignore its own rules, stating that playoff seeds are determined by winning percentage.
“It’s black and white, it’s in the rule book,” Taylor told reporters Friday as NFL owners met to discuss proposed adjustments to this year’s playoff format.
Taylor spoke before team owners approved the NFL’s proposed resolution.
The issue stems from the NFL’s decision to cancel the remainder of Monday’s Bills-Bengals game, which was postponed after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and required resuscitation. Hamlin remains in intensive care at a Cincinnati hospital, where he recently had his breathing tube removed and even had a FaceTime call with his teammates on Friday.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor is upset with the NFL’s proposed coin toss to determine home field advantage for a potential wild-card round playoff matchup between Cincinnati and AFC North rival Baltimore .
Damar Hamlin is awake and showing signs of improvement after going into cardiac arrest and being revived during Monday’s Bills-Bengals game in Cincinnati.
The MNF matchup had significant playoff implications for both the 12-3 Bills and 11-4 Bengals, the latter of which hosts the 10-6 Ravens on Sunday.
If Cincinnati wins, they would have home field advantage in a potential first-round matchup with Baltimore. However, if the Ravens beat the Bengals for the second time this season, the league has proposed a coin toss to determine home-field advantage in a potential wild-card round meeting, though the Bengals would still have the winning percentage. higher wins of the two teams.
The league’s resolution makes Sunday’s Bengals-Ravens game a pivotal matchup that could determine home field advantage in the wild-card round, not to mention the winner of the AFC North.
“This game means even more now,” read a tweet from the Bengals’ Twitter account. ‘I have to bring the energy on Sunday.’
Under normal circumstances, home field advantage is determined by winning percentage.
“So we don’t play by the rules anymore,” Bengals running back Joe Mixon tweeted.
The league also passed a resolution to move a potential Bills-Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship to a neutral ground should both teams advance that far.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and Buffalo Bills react as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) is treated on the field after a first quarter collision against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.