Bills-Bengals Week 17 clash will not resume, reports say
Jan 5, 2023, 6:37 PM
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JANUARY 02: Buffalo Bills players huddle and pray after teammate Damar Hamlin #3 collapsed on the field after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Almost 72 hours since Monday Night Football, the NFL has come to the decision that the Bills-Bengals game will not resume.
Week 17’s clash between Buffalo and Cincinnati has been cancelled, per the National Football League Thursday. The game will be considered a no contest for both sides, as playoff seeding will be determined on winning percentage for all AFC teams. Both teams will resume play for Week 18 this weekend.
Additionally, the AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if both participating teams played an unequal number of games and both could have been the one seed.
“This has been a very difficult week,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the league statement Thursday night. “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.”
There are many moving parts and scenarios in play for the NFL, but the bottom line is that the Week 17’s Monday Night Football matchup will be scratched from the record books altogether.
The NFL’s full release on everything related to the #Bills–#Bengals game and all that could happen pic.twitter.com/EVk8KBnjol
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2023
Monday Night’s contest was halted in the first quarter after Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed to the field following a tackle on Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field, via AED machines and CPR, before he was taken off the field in an ambulance. He was then transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for ongoing care.
Since then, Hamlin’s condition has significantly improved since he went into cardiac arrest. Awaking for the first time overnight Wednesday, he has shown that his neurological condition is intact and has been gripping hands of bystanders in the ICU.
“We would like to share that there has been substantial improvement over the past 24 hours,” the UC Medical Center said in a statement, via the Buffalo Bills. “As of this morning, he is beginning to awaken and it appears this his neurological condition and function is intact.”
“He continues to be critically ill….He still has significant progress he needs to make. But this marks a really good turning point in his ongoing care.”
Absolutely amazing!! Damar Hamlin was able to communicate by writing and asked doctors, “Did we win?”
They told him, “Yes, you won the game of life.”
Keep those prayers coming.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) January 5, 2023
Still with a breathing tube down his throat to support his lungs, Hamlin has been communicating through writing with his family and medical personnel. His first question upon awaking: “Did we win?”
“Our response was: ‘Damar, you won. You won life’,” his doctors said during a Zoom press conference. “It’s not just that the lights are on. He’s home. It appears all the cylinders are firing in his brain..The best outcome is back to who he was before this all happened.”
