The Bills no longer control their playoff destiny after the NFL declared their Week 17 matchup vs. Bengals will not be resumed.
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The Bills no longer control their playoff destiny after the NFL declared their Week 17 matchup vs. Bengals will not be resumed.
The NFL released a statement on Thursday, January 5 that announced the Buffalo Bills (12-3) Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals would “not be resumed and has been canceled.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the league memo, “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.”
Ahead of Week 17, the Bills sat in first place atop the AFC while the Bengals were right on their heels in third place just behind the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Bills-Bengals matchup declared a no-contest, the Bills no longer control their destiny. The only path for the Bills to retain the No.1 seed in the AFC is to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 8, and hope the Chiefs lose to the Las Vegas Raiders.
If the Bills lose to the Patriots, and the Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, Buffalo will fall to the No. 3 seed. In any other combo, the Bills finish with the No. 2 seed.
From our breaking news segment on @NFLNetwork: Want to learn about the NFL’s latest decision on how to handle the playoffs given the #Bills–#Bengals cancellation? Buckle up. Here is what went into it… pic.twitter.com/u3bxiLwWRB
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2023
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The league memo stated that rescheduling the Bills-Bengals matchup “would require postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, thereby affecting all 14 clubs that qualify for postseason play.” Goodell acknowledged that deciding not to resume the game isn’t completely fair, but will affect the least amount of teams heading into the playoffs.
