The NFL stated on Thursday morning that Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been chosen as the neutral site to host a potential AFC Championship between the Chiefs and the Bills.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta would host a potential AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The NFL determined last week that any potential rematch between these two teams would be at a neutral location to keep matters fair for the Bills as they were unable to control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed after their game with the Bengals was ruled a no contest last weekend. The Chiefs earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed last week by defeating the Raiders.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is an indoor site where the elements won’t play a factor. If this match up does play out, you can be sure that fans from both sides are going to be making the trip down to cheer on their teams for a chance to make the Super Bowl.
Rumors of the NFL using this as a trial for neutral-site conference championship games have emerged, and while that would be intriguing (and similar to college football’s setup), it would minimize the importance of obtaining home-field advantage in the regular season. Although, getting that No. 1 seed is always important as it comes with a bye week, as well.
If a third playoff clash between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen commences, the league will see this compromise/experiment come to fruition in what would be a very interesting development in the league for years to come.
