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The entire NFL and sports world was shaken on Monday when Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field due to a rare reaction to a hit involving his heart. He would stay on the field unresponsive for close to an hour before being taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he received life-saving treatment.
Thankfully, things are looking up for Hamlin. He’s not out of the woods yet, but this is encouraging news.
God did🙌🏾 #BillsMafia #DamarHamlinStrong #DamarHamlin pic.twitter.com/21JqTxTddG
— Oni (@oni_thepen) January 5, 2023
Of course, the game between the Bills and Bengals could not be finished Monday, as the teams were understandably not willing to resume playing after watching one of their fellow players possibly die on the football field. And, the game had massive NFL playoff implications. Both teams were in contention for the top overall seed in the AFC and home-field advantage in the AFC. And, the Bengals could have potentially lost AFC North to the Baltimore Ravens with two losses in the final two weeks. Needless to say, it mattered a lot in the playoff picture.
The NFL had to sort out what to do. They have decided not to make the game up, and instead announced protocols for week 18 and playoff seeding.
League officially announces the decision. Scenarios: https://t.co/6ozW3adS50 pic.twitter.com/hZV9oHZ4LR
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 6, 2023
Basically, if any of the Bills, Bengals, and Kansas City Chiefs finish tied for the top seed and play each other in the AFC title game, the game would be played at a neutral site. That is truly unprecedented, as not even during the pandemic were NFL games that are normally played at a home field moved to a neutral site.
But, the NFL had no great solutions here, and this is what they went with.