Seventeen

After further review and assuming they don't lose to the Raiders, the Chiefs would get the #1 seed by dropping the Indy game.

Not saying this would happen but what if the #1 seed in the AFC was determined by taking the best 16 games from each team ( can't throw out head to head ), apply the normal tie-break rules including HTH, conference recs and SOS. So all of the Bills & Bengals games would could and KC would lose their worst game (x/c HTH). There is no guarantee that the Bills will be in the right mindset come this Sunday and this would eliminate totally the impact of the Bills-Bengals game. Certainly, I am not thinking clearly here ...

Thanks for your opinion. There are plenty of folks who disagree with you and proposed alternate scheduling so the Bills-Bengals "regular" game can be made up.

Not singling out anyone - there is no good option. There is also no time to fit in another Bills/Bengals game if wild-card weekend is not moved. Like everyone else here, just throwing out options.

If you make the game a tie, the Chiefs would likely have the #1 seed and the Bills/Bengals would be playing wild-card weekend. One could also look on that as punishment by preventing either team from a chance at the #1 seed.

Not sure if this is behind a paywall but the BN had this story today. https://buffalonews.com/news/local/lewiston-natives-heart-stopped-while-playing-college-baseball-hes-making-a-full-recovery/article_f4bd5c12-8baf-11ed-b59c-7fb841b8ca04.html#tracking-source=mp-homepage

Nothing as you already know, but once again this is an unprecedented situation. Frankly, I don't care if the 5 teams get an extra week even if they do practice. Except for the simple fact the Bills have yet to practice this week ...

Sure there is - the NFL tells the 5 teams if they're caught at their facility or practicing elsewhere the 1st week, they forfeit the playoff game.

I'm struggling to understand why this is a big deal with this being an unprecendented situation. Tell the other 5 teams they can't practice at all the 1st week. And selfishly, it gives Micah Hyde possibly another week to return.

Thanks - Kaplan's tweet said "69 well characterized cases in youth sports" - guess I should have read the study. In any event, we still don't know if Hamlin suffered from commotio cordis.

Maybe, all depends on updates to Damar's condition over the next 24 hours. If they get an update he's off the ventilator and awake, likely they practice Thursday thru Saturday and are ready for the game. No idea how the secondary would look other than Rhodes could be added to the 53. Patriots passing game is not exactly scary so we should be OK.

No, she specifically mentions a study on youth sports where 7 of 69 survived. Most of those kids likely didn't get the immediate attention that Damar did.

Same - he just looks slow at this point in his recovery.

Nope not wrong - I'm assuming the 19th week would be the current wild-card weekend and everything moved a week out x/c for the SB.

LFG Jarrett Stidham !!!

You've also got airline reservations, hotel rooms, rental cars and a loss of a week's revenue to the Phoenix/Glendale area if you chop a week off between the conference champs and the SB. Should the NFL step up ? You bet ... Will they ? Who knows ?

Agreed - I posted the same solution a few pages back. The counter was the sponsor activities that go on 1st week leading up to the Super Bowl.

The league might be best served by waiting on the results from this weekend's games before deciding if/when to resched the Bills/Bengals.

You make a good point - unfortunately, there is no easy answer. Calling it a no-contest or a tie pretty much gives the #1 seed to the Chiefs.

In effect yes, but given the special circumstances I don't see a lot of choices. If the Bills or Bengals end up with the #1 seed, they would get the next week off. So schedule wise ... Bills-Bengals - Jan 14-15 (resume game where it left off) Wild card - Jan 21-22 Divisional - Jan 28-29 Conference champs - Feb 4-5 Super Bowl - Feb 12

I don't see this as likely when the NFL has an extra week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Just cancel the Pro Bowl, move everything back a week and work with the facilities if there are conflicting events. Bills/Bengals weekend of 1/16.

Not our player, but Richard Zednik as well

From all reports, this is true. Praying for no brain damage.

Jay Bouwmeester as well