Following the cardiac arrest of Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, the NFL makes a decision. The game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals will not be made up. With far-reaching consequences for the playoffs.

The decision has been made! The game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, which was cancelled on Monday night after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, will not be continued. This was announced by the league in a statement.

The 32 NFL team owners have now voted on the proposed scenarios and possible changes to the playoffs and given the green light. 25 of 32 team owners approved the proposal, with a minimum of 24 votes needed. The scenarios for the upcoming playoffs are as follows:

What are the scenarios? What is the next scenario?

Depending on the results in Week 18, then:

– If the Bills and Chiefs each win or tie, a possible Bills-Chiefs Championship Game will be played on neutral ground

– If the Bills and Chiefs lose and Baltimore wins or ties, (against the Bengals) a Bills or Bengals vs. Chiefs Championship Game will also be played on neutral ground.

– If the Bills and Chiefs lose and the Bengals win, a Bills or Bengals vs. Chiefs Championship Game will be played on neutral ground as well.

A neutral AFC Championship Game site now is possible, per the NFL: pic.twitter.com/5gmd0drq7q

– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2023

Where this neutral venue could be is currently unclear. However, the AFC’s current seedings will remain the same for the final week of the Regular Season. That means:

– If the Bills and Chiefs win this weekend, the Chiefs will have a bye week in the Wild Card Round.

– If the Bills win and the Chiefs lose, the Bills are the No. 1 seed and can enjoy a bye week without a neutral site coming into play.

– If the Baltimore Ravens win in Week 18 and have to face the Bengals again in the AFC Wild Card Game, the venue will be determined by a coin flip.

– If the Bengals win or the two teams don’t have to face each other a week later after a potential Ravens win in Week 18, the league’s regular scheduling procedure will apply.

“This has been a very difficult week,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We remain focused on Damar Hamlin’s recovery and are encouraged by the improvement in his condition and the tremendous support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also very grateful for the great work of the medical staff and express our appreciation to each and every one of them. “

Bills at Bengals will not be made up

The NFL justified the decision to finally cancel the game with three important factors. Firstly, the result would have had no influence on which teams qualify for the playoffs in the AFC. Also, hosting the game would change the playoff schedule for the remaining teams, and not hosting it would allow all teams to know their postseason options before the start of Week 18.

The Bills and Bengals have thus played one fewer game than the remaining teams in the best football league in the world. What does this mean for the playoffs?

The Bills were tied in points with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, who now have one more win under their belt. Buffalo would have previously won the head-to-head tiebreaker, however. The Bengals, on the other hand, were one win behind the other two teams, but would have had the three-way tiebreaker in their favour with a win against the Bills.

Who do each team play this weekend?

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. The Buffalo Bills play the New England Patriots on Sunday evening. At the same time it comes to the duel between Bengals and Ravens.