The NFL said Thursday it will not restart the Bills-Bengals game that was suspended Monday night after Buffalo linebacker Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field.
The league said some of the factors in its decision included that “not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to the end will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club will qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the result of this game.
Also, the NFL said playing the Bills-Bengals game would require postponing the start of the playoffs by one week, affecting all 14 teams that have qualified for the postseason.
The NFL said its decision creates a “potential competitive disadvantage in certain playoff scenarios.” The league said the clubs on Friday, at a special league meeting, would consider a resolution recommended by the commissioner and approved today by the competition committee.
Hamlin showed what doctors treating him called “remarkable improvement over the last 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the 24-year-old had to be resuscitated on the field.
The Bills-Bengals game had major playoff implications for the AFC. Buffalo (12-3) entered Monday night needing a win to keep the No. 1 seed in the AFC standings. The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) now hold that spot. The Bengals (11-4) had a chance to clinch that top spot with two more wins and a loss to the Chiefs.
The scenarios approved by the competition committee include a potential neutral site for the AFC Championship game. The league is considering several venues, including indoor and outdoor stadiums.
The resolution presented to the clubs for a vote on Friday is as follows:
The AFC Championship match will be played at a neutral venue if the participating teams have played a different number of matches and both could have been seeded No. 1 and hosted the match if all AFC clubs had played a full 17-match regular season.
Those circumstances include Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifying for the game as a road team. If Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie this weekend, the Bills-Chiefs AFC title game will be at a neutral site.
If both Buffalo and Kansas City lose and Baltimore wins or ties, the Bills-Chies AFC title game will be at a neutral site.
If Buffalo and Kansas City lose and Cincinnati wins, the Bills or Bengals vs. Kansas City in the AFC title game will be a neutral site.
Additionally, if Baltimore beats Cincinnati in Week 18, the Ravens will have two wins over the division-opposing Bengals, but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.
Therefore, if Baltimore beats Cincinnati, and if those two clubs are scheduled to play a wild card game against each other, the site for that game will be determined by a coin toss.
However, if the Bengals win this weekend or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play each other in the wild card round, the game sites will be determined by regular scheduling procedures.
“As we contemplated the football schedule, our principles were to limit disruption to the league and minimize competitive disparities,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential fairness issues created by the difficult but necessary decision not to play the game in these extraordinary circumstances.
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AP sports writer John Vavrow contributed to this report.
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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/robmaaddi
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