‘Time to leave it behind’: NFL unlikely to re-play Bengals-Bills’ game

According to ESPN sports writer Adam Schefter, NFL is unlikely to resume the Cincinnati Bengals vs Buffalo Bills game, which was suspended after Buffalo’s safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.

“I don’t think they’re going to replay that Bills-Bengals game from Monday night,” Schefter said. “The game is bad mojo, it’s time to leave it behind and move forward, not back.”

Hamlin suddenly collapsed in the first quarter of the game on Monday night. He had to be resuscitated and then transferred to a local hospital. The NFL decided to suspend the game after a discussion with Buffalo and Cincinnati’s head coaches, Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor.

With the low possibility of replaying the Bengals-Bills game, the league is currently reviewing several options. The NFL has reportedly discussed holding the AFC Championship game in a neutral stadium if the event involves teams affected by Monday night’s abandonment because they do not have a similar number of games played.

Buffalo and Cincinnati are contenders for the Super Bowl, holding 12-3 and 11-4 records, respectively. Schefter said the NFL had to ensure that all parties involved would receive fair treatment.

The Comeback

2023-01-05 16:23

Adam Schefter believes the NFL will not look to resume the Bengals vs. Bill game and that league is working towards either a potential neutral site AFC Championship game or 1 seed choosing between getting having a bye or home field with 2 seed getting whatever not picked. https://t.co/MKnRLcRGNQ

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NFL’s options

The league has also considered another choice, which is presenting the number one seed with a home-field advantage or a “bye.” Meanwhile, the number two seed gets whatever the number one does not choose. In this situation, the NFL should “call the Bengals-Bills game a tie.”

Profootballtalk.com analyst Mike Florio said the league could also declare Monday night’s game as a no-contest, meaning that the NFL could eliminate it from the regular season schedule.

Florio added that the league could possibly add another seed for the playoff. Instead of using the usual method of overall won-lost-tied record to determine the seeding, Florio suggested the winning percentage method.

The Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday at Paycor Stadium. On the same day, Buffalo will face the New England Patriots at home. These games are both teams’ last performance in the regular season before the playoffs.