Patrick Mahomes was prepared for whatever scheduling or rules adjustment the NFL threw the Chiefs’ way.
With the Bills-Bengals Week 17 game being declared a no-contest after the frightening Damar Hamlin situation, the NFL had to make some adjustments to the AFC playoff format heading into Week 18.
With the final games of the regular season now concluded, the biggest potential impact is that the Chiefs and Bills would have to play at a neutral site if they met in the AFC Championship.
Before the NFL landed on a decision, a variety of theories were thrown out about possibilities – including some that would include the No. 1 seed no longer having a first-round bye. Ultimately, the worst-case scenario for Kansas City is playing the conference title game away from Arrowhead Stadium. Not ideal, but also not something that should tank their playoff hopes.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes offered his thoughts on the sudden changes in his weekly appearance on “The Drive.”
“I was ready for whatever it was going to be, whatever the conclusion was going to be" Mahomes said. "I mean it’s not going to be fair for (everyone) really in any scenario, so it’s something that there’s much bigger things that they had to make sure were OK and take care of.
“We had to get the season to keep going once we knew that (Hamlin) was doing alright. I knew the NFL would come up with some idea and we’d have to be able to just adjust. I think that’s what we’re doing here. We’ve got the one seed now, we know we’ve got at least one home game, we’ve got a bye and then we’ll play that (divisional round matchup), try to win that game and wherever we have to play the next game, we’ll be ready to play.”
Thanks to their spot atop the AFC, the Chiefs will face the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round at Arrowhead.
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