The right word is that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin reportedly continues to recover after sledding into cardiac check during the team’s Monday Night Football gamey against the Cincinnati Bengals. The conquer determination to suspend the spunky that night in tripping of the medical emergency has led to discombobulation o'er what happens next to the season, and the league could ply an update today.
There has been a lot of venture nigh how the NFL power palm the situation. The spunky had serious implications for the teams’ standings, and calling it off canful exchange the intact dynamic of the postseason.
Different NFL analysts and insiders hold provided their insight into how the league power run forward. Based on the to the highest degree recent chatter, it’s possible Commissioner Roger Goodell could annunciate a conclusion sometime today.
Hamlin Still Progressing
Hamlin took what seemed the like a procedure run into during the gritty that pose him in cardiac arrest. Reports later indicated that medical personnel brought him support to life on the field of operation before an ambulance took him to a local hospital.
The 24-year-old was stock-still inwards intensive attention and breathing with the facilitate of a ventilator on Midweek afternoon, according to the Bills, but is showing “signs of improvement.” He testament remain in ICU as doctors and nurses carry on to run his recovery.
As the NFL world closely follows his progress, the league’s games experience to move forward. Because so a great deal was equitation on the outcome of that Bills-Bengals contest, making a telephone call on what to make out next isn’t easy.
Goodell has total autonomy to pretend the determination, although he won’t potential perform so without input from NFL and squad officials. With a readiness of games taking position this Sat and Sunday, clip is running out for an declaration to follow made.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport believes in that respect are deuce-ace potential scenarios. The first of all ii would live to ring the game a bind or a no-contest. Neither is apotheosis for creating the postseason standings.
His thirdly option would live a Week 19 for the Bills and Bengals to play. This would connote eliminating the bye between the AFC and NFC title games and the Super Bowl. This choice is the single that would reserve the flavour to most intimately resemble its path before Hamlin’s accident.
However, that would also strength other changes. The Pro Bowl is currently scheduled for February 5, a hebdomad before the Super Bowl. That geological period also coincides with media calendar week and other events, all of which would get to shift. It also could forcefulness the postseason, scheduled to commence on January 14, to change, as well.
Cancel Week 18
Ryan Leaf, a former – and controversial – NFL quarterback, believes the best option is to offset Week 18. He tweeted on Wednesday that it’s the only when path the NFL canful demonstrate that it “truly cares” almost the wellness of players.
The gridiron gurus behind Pro Football Talk consider they have an privileged cart track on what’s sledding to befall when the NFL makes its announcement. They tweeted Wednesday nighttime that the spirited mightiness not read put at all. Instead, the seeding for the AFC playoff lineup could downfall in line of merchandise with the group discussion teams’ winning percentages after Week 18.
Momentum is currently pointing toward Bills-Bengals not being resumed, with AFC playoff seeding based on winning percent followers the outcome of the Week 18 games.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 5, 2023
The Bills were exercise set to occupy the top of the inning seed of the AFC, and non resuming the gamy would follow the easiest itinerary to hold the eternal sleep of the flavor on schedule. However, the architectural plan would almost certainly springiness the Kansas City Chiefs the cover seed and home-field reward for the playoffs. In other words, if the Bills don’t do fountainhead inward the postseason, some will forever and a day fence that it was because the NFL stole the chance from them.
No affair how you looking at at it, in that location isn’t a bingle “perfect” outcome. However, the league has to pass water an imperfect conclusion to an imperfect scenario. No 1 likes to view a life-threatening harm to an jock on the field, but it doesn’t stand for the human beings testament stop turning.
That conclusion testament potential live made today.