NFL Selects Neutral Site for Potential Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship Game

By Brian Jones

If the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills make it to the AFC Championship game, they will be playing down South. This week, the NFL announced that Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host a potential AFC title game between the Chiefs and Bills on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET. 

The decision was made based on the contingency plan the league agreed on after the game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals game was canceled due to Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field. The Chiefs finished the season 14-3 and clinched the No. 1 seed. The Bills have the No. 2 seed with a 13-3 record, but had they won the game that was canceled, they would be the No. 1 seed over the Chiefs because they beat them head-to-head earlier in the year. 

"We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both of those clubs for their assistance in the planning process. We know, if necessary, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will provide a world-class atmosphere for the competing teams, our fans and partners."  

With the Chiefs clinching the No. 1 seed, they will not play in the playoffs as they have a bye. The Bills will start their road to the Super Bowl on Sunday when they take on the Miami Dolphins. "We know it's going to be a dog fight," Bills quarterback Josh Allen told reporters this week, per the team's official website. "It's going to be 60 minutes. We've got to do our job. We've got to execute. We've got to trust each other, take care of the football and just try to score points."

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of MLS. The stadium opened in 2017 and hosted Super Bowl LIII in 2019 as well as the College Football Playoff National Championship game in 2018. It's the permanent home of the SEC Football Championship Game and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

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