The show won’t go on this week. It can’t. And no one knows yet when, or if, it will.
The NFL determined Tuesday that it will not resume Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals anytime this week in the wake of the Damar Hamlin on-field health emergency.
The league has not made any changes to its Week 18 regular season schedule. So at this time, the plan is to kick off Saturday’s and Sunday’s games as slated.
But there is no certainty about how or when to resume the Bills-Bengals game, if at all, with Hamlin’s life and health as everyone’s number one priority.
“The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date,” the league said in a statement. “We will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a memo sent to all 32 teams, couldn’t slam the door on the potential for more schedule changes while navigating this unprecedented situation.
“We have not announced any changes to this weekend’s schedule,” Goodell wrote to the teams. “We will promptly advise all clubs of any decisions that are made regarding these matters.”
Goodell informed the Bills and Bengals directly of the decision to further delay the game after conferring with both teams and the NFL Players’ Association.
“I decided to postpone last night’s game and have our focus remain on Damar and his family,” Goodell wrote in the memo. “We are in regular contact with both clubs and with the medical team caring for Damar and will share additional information as we receive it.”
Teams adjusted schedules Tuesday out of sensitivity for Hamlin’s grave condition.
The Kansas City Chiefs postponed their scheduled media availability of coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“Out of respect for Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills organization we are canceling today’s media availability,” the Chiefs said in a statement, according to Arrowhead Pride.
The New England Patriots canceled Tuesday’s availability for assistant coaches Cam Achord, Ross Douglas and Jerod Mayo, per ESPN.
Teams still have to prepare for this weekend’s games as of this moment. So the Chiefs practiced.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he has known the Pittsburgh-area native Hamlin, 24, “since he was about 12,” spoke publicly about the “honor” of knowing a young man he admires, then tried to turn the focus to football.
“Anybody got any questions regarding this week’s matchup?” the Pittsburgh coach said.
The Giants are planning to practice Wednesday as they always do, after Tuesday’s off day, in preparation for a Sunday game. They are scheduled to visit the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
But nothing felt normal Tuesday.
The Bills announced at 12:23 p.m. that Hamlin remained in the intensive care unit in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
All NFL teams changed their Twitter avatars soon after to a blue icon with Hamlin’s No. 3 jersey number and the text “Pray for Damar.”
Goodell reiterated in his memo to teams that “the NFL continues to be in regular contact with the medical team caring for Damar Hamlin, and also the Bills and Bengals organizations and the NFL Players’ Association.”
The commissioner said every team has received information on mental health and support resources available to players and staff from Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, the NFL’s VP of wellness and clinical services. Additional resources, including on-site services, will be made available for any club that seeks extra assistance.
But nothing feels certain about how the schedule will proceed until Hamlin’s condition is known.
The NFL is in unprecedented territory here.
The most recent major schedule shakeup occurred during the 2020 pandemic-impacted season, when a COVID-19 outbreak caused the Baltimore Ravens to play the Steelers on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, Dec. 8, before taking on the Browns on Monday, Dec. 14.
But there is nothing analogous between that awkward maneuvering to accommodate an unfamiliar situation and Hamlin’s life potentially being at risk this week, not to mention the possible emotional fallout for players and staff of the Bills and Bengals and throughout the league.
The bottom line is that Hamlin’s life and health are all that matters right now. That’s why Goodell and the NFL aren’t playing the Bills-Bengals game this week and why there is no makeup date planned at this point at all.
It’s all about No. 3.
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