The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills won’t resume their postponed Week 17 game.
So says a report from the Associated Press, with the full writeup revealing that actual seeding decisions and otherwise remain in flux:
The NFL will not resume the Bills-Bengals game that was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league is still figuring out how to determine playoff seedings and scheduling. The NFL Players Association must approve changes.
The Bills-Bengals game had major playoff implications.
Buffalo (12-3) entered Monday night needing a win to maintain the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) currently hold that spot. The Bengals (11-4) had a chance to earn that top seed with two more wins and a loss by the Chiefs.
No word on if the game would classify as a tie or a no-contest, but both scenarios have less-than-desirable impacts on the playoff seedings for both teams and others.
The NFL might opt to go for some of the more creative solutions out there, such as using winning percentage to determine playoff seeding, then playing certain playoff games at neutral sites (a Buffalo-Cincinnati matchup and/or the AFC title game, potentially).
Either way, this report comes on the heels of similar suggestions the night prior. The league clearly isn’t interested in trying to resume this game, though how to handle things once it’s officially called off remains an understandably big hiccup in the process.
Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest and remains hospitalized, continues to make remarkable strides in his recovery.
