NFL announcement of Bills-Bengals cancellation clinches AFC North title for Cincinnati

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer
·1 min read
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor speak with an official as the decision to suspend play is made Monday.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor speak with an official as the decision to suspend play is made Monday.

The Cincinnati Bengals might not get to fully enjoy the benefits of being AFC North champions because - as The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway reported - a loss to the Ravens might mean a coin toss forces the Bengals to go on the road in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Bengals are back-to-back AFC North champions for the first time since the division was formed. And it's just the second time in team history (AFC Central, 1981 and strike-shortened 1982) the Bengals have won back-to-back division titles.

The NFL announced the Week 17 Buffalo-Cincinnati game - postponed after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the first quarter - will not be resumed, clinching the division title for the Bengals.

The Bengals are 11-4, and the Ravens are 10-6. So even if Baltimore wins at Cincinnati in Week 18, the Ravens would finish 11-6, 1/2 game behind the 11-5 Bengals in the AFC North standings.

The NFL previously had said that Baltimore and Cincinnati will play Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS.

The NFL had announced earlier this week that if the Bengals defeated the Bills, Cincinnati and Baltimore would play at 1 p.m. Sunday on CBS. If the Bills had won Monday night, Cincinnati and Baltimore would have met at 4:25 p.m. on CBS.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati clinches AFC North title as NFL cancels game vs. Buffalo