NFL playoffs changes for neutral site AFC Championship approved: Here are the scenarios

The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game will not resume and has been canceled.

The NFL has spent the last three days putting its focus and attention on Bills safety Damar Hamlin's health but announced Thursday evening that the game that was postponed in the first quarter when Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on Monday night will be considered a no contest.

The league's Competition Committee approved two measures, which were approved by NFL owners on Friday afternoon. The first measure centers around the location of the AFC Championship game should the Bills or Bengals advance. The second is regarding a potential Cincinnati vs. Baltimore Wild Card round game.

The AFC Championship Game could be played at a neutral site if the participating teams in the conference final played an unequal number of games and both could have been the No. 1 seed, the NFL said. Those scenarios may involve the Kansas City Chiefs, Bills and Bengals, depending on Week 18 results. The NFL did not reveal a specific neutral site.

It means playoff seeding in the AFC would be determined by winning percentage, which could hurt the Bills (12-3) against the Chiefs (13-3) but help them stay ahead of the Bengals (11-4).

Here's a quick breakdown of where the AFC Championship would be played involving the three teams:

• Chiefs (14-3) vs. Bills (13-3): at neutral site

• Chiefs (13-4) vs. Bills (12-4): at neutral site

• Bills (13-3) vs. Chiefs (13-4): at Buffalo

• Chiefs (13-4) vs. Bengals (12-4): at neutral site

• Bills vs. Bengals: at Buffalo

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Buffalo controlled its own destiny for the top seed going into Week 17 against Cincinnati. Now, the Chiefs can clinch the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye if they defeat the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. Buffalo can secure the No. 1 seed with a win over the New England Patriots on Sunday coupled with a Chiefs loss.

If the Bills and Bengals square off in the AFC Championship Game it would be played in Buffalo since both teams played 16 games in the regular season.

Cincinnati's potential Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) is also in flux even though the Bengals are now AFC North champions. The Ravens host the Bengals in Week 18. Baltimore edged Cincinnati on a field goal as time expired in Week 5. If the Ravens sweep the Bengals they'd be a half-game back due to the uneven schedule and could have feasibly won the division had Cincinnati lost the Monday night that was canceled. A third matchup could be on the horizon between the Bengals, a division winner, and the Ravens, a wild-card team. The NFL's solution is to settle home field advantage with a coin toss.

"As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues crated by the difficult, nut necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances."

Hamlin is awake and has had "substantial improvement in his condition over the past 24 hours," University of Cincinnati Medical Center physicians said during a Zoom call Thursday afternoon. Hamlin remains in intensive care but is able to move his hands and feet and communicate with medical staff and family members by writing on a clipboard.

Here is what the NFL said in a memo:

The AFC Championship game could be played at a neutral site

The AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games and both could have been the number one seed and hosted the game had the AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season. Those circumstances involve Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifying for the game as a road team and are listed below.

Scenario 1

Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie - a Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 2

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties - a Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 3

Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins - a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs. Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.

Ravens-Bengals Wild Card home-field advantage may be determined by coin toss

If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati in Week 18 it will have defeated Cincinnati, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.

If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati and if those two clubs are scheduled to play a Wild Card game against one another, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss. If Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play one another in the Wild Card round, the game sites would be determined by regular scheduling procedures.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NFL playoffs changes approved by owners: Here are the scenarios