CINCINNATI – Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals are still freaking out over the NFL’s plan to determine home field advantage in the playoffs.
Mixon referenced the decision of the NFL using a coin toss as Sunday’s tiebreaker by celebrating a 1-yard touchdown run against the Baltimore Ravens by taking a coin from his glove and flicking it. He and several teammates then kicked it to the ground.
The league decided to add a coin toss to settle a potential playoff scenario after Monday night’s game between the Bengals and Buffalo Bills was declared a non-contest after Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.
If Baltimore defeats AFC North champions Cincinnati on Sunday and the two teams go head-to-head in the first round of the playoffs, a coin toss would be used to determine the home team, per the NFL’s decision.
“So we don’t play by the rules anymore” Mixon wrote on Thursday about the resolution of the coin toss, sharing screenshots of the league’s game operations manual advising that if games are canceled, the playoff standings must be determined using the final records of games played.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor made it clear this week that the team is not happy about the league changing the rules.
“We just want the rules to be followed,” Taylor said earlier in the week. “If a game is cancelled, reach out to odds to sort it all out so we don’t have to invent the rules. There are several instances this season where the club is being fined or people are being fined in our building and we are being asked to follow the rules. It’s black and white. It’s in the rule book. So if you’re being told we’re going to change that, I don’t want to hear about fairness and justice in this case.”
Mixon’s touchdown gave the Bengals an early 17-0 lead over the Ravens.
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