NFL cancels Bills-Bengals game that was suspended after Damar Hamlin’s collapse

The decision, which comes as Hamlin’s doctors say he has made strong improvement, has several knock-on effects on the NFL playoff picture.

The Bengals’ Tyler Boyd caught the lone touchdown before the match against Buffalo was suspended. Picture: Dylan Buell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

The NFL has opted to cancel the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game that was suspended this week following the life-threatening collapse of Damar Hamlin, a decision that will create several knock-on effects for the league as it heads toward the postseason.

Hamlin’s doctors said on Thursday that the 24-year-old safety is making remarkable improvement following the incident, in which he made a tackle, stood up and then fell down in a terrifying scene as he went into cardiac arrest. He was immediately attended to by physicians on the scene, who performed CPR and restored his heartbeat, before taking him to the hospital.

Even as the crisis around Hamlin unfolded this week, the question of what to do about the game, which had been one of the most hotly anticipated match-ups on the schedule, hung over the NFL. The Bengals led 7-3 at the time of the incident.

The decision now to cancel the game altogether prompted the league to make several other changes to deal with the imbalance the decision creates. The Bills and Bengals will now finish the regular season having contested 16 games while all of the other teams will have played 17. This marks the NFL’s first cancelled regular season game since the 1987 players’ strike.

The league had previously said that the game would not be restarted “this week.”

Bills players react after the devastating scenes involving teammate Damar Hamlin. Picture: Dylan Buell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

That left the door open to try and resume it another time. One option could have been playing it a week after the conclusion of the regular season and pushing the playoffs back a week. The NFL has some built-in wiggle room in its calendar, with an extra week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.

Instead, the league decided to keep the playoffs on schedule and cancel the game entirely. That has significant playoff implications given that the Bills and Bengals happen to be two of the best teams in football.

With a 12-3 record, Buffalo entered Monday’s game against Cincinnati needing two wins to guarantee the No.1 seed and the playoff bye that comes with it. The Kansas City Chiefs who are now 13-3 after winning Sunday, were neck-and-neck with the Bills in the standings going into last weekend. The Bengals, at 11-4, also had a shot if they beat Buffalo.

But the removal of the Bills-Bengals game up-ends that dynamic and the subsequent seeding. If the Chiefs now win on Sunday, they’ll have the higher winning percentage and therefore get the top spot no matter what happens in the Bills’ final game against New England. The move also eliminates Cincinnati’s shot at the top seed, although it actually secures the AFC North crown for the team.

To address the inequity the decision imposes, the NFL also paved the way to tweak its format by possibly playing the AFC Championship game at a neutral site if it involves the two teams.

The Bengals chances of the No.1 seed required a win over Buffalo. Picture: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Commissioner Roger Goodell recommended a proposal, which was approved by the NFL’s competition, which says that the game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an uneven number of games — and both teams could have been the No.1 seed and therefore hosted the game had the full 17-game regular season been played.

If the Bills and Chiefs both win this weekend, then, the game would be at a neutral site. The decision still has to be approved by NFL owners on Friday.

Additionally, if the Baltimore Ravens defeat the Bengals this weekend, and they’re scheduled to play in the wildcard round, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss.

But the decision to cancel the game doesn’t eliminate drama from the action this weekend.

The Bills could still get the No.1 seed if the Chiefs stumble against the Raiders. And Buffalo will play the Patriots — who are fighting to make the playoffs.

– Wall Street Journal

Originally published as NFL cancels Bills-Bengals game that was suspended after Damar Hamlin’s collapse