Bills-Bengals game will not resume as NFL decides not to reschedule game

ORCHARD PARK – The NFL decided on Thursday afternoon that the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will not resume, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The report cites two people familiar with the decision who 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.

It was clear that it was going to be a logistical nightmare to try to wedge the resumption of the game – which ended with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter when Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest – into the schedule with the regular season ending Sunday.

The league is known to have gone through several permutations of what could have been done, but in the end, the most prudent choice was to wipe it from the slate.

Now, the league must decide how to proceed with the playoff seeding for the teams in the AFC because the Bills and Bengals will have played one fewer game than the other 30 teams.

Again, several options are available, but what will certainly happen is that winning percentage will have to be the determining factor in whatever format the league decides.

This is a breaking story and will be updated soon.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal’s new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills-Bengals game will not resume, report says