CINCINNATI – In case it wasn’t obvious enough, the Bengals are running back Joe Mixon Remind everyone how Cincinnati feels about currency fluctuations.
Mixon dominated the NFL with his coin touchdown celebration after he scored it in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. After Mixon scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, he pulled a coin-op from his glove and flipped it into the end zone, followed by an emphatic kick in the air after a touchdown.
The celebration came on a day when Cincinnati could have lost a potential playoff game at home with the flip of a coin. But the team’s 27-16 win over the Ravens confirmed that the Bengals will host the rematch next weekend against Baltimore.
The Bengals were upset after the NFL on Friday approved a competition commission ruling stating that the site of a potential wild card game Baltimore-Cincinnati could flip a coin flip. The changes were made after Monday’s game between the Bengals and Buffalo Bills was canceled due to a Bills safety Hamlin devastationHeart failure.
Cincinnati’s players, coaches, and front office were outraged that a home game would not be played at Paycor Stadium despite winning the AFC North title.
On Thursday, Mixon tweeted a section of the rulebook that pertains to playoff seeds in the wake of canceled games. Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn sent a note to all clubs urging them to vote against the proposal, which was eventually approved, according to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham. And on Friday, Bengals coach Zack Taylor criticized the rule changes.
“But it seems there are positives for a lot of teams and only negatives for us,” Taylor said. “So we have a chance to play for a coin flip. It can only affect us negatively. We don’t have a chance to play for a coin flip that will affect us positively.”
Cincinnati’s victory on Sunday made the conversation moot. The coin-flip scenario would only kick in if the Ravens won and the Chargers won in Denver. The Ravens and Chargers entered Week 18 with identical records, but Los Angeles would get the No. 5 seed while Baltimore would get a third game against Cincinnati. The No. 6 seed Ravens sweeping the Bengals, but missing out on the division title, was a chance to host third seed Cincinnati in the playoffs. Had the Bills-Bengals game been played to completion and Buffalo had won, it would have been a Week 18 match-up between Baltimore and Cincinnati for the AFC North title.
“Coffee ninja. Web fan. Hipster-friendly beer enthusiast. Professional creator.”