NFL Cancels Hamlin Bills-Bengals Game, Addresses Potential Playoff Scenarios
Friday, January 6, 2023 at 08:06PM By Barry Janoff
January 6, 2023: In the aftermath of the postponement of the Monday Night Football game Jan. 2 on ESPN, during which Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in the first quarter, the NFL said the Bills at Cincinnati Bengals game would “not be resumed and has been cancelled.”
The NFL said commissioner Roger Goodell informed all clubs of his decision earlier today, “after speaking with the Bills, the Bengals and NFL Players Association leadership.”
Concurrently, the NFL said it has passed and will enact “2023 Resolution G-1,” with scenarios based on game results from the final weekend, Jan. 7-8, that were approved for holding the AFC title game at a neutral site.
The resolution was submitted by the Commissioner’s Office, with support of the Competition Committee, intended to “mitigate certain competitive effects in the AFC playoffs resulting from two clubs (the Bills and Bengals) playing fewer regular season games.”
The moves come as Hamlin is recovering from the medical incident, with doctors today saying they removed the breathing tube from his throat, enabling him to speak to family, medical staff and teammates (via FaceTime).
According to the NFL, among the key factors in cancelling the Bills-Bengals game:
• Not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the post-season. No club would qualify for the post-season and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game.
• It would require postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, thereby affecting all 14 clubs that qualify for post-season play.
• Making the decision prior to Week 18 is consistent with our competitive principles and enables all clubs to know the playoff possibilities prior to playing the final weekend of regular season games.
According to the NFL, if Buffalo (currently 12-3) — which hosts the New England Patriots on Jan. 8 — and the Kansas City Chiefs (13-3, visiting the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 7) both win or tie, “a Bills-Chiefs (AFC) championship game would be at a neutral site.”
Photo: Buffalo BillsIf Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and the Baltimore Ravens (10-6, visiting the Bengals on Jan. 8) win or tie, a Bills-Chiefs championship game would be at a neutral site.
If Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati (11-4) wins, a Bills or Bengals vs. Chiefs championship game would be at a neutral site.
The potential neutral sites have not been determined.
In addition, if the Ravens win Sunday against the Bengals and are later matched against Cincinnati in an AFC wild-card game, “the site would be determined by a coin flip.
If Cincinnati wins or if the two teams are not matched against each other after a potential Ravens win, regular scheduling procedures would be used.”
A three-fourths majority — 24 of 32 of the owners — was required to approve the changes.
“This has been a very difficult week,” Goodell said via the league.
“We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country.
“We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”
The NFL and its 32 teams plan to show their support for Hamlin during a league-wide activation the final weekend of the regular season (Jan. 7-8).
Plans include a in-stadium pre-game announcement supporting Hamlin and the first responders and medical caregivers who attended to him on the field in Cincinnati when he went into cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game Jan. 2, T-shirts for players to wear during pre-game warm-ups that read “Love for Damar”, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the field and No. 3 patches for Bills players.
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