Bills-Bengals won’t resume this week after Hamlin cardiac arrest. Week 18 schedule unchanged

While the NFL world awaits an update on the status of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the league on Tuesday announced it would not resume the matchup this week. The NFL also said there are currently no changes to its Week 18 schedule, the final week of the regular season before NFL playoffs begin.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all NFL teams, saying that Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle on Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins and “was promptly resuscitated by on-site club physicians and independent medical personnel.”

Hamlin, 24, was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he spent the night in the intensive care unit. The Bills on Tuesday announced he remains there in critical condition.

The highly anticipated, prime-time game matchup was set to have major playoff implications in the AFC, not only for the conference’s No. 1 seed — the Bills, Bengals and Chiefs are all in contention for the top spot, which comes with a first-round bye in the postseason — but for other teams with playoff aspirations.

The Dolphins, who have lost five consecutive games, can obtain the third and final wild-card spot with a win over the New York Jets and a New England Patriots loss to the Bills. Miami is set to host New York at 1 p.m. at the same time Buffalo is scheduled to play New England.

Depending on how the NFL handles the remainder of the Bills-Bengals game, the Chiefs could secure the No. 1 seed on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders with a victory. That could give Buffalo less incentive to play its starters against the Patriots with a first-round bye no longer obtainable.

But as of now, it is unclear how the NFL will move forward with the Bills-Bengals game and its Week 18 schedule.