The Cincinnati Bengals received the ultimate piece of motivation before their playoff showdown with the Buffalo Bills this upcoming weekend.
On Tuesday, the NFL advised the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs to start selling tickets for a potential AFC Championship game between the two franchises in Atlanta.
The NFL has advised the Bills and Chiefs to start selling tickets for the potential neutral site AFC Championship game.
Season ticket holders for both teams who opted-in to purchase AFC Championship Game tickets will have first priority beginning at 10 am ET tomorrow.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) January 17, 2023
If the Bills beat the Bengals and the Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo and Kansas City will play the AFC Championship game on a neutral field in Atlanta. This decision was made after the NFL correctly canceled the Bengals/Bills game in week 17 due to Damar Hamlin’s collapse from a cardiac arrest.
If the Bengals beat the Bills or the Jaguars beat the Chiefs, fans who buy tickets for a potential AFC Championship game in Atlanta would likely be refunded.
It’s not a slight against the Bengals — this is simply what the NFL has to do to make sure tickets are bought in a timely manner and travel plans are made.
JOE MIXON SAID SCREW YOUR COIN FLIP NFL 😂😂 TD celebration of the year? pic.twitter.com/IBJxIbdnUE
— Bussin’ With The Boys 🐺 (@BussinWTB) January 8, 2023
But Cincinnati should absolutely use it as a motivation. They should view this as the NFL assuming that Buffalo will win on Sunday. We know the Bengals aren’t afraid to use perceived slights as motivation — just look at their Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and the “coin toss” situation.
I’d be willing to bet that Bengals players are well aware of the ticket situation in Atlanta. And they’d love nothing more than to force the NFL into a situation where a refund policy is utilized. It’s not like the Bengals need motivation to beat the Bills — these are two really good franchises that will leave it all on the field on Sunday — but a little added motivation never hurts.
