Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The National Football League has officially come to a decision on Thursday to not resume this past Monday night's game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
The game was suspended in the first quarter of Monday's contest after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed to the turf of Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati and went into cardiac arrest. While Hamlin remains in critical condition in the ICU of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, he is awake and has shown signs of significant improvement in his condition.
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Since the incident on Monday night, there had been speculation on if, or when the game would be rescheduled after play was halted with less than six minutes left in the opening quarter. However, the NFL will be moving forward with their Week 18 schedule and not altering the course of the season any further.
According to the league, the decision was made to cancel the game because not playing the game “will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason.” To further that point, it would require the postponement of the playoffs by a week.
Had Monday’s game been completed, the winner would have had a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC (the Bills still do, while the Bengals do not). As a result, the league said it will play the AFC Championship Game at a neutral site if the participating teams played “an unequal amount of game and both could have been the No. 1 seed and hosted the game had all AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season.”
In short, if Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifies for the AFC Championship as a road team, it will be played at a neutral site. We will know if that’s on the table based on the Week 18 results.
Here are the three scenarios that could unfold in Week 18 that could eventually lead to a neutral site AFC Championship Game:
– The Bills and Chiefs both win or tie in Week 18
– The Bills and Chiefs both lose and the Ravens win or tie against the Bengals
– The Bills and Chiefs both lose and the Bengals beat the Ravens
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recommended the plan, which was approved Thursday by the Competition Committee, per the statement. Owners now will vote on the proposal in a special league meeting Friday.
The Bills will close out their regular season schedule on Sunday afternoon against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. EST.
