Buffalo Bills players kneel after teammate Damar Hamlin #3 collapsed following a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals in the course of the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on Jan. 2, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kirk Irwin | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
The postponed Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game is not going to be made up following the terrifying collapse of safety Damar Hamlin, the league said Thursday.
With one game left within the regular season, the NFL remains to be understanding the small print of how the now-canceled game will affect seeding for the playoffs, which begin Jan. 14-15.
The NFL acknowledged that canceling the sport “creates potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios,” and said NFL clubs will consider a resolution at a special league meeting Friday.
A part of it could involve the Jan. 29 AFC Championship Game being played at a neutral site.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in Thursday’s statement that “This has been a really difficult week,” and the league is targeted on Hamlin’s recovery.
Due to the one canceled game, the Bills and Bengals may have played 16 games, while all other NFL teams may have played 17.
The Bills had way back clinched the AFC East and were in the motive force’s seat for the No. 1 seed within the conference. Now at 12-3, Buffalo trails 13-3 Kansas City for the AFC’s top spot, which carries a first-round playoff bye.
Had the Bills won Monday night, they might have had as many wins because the Chiefs while holding a tiebreaker over Kansas City.
This weekend, Buffalo plays Recent England; Cincinnati plays Baltimore; and Kansas City plays Las Vegas.
Within the resolution to be considered by NFL teams Friday, the AFC Championship Game can be played at a neutral site under three scenarios, based on the NFL:
- If Buffalo and Kansas City each win or each tie, Buffalo vs. Kansas City can be at a neutral site for the championship.
- If Buffalo and Kansas City each lose and Baltimore wins or ties, Buffalo vs. Kansas City can be at a neutral site.
- And if Buffalo and Kansas City each lose and Cincinnati wins, a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs. Kansas City championship game can be at a neutral site.
One other component is that if Baltimore beats Cincinnati, the NFL said. In that case, Baltimore wouldn’t host a playoff game because Cincinnati may have the next winning percentage based on the games each played.
If Baltimore beats Cincinnati and each teams find yourself facing one another within the Wild Card, a coin toss will determine who hosts.
Monday’s key contest between first-place Bills and Bengals was called off shortly after 10 p.m. ET that night, with the NFL saying the sport had been “postponed” — leaving the door barely ajar for Buffalo and Cincinnati to restart play at one other time.
When Hamlin went down, the Bengals were leading, 7-3, in the primary quarter.
Hamlin collapsed moments after tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. The play gave the impression to be routine as Hamlin quickly got up and briefly grabbed or adjusted his own face mask before falling backward.
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest, but his brain function gave the impression to be in good condition, the Buffalo Bills said Thursday, following days of uncertainty and worry.
“Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team tweeted. “While still critically in poor health, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact.”
Of their final regular season games, the Bills will host the Recent England Patriots and the Bengals are home to the Baltimore Ravens. Each games are at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The now-canceled game would not have mattered so far as every other team making or not making the playoffs, which the NFL said was a think about the choice.
In Thursday’s statement in regards to the canceled game and postseason, Goodell said the league strove to attenuate disruptions and inequalities.
“I recognize that there isn’t a perfect solution,” Goodell said. “The proposal we’re asking the ownership to contemplate, nonetheless, addresses probably the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but vital, decision to not play the sport under these extraordinary circumstances.”
