"Everything is being considered" - NFL executive reveals league banking on Bills-Bengals to go through based on COVID guidelines
Following the Damar Hamlin injury, the Monday night contest between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was postponed. With no real precedent for a situation like this, there's no protocol moving forward.
However, according to Ian Rapoport, an NFL executive believes a different protocol can come into play.
Rapoport tweeted:
"NFL exec Troy Vincent says 'everything is being considered' when it comes to the Bills-Bengals game. 'The guiding principles that took us into the 2020 season with COVID' are there. 'It may not be perfect, but will allow those participating to be able to play.'"
The 2020 season was full of postponements and cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Where that season differed from this situation however is the lateness of the season.
That contest was the final game of Week 17, with just one week left in the regular season. There are no bye weeks to be moved around anymore.
Additionally, this game has major playoff implications, so it's an unfortunate game to have been postponed.
Hamlin is in critical condition and there's no telling how the players are going to feel and if anyone involved is going to want to return to the field after what they witnessed.
The NFL seems poised to, as Vincent said, try everything they can to navigate this game's rescheduling and move forward.
Why was the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals postponed?
The game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, the two teams fighting for the top seed in the AFC, was postponed partly through the first quarter on Monday night.
After a catch by Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackled him and stood back up. He barely took a step before he collapsed onto the field.
Reports said Hamlin required several minutes of CPR before he was resuscitated. He was then taken off the field in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital where he remains.
The players and personnel who remained on the field were totally stunned. Eventually, the NFL called the game and decided to try and navigate through a rescheduling rather than make the players play after a horrific event.