The NFL has decided not to resume Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, according to the Associated Press. The game was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after a tackle in the first quarter.
The news come after doctors announced that Hamlin has made “substantial improvement” in his recovery. The 24-year-old Bills safety is moving his hands and feet, communicating through writing, and appears to have all his neurological function intact, doctors said.
The NFL has yet to make an official announcement about the Bills-Bengals game, a decision that could have a big impact on the AFC playoffs. The game could be declared a tie, or the league could turn to winning percentage, and not records, to determine the AFC’s top playoff seed.
In addition, the NFL Players Association must approve any changes to the schedule and the playoffs.
The Bills entered Monday night’s game in control of their playoff destiny, needing two wins to secure the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1993. If the league turns to winning percentage, the Kansas City Chiefs could secure the top playoff seed with a win on Saturday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bengals were also still alive in the hunt for the AFC’s top seed entering Monday night’s game, needing two wins and a Chiefs loss on Saturday. Depending how the NFL decides seeding, the best the Bengals could be playing for Sunday is the AFC North title.
Here’s the AFC playoff picture heading into Week 18:
1. y — Kansas City Chiefs (13-3, first in AFC West)
2. y — Buffalo Bills (12-3, first in AFC East)
3. x — Cincinnati Bengals (11-4, first in AFC North)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8, first in AFC South)
5. x — Baltimore Ravens (10-5, second in AFC North)
6. x — Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, second in AFC West)
7. New England Patriots (8-8, second in AFC East)
x: clinched playoffs; y: clinched division
In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-8), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8), Tennessee Titans (7-9)
The Titans-Jaguars game will decide the winner of the AFC South. The winner clinches the division and heads to the playoffs, and the loser likely heads home. The Jaguars could also sneak in as a wild card, but would need losses by the Patriots, Dolphins, and Steelers.
The Patriots will enter Week 18 needing just a win against the Bills to secure a wild-card spot. (They could lose and still get in, but would need a lot of help).
The Dolphins still have shot to land the final wild-card spot. A win in Week 18 against the Jets paired with a Bills victory over the Patriots, and the Dolphins would be in the playoffs.
