There’s a lot riding on the line this weekend for the last Wildcard playoff spot in the AFC. With a Denver Broncos win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver will punch their own ticket. If they lose, the Miami Dolphins will have a chance to beat the New York Jets and take the spot. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the most frustrating teams in the NFL, as they’ve squandered away all-time seasons from Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Yet, they can still make the playoffs with a a Saturday night win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and losses by Denver and Miami on Sunday.
However, all these what-if scenarios that will have fans clinging to their chairs are all irrelevant at this point. That is because the Kansas City Chiefs are going to determine the outcome themselves by essentially “throwing” a game that means nothing to them. The Chiefs are already locked in as the #1 seed with a first-round bye. They will likely play Carson Wentz along with the rest of their second and third stringers, all but assuring a Broncos victory. A loss also benefits them in one way, as the last team they want to see at any point in the playoffs is the Cincinnati Bengals with an MVP level Joe Burrow. As bad as the Bengals defense has been all year, there have been steady improvements in recent weeks, and they are riding a four-game winning streak. There isn’t any team in the AFC that wants to see the Bengals sneak in.
This is the same Cincinnati team that had the Chiefs beat on multiple occasions in the regular season matchup and would have come away victorious if not for a last second pass interference call to give the Chiefs a field goal to win. It was the correct call, but Patrick Mahomes himself cried about game-changing flags at the end of games last season against the Buffalo Bills. It was odd (kidding) to hear nothing at the time when it benefited his own team, and Joe Burrow did not throw a temper tantrum during their post-game handshake.
This situation does pose an interesting question for the NFL going forward. With the discussion of an 18th regular season game being added at some point, no fans want to see star players being rested at the end of the year with meaningful games still to play. The NBA came up with a Player Participation policy to ensure teams would not sit healthy players in meaningful games, or they could be fined heavily, upwards of $1+ million for each occasion. There is also a question of integrity of the sport, as it may be fulling transparent if the Chiefs are not attempting “winning” plays. If it’s obvious based on play calling and player personnel during the game they have no intention to try to win, what makes that any different from point shaving or collusion?
Win or lose, Cincinnati has been the most dramatic, exciting team week in and week out. They are a product that draws massive viewers and ratings, and the NFL will make more money with them in the playoffs. There’s also no guarantee the Dolphins wouldn’t win and knock the Bengals out anyway. It’s bad business and ethics to let the Broncos have a playoff spot by treating it like a pre-season game. Hopefully, the Kansas City Chiefs will put their best foot forward and try to win the game. If that happens, then may the best team win, and all things play out the way they were meant to be.
