Injured Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) remains in sweats after failing to pass concussion protocol before the game in the second quarter of a Week 13 NFL game at Paycor Stadium. Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Mixon responds to recent NFL proposal on suspended game

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 1/6/23

Joe Mixon is not happy with the NFL’s proposal for how to handle the aftermath of the Bengals-Bills game being canceled.

The NFL announced on Thursday night that the Week 17 game between the Bengals and Bills in Cincinnati is being canceled rather than resumed. The league also said they are presenting a proposal to the owners on Friday for how to more fairly handle the issues that arose from the cancelation of the Bills-Bengals game.

Mixon is not happy with the proposal. The Bengals running back tweeted a screenshot of the NFL’s rule book along with the following message:

“So we not following the rules no more,” Mixon tweeted.

So we not following the rules no more pic.twitter.com/AreAM1xAsp

— Primetime!!! (@Joe_MainMixon) January 6, 2023

Mixon’s point is that the NFL already has a rule in place for how to account for canceled games. The rule is that the league goes to winning percentages to determine playoff seedings. There would be no need for neutral sites or coin flips, which is what the league is proposing.

Although reaching the AFC championship game against Kansas City would yield a neutral field game for the Bengals, little else to the proposal helps them.

If the league went by the rules in place, the Bengals would have clinched the AFC North and a home playoff game. In the proposal, a coin flip would determine home-field if the Ravens beat the Bengals in Week 18, and the teams are matched up in a wild card game. Additionally, the proposal unfairly would not make a Bills-Bengals playoff game a neutral site game, nor would it make a divisional round playoff game between the Chiefs and Bengals a neutral site game.

If the NFL is looking to be fair, then they shouldn’t omit those scenarios. But they are, and Mixon is not happy about it.

When the league owners vote on the proposal Friday, expect the Bengals to be opposed. A 24-vote supermajority is required for the NFL’s proposal to pass.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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