Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon appeared to send a message to the NFL with a touchdown he scored Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Mixon scored the first touchdown of the day with 1:11 to go in the first quarter. It was a 1-yard score and helped put Cincinnati up 10-0 early in the game and it was what he did after he crossed the goal line that drew the attention of fans.
Mixon joined his teammates in the end zone and removed a coin from his glove. He then flipped it in the end zone – a clear response to the NFL’s playoff procedure it adopted in wake of the canceled game between the Bengals and Buffalo Bills – and kicked his leg through the air.
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The NFL determined on Friday the potential site of a wild-card round game between the Bengals and Ravens could come down to a coin flip. The new procedure was put into place after the Bengals and Bills game was ruled a no contest due to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.
The Bengals didn’t vote for the rule change. Mixon accused the NFL of not following the rules in a tweet.
"But it seems like there's positives for a lot of teams and just negatives for us," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of the rule change. "So we have the opportunity to play for a coin flip. That can only negatively impact us. We don't have the opportunity to play for a coin flip that will positively impact us."
"For the 2022 season only, the AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site, to be determined by the Commissioner, if (A) the participating teams played a different number of regular season games; and (B) the lower seeded team in the Championship Game could have been the number one seed in the AFC if a full 17-game regular season had been played by all AFC clubs," the resolution stated in part.
"And further Resolved, that unless both participating clubs could have been the number one seed in the AFC and host the Championship Game had they played a full 17-game regular season, the game shall be played at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team."
BILLS RETURN OPENING KICKOFF FOR TD IN FIRST GAME SINCE DAMAR HAMLIN COLLAPSE, PLAYER REACTS
The resolution also approved a coin toss to decide the site of a potential wild-card game between the Bengals and the Ravens.
If Baltimore were to beat Cincinnati on Sunday and the two face off the following week in the wild-card round, the Ravens would still lose home-field advantage despite having two wins over a division opponent because the Bengals were awarded the AFC North title with the "no-contest" ruling.
"Unless both conditions are met, the site of any Wild Card Game involving Baltimore and Cincinnati shall be determined per Article XX of the Constitution and Bylaws. Irrespective of where a Wild Card game between Baltimore and Cincinnati is played, all teams will retain their seeding as determined by the regular season winning percentage throughout the playoffs and for other competitive determinations," the resolution stated.
The AFC championship game could be at a neutral site under three different scenarios.
Scenario 1: Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie. A Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be played at a neutral site.
Scenario 2: Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties. A Buffalo vs. Kansas City championship game would be played at a neutral site.
Scenario 3: Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins. A Buffalo or Cincinnati vs. Kansas City championship game would be played at a neutral site.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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