NFL Considering Two Options for Bills-Bengals Postponement, per Report

With just one week left in the regular season, the league is left with scarce options for rescheduling the game.

As the sports world continues to pull for a full recovery from Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the NFL remains faced with the task of figuring out viable paths forward for completing its regular season schedule. According to one report, the number of primary options is currently two.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said Wednesday that the NFL is weighing a pair of options for how to handle the postponement of Monday night’s game between Buffalo and Cincinnati.

The first and most likely option is to declare the game a tie or a no contest. The second would send a ripple effect for the entire postseason slate.

“Another option—seemingly a maybe more unlikely option, but an option nonetheless—is to move back the playoffs, play this game in Week 19, eliminate the bye between the championship games and the Super Bowl, and move on from there,” Rapoport said. “Those are the kinds of things the league is discussing. I would expect some sort of announcement at some point soon.”

From @NFLTotalAccess: Recapping the NFL's conference call on Damar Hamlin, how appreciative league officials were of the medical professionals and what's next for the #Bills-#Bengals game. pic.twitter.com/Zq02BbP0XA

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2023

As SI‘s Albert Breer noted in his Wednesday mailbag, option No. 2 would present a whole host of hurdles to clear, primarily the fact that every playoff team besides the Bills and Bengals would essentially receive a bye before starting the postseason, putting Buffalo and Cincinnati at a disadvantage. Option No. 1 would benefit the Chiefs by giving control of securing the No. 1 seed, an advantage that was previously held by the Bills.