If the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs square off in the AFC Championship Game, neither team will hold the home-field advantage.
The NFL’s decision to play the game at a neutral site came last week after the Monday night game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was canceled following Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest in the first quarter.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs escapes defensive pressure by the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on January 1, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The neutral site game was finalized on Friday after a special meeting with league owners to “mitigate a possible competitive inequity” in the AFC playoffs.
The Chiefs finished the regular season atop the AFC with a record of 14-3, earning a first-round bye.
Buffalo, in playing one less game, finished the regular season at 13-3 and will be the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
On Monday, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked whether the NFL’s decision was fair, with the Super Bowl-winning quarterback saying the Chiefs were ready for whatever the NFL decided.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs off the field after the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Chris Unger/Getty Images)
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“Nothing was going to be fair for anybody, I don’t think,” Mahomes said. “It’s such a situation that we never encountered before. At the end of the day, I was so happy that Damar was doing better. And that’s the most important stuff.
“So, him doing better and him being in a better spot, we were ready to do whatever scenario was going to happen. So, if that was a neutral site, if that was going there (to Buffalo), whatever it was. We were ready to just go out there and play. But we have to win our first game first. And so we’ll just worry about whoever we play in the first round for us.”
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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs signals at the line of scrimmage against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of the game at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Kansas City enters the NFL playoffs winners of 10 of the last 11 games and with an offense ranked at the top of the league in yards and points per game.
The Chiefs will play the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens or Los Angeles Chargers depending on how Wild Card Weekend plays out.
The top seed in each conference will play the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report
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