NFL says Bills at Bengals game can't be rescheduled this week. The NFL says Week 18 goes on as planned. The next week is The Play-Offs. So what the NFL is going to have to accept and announce is that the Bills at Bengals game can not be resumed. The right thing to do is call it a No Contest. This way casinos and such have to give the money back on bets, do not call it a Tie Game that lets casinos work the point spread. Do not call it a Tie game and keep the fans ticket money. Calling it a No Contest means Bills have won AFC East and Bengals have won AFC North. Week 18 and the next week Play-Offs do not make room for this Bills at Bengals game. Just cancel it and call it a No Contest and Fans and Betters get their money back.

On Ravens at Bengals, If NFL agrees that Bengals have won AFC North, but can not get AFC top seed Bye Week. IF that is the what happens, then I'm all for benching Burrow, Higgins, Chase, Hurst, Mixon against Ravens as Bengals benched these type players against Browns end of 2021 season. It helped the Bengals go into play-offs healthy and go to Super Bowl. Burrow will take plenty of hits in the play-offs as last year, so save him for play-offs. Chase, Hurst, Higgins, Mixon have all missed games due to injury this season, so save them for play-offs.

Plus because of awful injury in Bills at Bengals game, neither Bills or Bengals players are going to be mentally ready for Week 18, which NFL says goes on as normal. One more reason to not play Burrow and key players with Play-Offs scheduled for the next week, something The NFL can not change. This way the Ravens game really doesn't matter. Let Bengals and Bills have some time to deal with this and they can do that already in play-offs. These players should be in a better mental place over this going into Play-Offs the week after Ravens.

Now if NFL say they will resume game, that changes things. I don't see how NFL can. NFL says it won't be resumed this week. NFL says week 18 goes on as normal. NFL has Play-Offs the next week. Unless NFL owns a Time Machine, there is no Time to play the majority of the Bills at Bengals not played. If Bengals and Bills win in play-offs, they might meet again anyway.

So I'm al for benching Burrow Sunday, and others, if NFL says Bengals have already won AFC North due to Bills game unable to be finished before Play-Offs. Ravens have 2 more loses with one week to go. Their loss to Steelers is Ravens fault.

Prayers for this Bills player and Family. But also why risk injury to Burrow and other key players if Bengals have won AFC North and can not get the top seed bye week now. Ravens game is a game too easy to get key players injured in. Bengals need Burrow and Company healthy to have a chance in Play-Offs as like last year.

All that aside. Prayers to Damar Hamlin and Family.

I agree. The time for action is now. Enough of this chicken ish kicking the can down the road. The Bengals, Ravens, Pats (and others) deserve to know what they’re playing for in the last week of the season so that they can prepare properly. The “no contest” designation does seem to address the gambling side of things, but it does potentially screw the Ravens and maybe other teams as well.

(01-04-2023, 05:37 AM)kevin Wrote: ****

Play-Offs do not make room for this Bills at Bengals game.  ***** Play-Offs scheduled for the next week, something The NFL can not change.   **** 

Now if NFL say they will resume game, that changes things. I don't see how NFL can. NFL says it won't be resumed this week.  NFL says week 18 goes on as normal.  NFL has Play-Offs the next week.  Unless NFL owns a Time Machine, there is no Time to play the majority of the Bills at Bengals not played.  

***

There's a fallacy in these statements, Kevin. By the NFL's own rules, which were regurgitated in another thread, the dates for the playoffs can be moved. And Boomer Esiason himself recommended moving the playoffs. After all, at this point, the date and times and locales for the playoffs are not set. No one is certain at what stadium on what date and time a playoff game will take place at this time.

At this point, the NFL has listed the Bengals-Bills game as a "postponement," which means it will be played. What the NFL needs to do is show leadership and tell us whether or not the game actually will take place. Without that knowledge, one has no idea whether or not to rest their players. If the game does not take place, then certainly the Ravens gain nothing by playing their players.

One cannot make decisions without the NFL giving some certainty on whether or not the playoffs will be moved and the Bills-Bengals game will be concluded. It seems like they have their heads stuck in the sand right now. 

But because the NFL still labels the game a postponement, and because their rules actually call for the game to be concluded (although the commissioner can overrule), and because major figures are calling for the playoffs to be delayed and the Bills-Bengals game played next week, then I think teams at this point have to assume the game will be concluded. 

The problem with pushing everything back is that you're effectively giving every other playoff team a bye week. And if the Bills held onto the #1 seed, they'd still get one too. So only the Bengals get shafted in that scenario.

I'll live with whatever is decided. Someone is going to get the short end. No avoiding it.

(01-04-2023, 09:19 AM)Big Boss Wrote: The problem with pushing everything back is that you're effectively giving every other playoff team a bye week.  And if the Bills held onto the #1 seed, they'd still get one too.  So only the Bengals get shafted in that scenario.

Tbf, we essentially got a bye week this week. I am wondering if the game is replayed and say Sam Hubbard is healthy, can he play in it? If we lose someone to injury in the Ravens game, then they couldn't play in the Bills game. So I'd think a now healthy player should be able to play, correct?

(01-04-2023, 09:19 AM)Big Boss Wrote: The problem with pushing everything back is that you're effectively giving every other playoff team a bye week.  And if the Bills held onto the #1 seed, they'd still get one too.  So only the Bengals get shafted in that scenario.

I'd rather give the other teams an extra bye than basically relinquish a very good possibility of grabbing the 1 or 2 seed.  Seeding in this AFC playoff in particular is going to be a major advantage with Bengals, Bills, and Chiefs being a clear upper crust of the conference. Getting the one seed means you avoid having to play both of the other two. The three seed will conceivably have to go on the road to both of the other two places in back to back weeks.  

