Bills Begin Week 18 Patriots Prep; Damar Hamlin Remains in Cincinnati

With Damar Hamlin still heavy on their minds and hearts, the Buffalo Bills are officially moving forward with Week 18 preparation for the New England Patriots.

The Buffalo Bills are officially set to begin Wednesday preparation for Sunday’s Week 18 home matchup with the New England Patriots by holding meetings and a walk-through but will not have media availability, the team announced. 

This comes just two days after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in the field of play in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night, which led to the 24-year-old being rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and a subsequent postponement of the game.

The league announced Tuesday that the Bills-Bengals game - which was suspended before being postponed altogether on Monday - will not be played this week and has no timetable for being rescheduled.

The Bills came away with a 24-10 win over the Pats in Foxboro in the first meeting of the season between the two teams on Dec. 1. Hamlin finished that game with the sixth-most tackles for the Bills (four) and added a pass defense. After a Patriots touchdown in the first quarter, Hamlin helped lead a Buffalo defense that kept New England scoreless for nearly the rest of the game before a field goal from Nick Folk with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter ended the scoring drought.

The Bills (12-3) and Patriots (8-8) are set to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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