The NFL is still considering various options following the suspension of the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game, including possibly eliminating the bye week before the Super Bowl.
The Bills-Patriots game is set for Sunday in Buffalo and the rest of the Week 18 games remain on the schedule.
The pivotal Bills-Bengals game was suspended on Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest while making a tackle in the first quarter.
Hamlin’s recovery is moving in “a positive direction,” two days after he had to be resuscitated on the field, his marketing representative said.
The league has not had discussions about postponing the Bills-Patriots game, which has playoff implications.
The AFC East champion Bills (12-3) are vying for the No. 1 seed. The Patriots (8-8) would clinch a wild-card berth with a win.
“Frankly, my concern is to make sure the men have what they need to function, and that’s getting through this day. Tomorrow is going to take care of itself,” league executive Troy Vincent said in a conference call.
“So, from my communications with the club and those players, it’s just been strictly around making sure they’re OK to check in, and being able to access those resources that are available to them.”
The Bills are expected to resume practice on Thursday. The Patriots returned to practice on Wednesday.
NFL executive Jeff Miller said a decision on whether to resume the Bills-Bengals game at a later date will be made in the coming days. The outcome of the game affects the AFC playoff structure because the Bills entered Monday night as the No. 1 seed.
“There’s a lot of considerations in place and a lot of people that we want to consult with, including the clubs involved, before that decision is final,” Miller said.
The Bengals (11-4) have a one-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC North and are also in the mix for the top seed. The Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) surpassed the Bills for the No. seed, pending the result of Buffalo’s game against Cincinnati.
The playoffs are scheduled to begin on January 14. Pushing the start back one week to complete the Bills-Bengals game is among the options.
That would eliminate the bye week between the conference championship games on January 29 and the Super Bowl on February 12.
Other scenarios include playing the Bills-Bengals game and the NFC wild-card games on the same weekend and pushing the start of the AFC playoffs back one week. That would also eliminate the bye week before the Super Bowl.
Not resuming the Bills-Bengals game would be the simplest option from a scheduling standpoint because it wouldn’t require any other changes.
The No. 1 seed and other playoff positions would then be determined by winning percentage.
In that case, the Chiefs would have the inside track on securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
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