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Win or lose, this Monday night game is HUGE!!! Huge for ALL football fans.
Bills vs. Bengals: Top storylines, fun facts as surging Super Bowl contenders meet for 'Monday Night Football'
This Week 17 matchup is arguably the biggest on 'MNF' in 25 years
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals are set to engage in what would change the entire complexity in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Bills (12-3) enter Week 17 as the top seed in the conference, needing to win their final two games to lock up the first-round bye and home-field advantage. The Bengals (11-4) must beat the Bills and need the Kansas City Chiefs to lose one of their last two games to lock up home-field advantage for the playoffs.
This "Monday Night Football" showdown between the Super Bowl contenders is arguably the most anticipated matchup on the program in 25 years. What is at stake for both teams? What historical significance does this Bills-Bengals matchup provide? Here are some fun facts and playoff ramifications heading into this showdown:
What's at stake for Bills
Home-field advantage in AFC: The Bills have locked up the AFC East, and need just two victories to take the No. 1 seed in the conference. Buffalo hasn't been the No. 1 seed in the AFC since the 1993 season (the last time the Bills made the Super Bowl).
The Bills have been the No. 1 seed three times in franchise history (1990, 1991, 1993), and all three times they made the Super Bowl. The lowest the Bills can fall in the AFC playoff standings is the No. 3 seed, so beating the Bengals is paramount toward clinching the No. 1 seed.
What's at stake for Bengals
AFC North title: The Bengals need two victories to wrap up the division title (and at least the No. 3 seed in the conference). If the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8) on Sunday, Cincinnati will have to beat Buffalo to maintain its division lead since Baltimore owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
If the Ravens lose and the Bengals win this week, Cincinnati would wrap up the AFC North title. A Ravens win sets up a Week 18 showdown between Cincinnati and Baltimore for the division.
Snip…
Biggest 'MNF' game in a quarter century
The Bills and Bengals enter this game with a combined 23 wins, the most between two teams on "Monday Night Football" since the San Francisco 49ers squared off against the Denver Broncos in Week 16 of the 1997 season. The 49ers entered the game at 12-2 and the Broncos at 11-3, with San Francisco winning 34-17.
The showdown between Steve Young and John Elway resulted in San Francisco scoring 20 unanswered points to close the game and the 49ers clinching home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Both teams eventually made their conference championship games, with the Broncos going on to win Super Bowl XXXII as a wild card team.
The matchup will mark only the third game in "Monday Night Football" history between teams with at least 11 wins, and the 14th between teams each with at least 10 wins. This is just the third game since 1978 -- when the 16-game schedule was instituted -- to feature teams on six-plus win streaks in the final two weeks of a season.
More…
This is game can legitimately called a “historic game”. And it will probably live up to the hype.
There are three legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. Since both Cincy and Buffalo have already beaten KC this season, this can arguably be pegged as the game between the two best AFC teams.
This is what NFL football excitement is all about, and the kind of game that any football fan drools over.....no matter if your team is among the participants.
Expect a HUGE TV audience for this barnburner. Should be game for the ages.
Here’s hoping the Bills prevail!!!!
GO BILLS!!!!
Bills vs. Bengals: Top storylines, fun facts as surging Super Bowl contenders meet for 'Monday Night Football'
This Week 17 matchup is arguably the biggest on 'MNF' in 25 years
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals are set to engage in what would change the entire complexity in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The Bills (12-3) enter Week 17 as the top seed in the conference, needing to win their final two games to lock up the first-round bye and home-field advantage. The Bengals (11-4) must beat the Bills and need the Kansas City Chiefs to lose one of their last two games to lock up home-field advantage for the playoffs.
This "Monday Night Football" showdown between the Super Bowl contenders is arguably the most anticipated matchup on the program in 25 years. What is at stake for both teams? What historical significance does this Bills-Bengals matchup provide? Here are some fun facts and playoff ramifications heading into this showdown:
What's at stake for Bills
Home-field advantage in AFC: The Bills have locked up the AFC East, and need just two victories to take the No. 1 seed in the conference. Buffalo hasn't been the No. 1 seed in the AFC since the 1993 season (the last time the Bills made the Super Bowl).
The Bills have been the No. 1 seed three times in franchise history (1990, 1991, 1993), and all three times they made the Super Bowl. The lowest the Bills can fall in the AFC playoff standings is the No. 3 seed, so beating the Bengals is paramount toward clinching the No. 1 seed.
What's at stake for Bengals
AFC North title: The Bengals need two victories to wrap up the division title (and at least the No. 3 seed in the conference). If the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8) on Sunday, Cincinnati will have to beat Buffalo to maintain its division lead since Baltimore owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
If the Ravens lose and the Bengals win this week, Cincinnati would wrap up the AFC North title. A Ravens win sets up a Week 18 showdown between Cincinnati and Baltimore for the division.
Snip…
Biggest 'MNF' game in a quarter century
The Bills and Bengals enter this game with a combined 23 wins, the most between two teams on "Monday Night Football" since the San Francisco 49ers squared off against the Denver Broncos in Week 16 of the 1997 season. The 49ers entered the game at 12-2 and the Broncos at 11-3, with San Francisco winning 34-17.
The showdown between Steve Young and John Elway resulted in San Francisco scoring 20 unanswered points to close the game and the 49ers clinching home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Both teams eventually made their conference championship games, with the Broncos going on to win Super Bowl XXXII as a wild card team.
The matchup will mark only the third game in "Monday Night Football" history between teams with at least 11 wins, and the 14th between teams each with at least 10 wins. This is just the third game since 1978 -- when the 16-game schedule was instituted -- to feature teams on six-plus win streaks in the final two weeks of a season.
More…
This is game can legitimately called a “historic game”. And it will probably live up to the hype.
There are three legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. Since both Cincy and Buffalo have already beaten KC this season, this can arguably be pegged as the game between the two best AFC teams.
This is what NFL football excitement is all about, and the kind of game that any football fan drools over.....no matter if your team is among the participants.
Expect a HUGE TV audience for this barnburner. Should be game for the ages.
Here’s hoping the Bills prevail!!!!
GO BILLS!!!!
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