The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Week 17 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will not resume this week after being postponed Monday night.
No decision has been made regarding the possibility of resuming the game, according to the league.
The contest began in Cincinnati on Monday before Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field due to a cardiac arrest in the first quarter. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was brought to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
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The NFL initially suspended the game before postponing it less than an hour later and announcing that Hamlin was in critical condition. The Bills departed Cincinnati after midnight and returned to Buffalo.
As part of its announcement, the NFL said it has not made any changes yet to its Week 18 schedule.
Buffalo is set to host the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday for its regular season finale. Cincinnati is scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The time of that game was originally to be determined based on the result of Monday night’s game against the Bills.
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At 12-3, the Bills are a half-game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC. The race for the No. 1 seed could be contingent on whether the Bills-Bengals game resumes. If the Bills only play one more regular season game, they would need to beat the Patriots and have the Chiefs lose to the Raiders to clinch the No. 1 seed. If they resume their game against the Bengals, they could clinch the No. 1 seed if they win out.
The 11-4 Bengals are 1.5 games up on the Ravens in the AFC North with a head-to-head matchup slated for Week 18. If the Bengals’ game against the Bills is canceled entirely, the Ravens would be unable to catch them in the standings. Baltimore, which already clinched a playoff spot, needs two more Cincinnati losses for a chance at the division title.
