NFL Makes Official Ruling On Bills-Bengals Game

PublishedJanuary 6, 2023 9:17 AM EST|UpdatedJanuary 6, 2023 9:17 AM EST

The NFL announced late Thursday that the Week 17 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will not be resumed and has officially been canceled.

READ: FAMILY OF BILLS SAFETY DAMAR HAMLIN REMAINS RELEASES STATEMENT FOLLOWING ON-FIELD CARDIAC ARREST

Monday night's primetime game was halted in the first quarter of action when second-year Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went down after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 24-year-old required intensive medical assistance and an ambulance was called out on the field.

Effects From the Bills and Bengals' Canceled Game...

Thursday's announcement means the Bengals are officially AFC North champs.

As relayed by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL never considered adding an eighth playoff team per conference.

The NFL released a complete statement regarding the cancelation, including three scenarios regarding the canceled game's implications on the AFC playoff scenario.

Per the League, the scenarios include:

Scenario 1
Buffalo and Kansas City both win or both tie - a Buffalo vs Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.
Scenario 2
Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Baltimore wins or ties - a Buffalo vs Kansas
City championship game would be at a neutral site.
Scenario 3
Buffalo and Kansas City both lose and Cincinnati wins - a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs
Kansas City championship game would be at a neutral site.
2. If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati in Week 18 it will have defeated Cincinnati, a divisional opponent, twice but will not be able to host a playoff game because Cincinnati will have a higher winning percentage for a 16-game schedule than Baltimore will for a 17-game schedule.
If Baltimore defeats Cincinnati and if 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 Cincinnati wins the Week 18 game or if Baltimore and Cincinnati are not scheduled to play one another in the Wild Card round, the game sites would be determined by the regular scheduling procedures.