NFL Playoff Picture 2023: How The Bills, Bengals, Chiefs Chase For No. 1 Seed Could Be Decided

The Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs all enter Week 18 in contention for the AFC's No. 1 seed. The 2023 NFL playoff picture can't be settled until the league decides how to handle the Week 17 game between the Bill and Bengals, which was suspended in the first quarter when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field.

The league has said that the contest won't be resumed this week, and the Week 18 schedule remains unchanged. According to ProFootballTalk, the NFL is moving toward not finishing the game in Cincinnati and ruling it a no contest.

A no contest would improve Kansas City's chances of getting the No. 1 seed. If the Bills and Bengals don't finish their game and the Chiefs defeat the Las Vegas Raiders Saturday night, Kansas City will clinch the top spot in the AFC playoff picture.

A Kansas City loss in Las Vegas would keep Buffalo's hopes of getting the No. 1 seed alive. The Bills would have to defeat the New England Patriots in their Week 18 matchup.

Cincinnati entered Week 17 in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. If its game with Buffalo isn't resumed, those hopes will be erased. The Bengals are a 1.5 games behind the Chiefs with one week left in the regular season.

If the Bengals are given a no contest, they will clinch the AFC North title. Had Cincinnati been defeated by Buffalo, the Week 18 matchup between the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens would've turned into a de facto division championship game.

The Bills started Week 17 atop the AFC playoff picture and in control of their own destiny for the No. 1 seed. The league does have other options that would still allow Buffalo to determine its own fate.

The decision could be made to cancel the Pro Bowl and eliminate the extra week of no playoff games in between Conference Championship Weekend and the Super Bowl. Doing so would allow the Bills and Bengals to finish their game a week after every other team has concluded its regular season.

If the Bengals beat the Bills and Ravens in their final two games, they would clinch the AFC's No. 1 seed with a Chiefs loss against the Raiders. If the Bills beat the Bengals and the Patriots, Buffalo gets the top spot regardless of what Kansas City does in Week 18.

The No. 1 seed in the AFC is more valuable than it was a few years ago. Since the playoff field expanded to 14 teams, only one team in each conference gets a first-round bye.