The NFL officially cancelled Bills-Bengals. Here's what that means for the AFC playoffs

In the wake of Damar Hamlin going into cardiac arrest after a routine tackle on Monday night,

no one in their right mind was thinking about the on-field football ramifications.

the NFL has started to slowly look ahead to January’s postseason a few days after the fact.

The big news (again, entirely ancillary to Hamlin’s health) is that the formerly suspended Bills-Bengals ,

The big news (again, entirely ancillary to Hamlin’s health) is that the formerly suspended Bills-Bengals ,

game from Monday is now officially cancelled and will not be resumed,

per a league statement on Thursday night. The league cited that the decision will not affect who will qualify for the playoffs,

nor will anyone be eliminated by the no-contest.

 In addition, having both teams still play would’ve required pushing back the playoff schedule by a week

, something the league didn’t want to do in adherence to “competitive principles” for all 14 participating squads.

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