CINCINNATI — The Week 17 sport between the Bengals and Payments has been canceled and won’t proceed, the league introduced Thursday night time.
Monday’s sport was suspended with lower than six minutes left within the first quarter when Buffalo was secure Hamelin’s devastation He went into cardiac arrest after a process. His heartbeat was restored on the sector earlier than he was taken to the College of Cincinnati Medical Middle.
“This has been a really tough week,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in an announcement Thursday. “We proceed to deal with Dahmar Hamelin’s restoration and are inspired by the enhancements in his situation in addition to the great outpouring of assist and take care of Dahmar and his household from throughout the nation. We additionally extremely admire the wonderful work of the medical employees and pay tribute to each one in every of them.”
Medical doctors stated earlier within the day that Hamlin had proven “important enchancment”, together with speaking by way of writing and shifting his palms and toes, although he was nonetheless thought of to be in a essential situation.
In asserting the choice to cancel the sport, the NFL talked about three essential components: the end result would haven’t any impact on groups eligible for the postseason; Enjoying the sport would have modified the fixture schedule for the remaining groups; Not enjoying the sport will enable all golf equipment to know their post-season prospects earlier than the beginning of Week 18.
On the time of the stoppage, the Bengals have been main 7-3. NFL officers confirmed there have been no plans to proceed the sport Monday after Hamlin collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
Buffalo (12-3) entered Week 17 tied with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (now 13-3) for the most effective document within the AFC however held the head-to-head tiebreaker. Cincinnati (11-4) trailed each groups by one sport however would have held a three-way tiebreaker with a win over the Payments. The Bengals, now the AFC Champions, beat the Chiefs in a Week 13 rematch of final 12 months’s AFC Championship sport.
Due to the canceled sport, league homeowners will vote on Friday — with 24 of the 32 required (a three-quarters majority) to approve — on situations authorised by the Competitors Fee on Thursday involving a impartial website for the AFC Championship Recreation. These are based mostly on week 18 outcomes:
• If Buffalo and Kansas Metropolis win or tie, the Payments-Chiefs Championship sport will probably be at a impartial website.
• If Buffalo and Kansas Metropolis lose and Baltimore wins or Baltimore wins, the Payments Chiefs championship sport will probably be at a impartial website.
• If Buffalo and Kansas Metropolis lose and Cincinnati wins, the Payments or Bengals vs.
Potential impartial websites have but to be recognized. Seeds will maintain up all through the playoffs.
If Buffalo and Kansas Metropolis each win this weekend, the 2 leaders will get a bye. If Buffalo wins and Kansas Metropolis loses, the Payments would be the #1 seed and get a bye, and no impartial websites will play.
If the Baltimore Ravens win and are matched up in opposition to Cincinnati in an AFC wild card sport, the spot will probably be determined by a coin flip. If Cincinnati wins or if the 2 groups don’t match up in opposition to one another after a possible Ravens win, common scheduling procedures will go into impact.
Bengals government vice chairman Katie Blackburn sits on the competitors committee, which authorised the situations Thursday. In a memo obtained by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Blackburn urged panelists to vote down the situations. Her reasoning stemmed from altering the bottom timing away from the win percentages customary used on this situation.
“The right course of to alter the foundations takes place within the low season,” Blackburn wrote. “It’s not acceptable to place groups able to vote for one thing that may give rise to bias, favor one group over one other, or have an effect on their standing when the voting takes place instantly previous to the playoffs.”
In his assertion, Goodell stated he understands that “there isn’t a excellent resolution.”
“After we seemed on the soccer schedule, our rules have been to scale back disruptions throughout the league and to scale back inequality within the competitors,” he stated.
Bengals coach Zack Taylor stated Wednesday that the group is making ready to tackle the Ravens because the league mulls the way forward for the Payments-Bengals competitors.
“We’ll let these choices be made amongst those that need to make them,” Taylor stated. “All we have now now could be preparing for Baltimore Metropolis on Sunday.”
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow He stated rescheduling the match can be tough.
“I feel no matter Buffalo needs to do is what we need to do as properly,” Burrow stated Wednesday. “We’re 100% behind them and assist them in no matter they resolve to do shifting ahead.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano contributed to this report.