I say do whatever we need to do to avoid that.  

(01-04-2023, 01:14 PM)GAWhoDey Wrote: I'd rather give the other teams an extra bye than basically relinquish a very good possibility of grabbing the 1 or 2 seed.  Seeding in this AFC playoff in particular is going to be a major advantage with Bengals, Bills, and Chiefs being a clear upper crust of the conference. Getting the one seed means you avoid having to play both of the other two. The three seed will conceivably have to go on the road to both of the other two places in back to back weeks.  

I say do whatever we need to do to avoid that.  

We kind of got a bye last week… physically anyway.

The rules state the game must be played. My guess is to alter that rule, then league owns as well as the NFLPA would have to agree on not playing it.

I think the league should do as Boomer said, cancel all games in week 18, then have Bengals?Bills resume play a 6 p.m. on Monday January 9. Then. all week 18 games be played the weekend of January 14th and 15th.

Playoffs weeks would be moved back one week, Super Bowl would just have one week after playoffs determine 2 winners.

(01-04-2023, 01:23 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: The rules state the game must be played. My guess is to alter that rule, then league owns as well as the NFLPA would have to agree on not playing it.

I think the league should do as Boomer said, cancel all games in week 18, then have Bengals?Bills resume play a 6 p.m. on Monday January 9. Then. all week 18 games be played the weekend of January 14th and 15th.

Playoffs weeks would be moved back one week, Super Bowl would just have one week after playoffs determine 2 winners.

They might do this but this is not as easy as it seems.
The logistics of a plan like this is probably what’s delaying an announcement. This would mean rescheduling people that work at the stadiums, the tv/media crews and thousands more across 16 cities. Not to mention many other things I haven’t thought of that will affect all of these cities, stadiums and people.

A pretty big endeavor. It will be interesting to see what they decide.

Do we know if the Bengals are out practicing today? Are they going to be mentally ready and wanting to play the Ravens on Sunday? Not something that is easy to move on from.

(01-04-2023, 02:35 PM)brian5562 Wrote: Do we know if the Bengals are out practicing today? Are they going to be mentally ready and wanting to play the Ravens on Sunday? Not something that is easy to move on from.

Wasn't sure where to post this, but it follows on from your post.

The Bills are having a walkthrough practice and team meetings today. Obvious it won't be proper practice, but that signals to me that they'll intend to play Sunday. By association, you'd assume the Bengals will be doing similar. I wonder if it'll be a case of just getting the team together and seeing where they're at/which guys can go Sunday.

A no contest prevents Cincy from having the #2 seed.

Adding a week 19 gives our playoff opponent 2 weeks to get healthy and prepare for us. Not to mention all of the liability the league would face with contractual obligations Pro Bowl week.

If the NFL is waiting to see the results from this weekend I could see the random generator being the method utilized to deal with seeding issues with the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs. No extra week and no additional injuries.

(01-04-2023, 02:35 PM)brian5562 Wrote: Do we know if the Bengals are out practicing today? Are they going to be mentally ready and wanting to play the Ravens on Sunday? Not something that is easy to move on from.

The Bills are practicing today, the Bengals will be fine.

(01-04-2023, 08:37 AM)Nepa Wrote: One cannot make decisions without the NFL giving some certainty on whether or not the playoffs will be moved and the Bills-Bengals game will be concluded. It seems like they have their heads stuck in the sand right now. 

I think the NFL is hoping there will be good news with Hamlin. Before the end of the day on Friday. He will wake up, or there will be very positive signs. 

Then the NFL can discuss the Bills/Bengals game without looking as disrespectful or awful.

(01-04-2023, 03:59 PM)Bbeagle Wrote: I think the NFL is hoping there will be good news with Hamlin. Before the end of the day on Friday. He will wake up, or there will be very positive signs. 

Then the NFL can discuss the Bills/Bengals game without looking as disrespectful or awful.

This is what I don't get.  Why is it disrespectful to carry on with business that needs attended to and at the same time hoping and praying Hamlin is ok?  Putting off business decisions for a multi billion dollar industry based on a single players health is crazy to me.

(01-04-2023, 02:39 PM)casear2727 Wrote: A no contest prevents Cincy from having the #2 seed.

Adding a week 19 gives our playoff opponent 2 weeks to get healthy and prepare for us. Not to mention all of the liability the league would face with contractual obligations Pro Bowl week.  

If the NFL is waiting to see the results from this weekend I could see the random generator being the method utilized to deal with seeding issues with the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs.  No extra week and no additional injuries.

I'm pretty sure if a "No Contest" is the decision, we beat Baltimore, and New England beats Buffalo then we can get #2 based on the 5th tiebreaker rule of Strenght of Victory.   

I agree, adding a week 19 doesn't make sense either; it puts both Buffalo and Cincy at a disadvantage going forward.

(01-04-2023, 05:02 PM)Mickeypoo Wrote: This is what I don't get.  Why is it disrespectful to carry on with business that needs attended to and at the same time hoping and praying Hamlin is ok?  Putting off business decisions for a multi billion dollar industry based on a single players health is crazy to me.

It is crazy!!!

They are worried about PR backlash, which I guess could be BFB(Bad For Business).

Game Sunday is now officially at 1pm on CBS.

Baltimore game at 1.

Scheduling tells me the AFC N has been decided already along with the top seeds. They’re not putting a 1pm game with high stakes there.

No contest it is.