SCBills

I don’t care what award he gets, but there needs to be some recognition for him .. even if it’s just from the fanbase. The level of respect and admiration I have for him and how he leads could not be any higher.

NFL players chose the profession they are in and are compensated far better than most emergency workers and armed forces. What happened was incredibly traumatic, but every other team is going out there and playing. Dawson Knox had to come back and play after his brother died. Life doesn’t just stop. At a certain point, if you don’t push forward, you simply let the event consume you, and that isn’t healthy. Nor would it be fair to the rest of the league. ..the rest of the players who were also faced with their own mortality that night, albeit not to the extent of the Bengals and especially Bills. I won’t criticize anyone who doesn’t play. But this is their job. They don’t need to do this job. They can find another profession if this is no longer what they are willing to risk. The Bills should 100% be forced to forfeit if they don’t play. And that’s their decision. I can tell you that that decision would start to chip away at some of the good will. People stop feeling sorry for people who come across and being unwilling to not feel sorry for themselves… especially when it affects others who take the same risks. It sounds callous.. but it’s life. And I’m supportive of anyone who can’t play and/or wants to find a new line of work. But this is the job… The right decision was made Monday Night.. but they have to move forward now.

Monday absolutely should not have been played. If anyone believes that, they need to take a step back. Bills should play Sunday. Maybe it’s not pretty. Maybe some sit out. But they should play. In my mind, as a competitor, I’m honoring Damar Hamlin by doing so. I get that others have different views, and there’s probably different views on each team (as Burrow even alluded to)… but this is their chosen profession. It doesn’t mean they need to continue in this profession. I wouldn’t judge anyone if they choose to step away from this profession.

New England gets a W. We forfeit and take an L. Probably lose some of the good will around the country.. not that anyone here should care, but I’m just being real about it.

Any player that doesn’t want to play, shouldn’t have to play - I’m sure McDermott and co. would absolutely honor that .. but at a certain point, you have to decide if this is a profession you want to continue moving forward in. The league can’t go on hold for us. It was a freak accident that hopefully will never happen again on a football field for the rest of our lives. Much of the game is mental .. you’ve got to figure out how to move forward, and if you can’t.. what’s the timeline and/or is there one for you? A lot of players have probably asked themselves that question this week.

They can tell them they need to play, but if the teams push back, the NFL better tread lightly. … and even if they do play, the level of potential gamesmanship with potential scenarios in play would be off the charts … wouldn’t be surprised if they said ok, and one (or both) played backups most of the game. It’s the only way to get the game in. It’s also a brutal situation to put these two teams in.

Gross. So if KC wins, Cinci knows they are only playing for seeding and have to play a team coming off a bye the following week. Buffalo has to play knowing if they go all out and lose, they then also play a team coming off a bye the following week. Both teams operating off the knowledge that this game that already puts them at a disadvantage, is against a team they may see again in two weeks.

Week 19 Bengals/Bills AFC Playoff Bye Week …what am I missing? Who’s getting a bye? What are we playing the Bengals for then?

I never took into account the active roster element. You can't keep remnants of the old game if both teams set new rosters... and you have to let teams set new rosters, no? If we play, I'm now thinking it's got to be a new game, 0-0, new active rosters.

Harrison Phillips picked up the dinner tab for Damar Hamlin's family, the Bills training staff and the doctors/nurses at the hospital. Everyone who becomes part of this organization, whether here or moving on elsewhere, just seems to "get it". A testament to the organization, the culture and the type of people they bring in.

Not going to lie … I’ve never once, in my entire life, worried that a hard hit to the chest could kill me. Id venture to guess that 99% of these players never have either .. that mental hurdle of hitting someone & getting hit, is going to take a minute to move past.

All of us guessing how they’ll decide the seeding based on rational conclusions … and the NFL goes with random number generator.

What outcome would that be? If Bills/Bengals win. Chiefs lose and CIN loses out on the shot at a 1 seed. Chiefs win and the Bills lose out on a shot at the 1 seed and the Bengals are relegated to the 3, without their shot at the 2. I think both teams would likely have zero desire to play that game, under those circumstances, but agreed.

Bills & Bengals should absolutely turn down any idea that we need to play Week 19 and the other 12 playoff teams all get a bye. One, or both or us, then have to play a team coming off a bye week … in the WC round of the playoffs. Nah.. that’s absurd.

Great to hear! Sounds like you want to get the O2 down to 40% within the 1st 24 hours from what my medical side of the family has told me.

Not too many people have watched someone die in front of them, be revived, have them then fight for their life … and simultaneously watch an entire group of people that love him cathartically react to what’s going on. By now, almost everyone in the country has watched that play out on television … live television for many of us. That is incredibly raw, heartbreaking and unprecedented. I remember when this happened during the Euro’s but even then, there was word that Eriksen was alert as they left the stadium. Let’s all pray Hamlin is able to follow Eriksen and return to the game he loves.

I was up until 3 am watching coverage of this. Everyone I was with stopped, bowed our heads, and prayed for Damar last night. We all care. We all deal with it differently. You may think we're heartless... fine.. There's a term for people who feel the need to make it known they allegedly care more than others about something.

They should have news on Hamlin by this weekend. Clearly this will affect their preparation, but whatever... much different than having to play a game. That was also something players need time to process. This week, around the team, coaches and support staff should help.

Today would be the worst day in the history of the NFL if the two teams went back onto the field. Something that would haunt the league for years. No matter who decided what, if they played a game last night while a player is still fighting for his life in a medically induced coma the next day, I'm not sure how they come back from that in the eyes of the public.

If the Chiefs lose, yes, absolutely. If the Chiefs win.. I'd say it's a bigger (football) sacrifice for the Bills. Bengals go from 2 to 3 with no ability to beat us at home and flip it. But the Bills are giving up a chance at the 1, which is a much bigger deal.

If the Chiefs lose and then Bills & Bengals win... it gets tough. That's a big ask for Cinci to just accept the 2 seed when they have a game in the balance, at home, up 7-3 with the ball at midfield even if there's a full 3 1/2 quarters to play. If the Chiefs win.. you'd be asking the Bills if they'd rather play for the 1 seed or accept a no contest and head into the playoffs as the 2, with the Bengals having to be willing to take the 3 and then potentially play this game again in Buffalo. At least then, the Bills are making the much larger sacrifice.

True.. So 12 other teams on a bye. Bills/Bengals then having to play knowing that they may both be playing the following week.. against a team coming off a bye week, in the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs.

Not that they would do it for Damar, but if they ever needed more motivation to take down a division rival... it could come from them knowing they may be what stands in the way of the Chiefs being gifted a 1 seed because of one of the most heartbreaking scenes to ever play out on a football field.

Would be shocked if the NFL invokes a Week 19, where 30 teams are on a bye, and after an entire other game has been played, the Bills & Bengals resume in Cincinnati, with 5:58 left in the 1st quarter, Bills down 7-3, Bengals ball at the Bills 48. Shocked. This game is ending in a tie/ no-contest.

My pushback would be that the Bills season-long data would tell you they adjust. For better or worse.. that's the Bills Defense this year.