KC Chiefs catch huge break with NFL’s postseason rule changes

The Kansas City Chiefs now have a clear path to a first-round bye if they can take care of business in Week 18.

The NFL has announced its new plan to sort out the seeding in the AFC heading into the playoff and there is one clear benefactor from the situation: the Kansas City Chiefs.

The decision was made on Thursday to abandon the Buffalo-Cincinnati game, suspended following the shocking injury to Damar Hamlin. Following that decision, win percentage, rather than total wins, will now decide the playoff seedings, giving the Chiefs a definite advantage.

Heading into Week 18, the Chiefs’ hopes of earning the AFC’s top seed are now entirely in their own hands.

With Kansas City currently holding an ever-so-slightly higher win percentage over the Bills, a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday will clinch the one seed for the Chiefs, regardless of Buffalo’s result.

It is a huge break for the Chiefs, who had previously been behind the Bills in the standings. Heading into the final game of the regular season, it looked like Kansas City would have needed New England to claim an upset win against Buffalo to move ahead of the Bills into the top spot.

But now, the Chiefs are the masters of their own destiny. If they beat the Raiders this weekend, the one seed is theirs, bringing with it the all-important first-round bye in the playoffs in the process.

With Joe Thuney, L’Jarius Sneed, Harrison Butker, Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore all banged up at the moment, that extra week of rest and recovery could be a huge boost to Kansas City’s Super Bowl run.

While the seeding system has been sorted, there are still questions about the AFC Championship game. The NFL unveiled a resolution on Thursday, pushing for the game to be played at a neutral venue.

"“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 all AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season,” the NFL said in a statement."

That means that should the Bills and Chiefs both win this weekend and then meet in the AFC title game, the game would not be played in Kansas City. The proposal will be presented to NFL clubs at a special league meeting set to be held on Friday.

But even if the AFC title game is not played at Arrowhead, a neutral site would still be far more favorable for the Chiefs than having to travel to Buffalo, which is the scenario that otherwise seemed most likely. And if the Chiefs can beat the Raiders and get the bye, that would likely be far more important heading into the playoffs.

It is a tough situation for the Bills, who find themselves in a worse position heading into the regular season finale through no fault of their own.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the plan was designed to “minimize competitive inequities”. And while that might have been the goal, there is no question that the Chiefs have gained a huge advantage.