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wewewawa OP t1_j349h0o wrote

The NFL will not resume the Bills-Bengals game that was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league is still figuring out how to determine playoff seedings and scheduling. The NFL Players Association must approve changes.

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jdmorris1124 t1_j34rkpf wrote

“Adding an eighth playoff team to the field in both conferences and giving the top two teams a first-round bye is perhaps the most intriguing among the many possibilities.”

Agreed.

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dgc1970 t1_j34v1tt wrote

Would this force the Superbowl back another week? I don't follow the NFL but if the Superbowl was pushed back a week what about all the hotel reservations, flights, and vacation days already booked?

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gundamwing32 t1_j359lp4 wrote

Lions fan here. Fans are excited for the prospect of a “win and in” against GB. We needed Seattle to lose along with the win against GB to make the playoffs. I’m personally not a fan of the 8th team…

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snaeper t1_j35kaco wrote

“Adding an eighth playoff team to the field in both conferences and
giving the top two teams a first-round bye is perhaps the most
intriguing among the many possibilities.”

Emphasis added.

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grazza88 t1_j366au5 wrote

Do stats from the game count towards official records?

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retiredhobo t1_j36t378 wrote

they wouldn’t cancel a playoff game.

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DorkSidedStuff t1_j36wscd wrote

Ravens fan here. This could have gone either way but I was really hoping for a Bengals loss here. This would have put us in good position for an AFC North #1 seed takeover, however unlikely because of our injuries.

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keksmuzh t1_j36yyrq wrote

It’s intriguing, but doesn’t that necessitate a 2nd Wild Card round of sorts? They’d either lose the extra week off before the Super Bowl or have to find some other way to massage the schedule.

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imbornwell t1_j370zhe wrote

Give each team a tie and get on with it!!!!

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SOSOBOSO t1_j3764l2 wrote

Hamlin's injury has the largest butterfly effect I've ever seen.

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Hipp013 t1_j377yv1 wrote

Well we also need to consider that every last-minute change the NFL makes needs to also be approved by the NFLPA, and while I obviously can't speak for the PA, I believe they generally disapprove of players playing additional games, because more games = more danger to the players.

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NoremaCg t1_j379h9n wrote

Superbowl was moved after 9/11- Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks earlier in the season, the NFL postponed a week of regular-season games and moved the league's playoff schedule back. As a result, Super Bowl XXXVI was rescheduled from the original date of January 27 to February 3, becoming the first Super Bowl played in February.

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vagaris t1_j37c5lc wrote

For some background, I have a guy in one of my fantasy football leagues who normally does pretty well. Last year he missed the playoffs based on tiebreakers that left him one spot out. So he complained a lot in the off-season and this year he’s been jokingly referring to himself as the champ (the actual champ with has an asterisk in his mind).

He also squeaked into the playoffs and made it to the championship. He needed a miracle to win. But with this game in limbo, it’s impossible to know…

I can’t wait to hear him next year… /s

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intellifone t1_j37cdjg wrote

Why? If there were a plane crash, they’d hold a draft and resume games. Why is this different?

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jarpio t1_j37czt5 wrote

Why not just let the standings be as they are? So the bills and bengals will have played 1 fewer game. You will still be able to figure out who is behind them and ahead of them with half games in the standings.

For the bills they’re only competing with the chiefs for the #1 seed. If they finish 13-3 and the chiefs finished 14-3, then the chiefs get the number 1 seed. It’s not “fair” but neither was Hamlin nearly dying on the field. It’s still the easiest and least complicated way of doing it.

For the bengals they’re 11-4 and the ravens are 10-6. Best the ravens can finish is 11-6. Best the bengals can finish is 12-4, worst they can finish is 11-5. In both cases that is a better record than 11-6. So that division should be a non issue.

Bengals win their division and take the 3 seed, chiefs win their division and number 1 seed with the bye. Bills lock up the 2 seed. Chargers and Ravens take wildcard spots. AFC south is up for grabs and the last wildcard spot is still up for grabs and has nothing to do with the bills or bengals.

I don’t see this being that big of an issue other than the bills holding a tie breaker over the chiefs and being robbed of a chance to claim the #1 seed. I think the best way to deal with that is to tell the Bills, sorry tough luck due to extenuating circumstances.

If it really matters to the bills and bengals so much, give them both a tie.

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inflameswetrust21 t1_j37kmql wrote

Hopefully Damar will regain his health, 🤞. The bengals were up at the time the game ended. So why not declare them the win?

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UndercoverFBIAgent9 t1_j37qgir wrote

It certainly seems respectful enough to the injured player to resume the game later. Stopping the game was the right call, but canceling the remainder seems unusual.

Although it also seems difficult to just “pick up where you left off” in a football game. You could replay the entire game, but that interferes with the teams’ other games. They only play once a week for a reason.

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Head-like-a-carp t1_j3896ul wrote

Ok, what is gained by cancelling the game? Certainly stop the game at an injury and make that the main focus. Once the person is off the field or the stands let the game resume. Stopping the game does nothing to help the health or health outcome. You just manage to screw tens of thousands of paying customers.

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JGoonSquad t1_j3898gl wrote

Who cares? Stop wasting your time and money watching professional sports. Why people are entertained by a bunch of overpaid athletes chasing a ball on a field is beyond me. You have absolutely no control over the outcome so why get emotionally involved? I think that sports are a powerful tool that allows people to channel their anger and frustrations in a safe way that isn't harmful to the system.

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piddydb t1_j38c9hs wrote

Pure logistics. With it being the last week of the season, there’s no time to make it up without messing up the playoff schedule. Plus, in the NFL, all teams play on the same day the last week to all have the same (earned) rest days for the first playoff games, there’d be a lot of flack if Buffalo or Cincinnati got punished playoff wise as a result of the injury.

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tstraw48 t1_j38e8zi wrote

The players just watched one of the teammates or competitors die on the field. They aren’t going to want to play and if you force them too its a bad look all around. Not canceling the game also means they have to make it up be either playing two games this week or postponing the entire playoffs by a week which is a logistical nightmare for everyone and for the two teams that have to play the make up game they will not be as well rested or prepared for their playoff game. If this happened in week 1 there would be time to make it up.

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gundamwing32 t1_j38x1ma wrote

It would be so Lions-esque to get in on a one time exception because a player almost died on the field lol

And then we’d have to hear forever “well it doesn’t really count blah blah”…idk you are right tho…Ill take it.

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Last_Complaint9247 t1_j3a605e wrote

No. This isn’t a Lions team anyone can just circle as a W on the calendar anymore. You guys have a great core and idc what anyone says about Goff, the guy got stiffed in LA and could’ve done the same thing stafford did. As a Bills fan, the lions have my respect as a good team.

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snaeper t1_j3azf4i wrote

In this case though, it wouldn't have been all teams playing more games, it would've been one more team making the playoffs, that otherwise wouldn't have been included.

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