MIAMI, FL — On Thursday, the NFL announced that it would not be resuming the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals Week 17 game that was originally suspended the past Monday night following Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s sensational collapse on the field where he went into cardiac arrest. In the meantime, there has been some positive news regarding Hamlin’s condition.
The Bills revealed Thursday that over the last 24 hours Hamlin has shown “remarkable improvement” and is receiving treatment from physicians.
As for the game, the league cited several reasons for its decision to not restart the game, including the fact that the outcome would have no influence on the playoffs. No team would qualify or be eliminated based on the result of the game.
The Associated Press also reported that the NFL also mentioned that resuming the game would require the league to delay the start of the postseason by a week, which would impact all 14 teams that have made progress into the postseason.
The suspension of the Bills vs Bengals game had “significant implications” for the AFC playoffs, and according to an AP report, the league is apparently looking into various scenarios as it works to determine the next steps.
The NFL also noted that resuming the game could potentially create “competitive inequities” in certain playoff scenarios. The league will be holding a special meeting on Friday to consider a resolution recommended by the commissioner and approved by the Competition Committee.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported that franchise owners will meet Friday to discuss and decide how the seeding in the AFC for the playoff will work. She said to expect an update sometime this weekend.
