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The NFL has announced that the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati won't be played following Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on the field on Monday and the subsequent fight for his life in hospital.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed all the clubs of his decision earlier today, after speaking with the Bills, the Bengals and NFL Players Association leadership.
Bills safety Hamlin, 24, is making some progress in his recovery, but remains in the ICU at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, with football fans across the country hoping that he will make a full recovery after his collapse.
With the game not being played, this means there are a number of possible scenarios for the playoffs to be considered, with "inequities" in games played to be considered with the Bills and Bengals looking to continue into the postseason.
Speaking ahead of announcing the league's decision, Goodell said: "This has been a very difficult week. 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."
What Were the Key Factors in Arriving at the Decision?
There were three main factors that drove the decision to not play the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion.
The first was that a result in the game would have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club would qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game.
Secondly, playing the game would mean postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, which in turn would affect all 14 clubs that qualify for postseason play.
The third consideration in making the decision prior to Week 18 meant that it's consistent with the league's competitive principles and enables all clubs to know the playoff possibilities prior to playing the final weekend of regular season games.
How Does the Cancellation Affect the Playoffs and the AFC Championship Game?
There are certain playoff scenarios in which potential competitive inequities would need to be mitigated and a special league meeting will determine what happens in these scenarios.
The league has identified two main elements in which a competitive inequity could happen and the first comes with a number of scenarios for it to come to fruition.
The AFC Championship Game Being Played at a Neutral Site
For the AFC Championship Game to be played at a neutral site it would mean that the participating teams had played an unequal number of games and both could have been the number one seed and hosted the game had all the AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season.
Those circumstances involve Buffalo or Cincinnati qualifying for the game as a road team and here are the scenarios.
- Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.
- Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties – a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.
- Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins – a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.
What Happens If Baltimore Ravens Defeat Bengals in Week 18?
This is where it could get a little complicated, so this might be a bit of a mind-blowing situation. If the Ravens defeat the Bengals in Week 18, they will have defeated the Bengals, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because the Bengals will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.
If the Ravens beats the Bengals and those two clubs are schedule to play a Wild Card game against one another, the site for that game would be determined by a coin toss.
If the Bengals wins the Week 18 game or if the two teams aren't scheduled to play one another in the Wild Card round, the game sites would be determined by the regular scheduling procedures.
Speaking about the complex situation created by the cancellation, Goodell said: "As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities.
"I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances."
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