Potential Neutral Site AFC Championship Game Details Between Chiefs And Beerus: Is This The Future?

The AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will be held at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of the league’s equity proposal considering the canceled Bills-Bengals game.

Even with the Chiefs seeding No. 1 and the Bills seeding No. 2, sources told CBS Sports that the game will be treated like a true neutral site game. In fact, it is expected that there will be little operational difference between that potential matchup and Super Bowl LIII between the Patriots and Rams held at the same stadium four years ago.

The Chiefs will be designated as the “home” team, so they will choose which jersey color to wear, and the Bills will call the coin toss as the designated “away” team. one in the visitor’s locker room and one in the auxiliary locker room. This is common in major non-Falcons sporting events such as the SEC Championship and College Football Playoffs.

Details are still being worked out, but the presentation of the game will likely have one of the end zones painted in Chiefs colors and one in Beerus colors, with an NFL shield (or AFC logo) in the midfield. there is. Both teams will get their own player referrals. When the Bills score a touchdown, “Shout!” is played the same as at Highmark Stadium. When the Chiefs score a touchdown, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” is played, much like Arrowhead.

The Falcons will staff the game like a typical home game, but the league may add its own major event touches. There is a possibility.

One of the reasons the NFL chose Atlanta as a venue is that it’s roughly equidistant from Buffalo and Kansas City. Stadiums have been a place of contingencies for leagues over the years, and both cities and stadiums are remarkably capable of hosting large-scale events.

It was the final week of the regular season when we needed a neutral site. The league had competitive balance issues related to the playoffs as the Bills Bengals game was canceled following Dumar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on the field. The Chiefs, Bills and Bengals took part that Monday night, all vying to be the No. 1 seed.

With changes to the proposal that passed by a narrow margin, the league created a fairer way to conduct the postseason while considering potential competitive unfairness. However, the Bengals lost their chance for the No. 1 seed in the process.

The Bengals tried to collect “no” votes from other owners, but ultimately failed. Sources said the bill was voted in favor, but the Chiefs abstained from voting on the proposal.

The NFL has begun searching for potential neutral sites. It’s unclear what information the Bills provided, but league sources say the Chiefs wanted a natural-turf outdoor site. They ended up getting a stadium covered on grass.

Still, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the league. It also offers far more premium his seats than Arrowhead and Highmark, so even if split between the two teams, the game’s ticket revenue will increase. (The financial deal has yet to be settled, with each team getting the same ticket allocation for potential games, according to sources.)

The only way Atlanta can play is if the Bills and Chiefs make it to the AFC Championship Game. The next AFC title game will be held at his stadium, the top-seeded home of him if either team loses in two weeks.

Multiple independent sources outside the league office have hypothesized the following: What if this game was the beginning of a future neutral site conference championship game? The league is believed to have started bidding for the NFL Draft and NFL Scouting Combine, so could the NFL consider the Neutral Site Title Game?

“I don’t think it’s possible that someone wouldn’t say, ‘Hmm, I should think about this,'” one league source said of the hypothesis.

The problem is that team owners give their teams home field advantage in the games that take them to the Super Bowl. But only two team owners are penalized each year, and his 30 other team owners could get even more money.

There are also logistical issues. The city has been preparing for the Super Bowl for years and Atlanta was available as it was an unusually slow week for the city and the Falcons didn’t make it to the playoffs. , or years ago, knowing which stadiums would definitely be available presents a challenge for a conference championship. Will it? We’re going to need multiple potential sites each year, and that’s going to be a big demand for the league.

However, with all its potential challenges, there are some positives that this is the future. Why can’t a big game be an even bigger event?