Sometimes being a Fan just Sux

When your team is playing for big stakes and something catastrophic occurs and it's beyond your - or anyone's - control, it falls under SHIT HAPPENS!
Such is the case for the Bengals and their fans. A player literally died on their field during a game. NO ONE in a reasonable state of mind really wanted that game to be resumed, there's just too.much emotion and baggage involved. IN FACT, any Bills/Bengals game in the foreseeable future will be colored by this event.
There's not one workaround that doesn't penalize the Bengals and/or its fans in some way.
WORSE, it MAY end up benefitting the Ravens. Even more.. Buffalo will now be the sentimental favorite of EVERY casual fan to "win the SuperBowl for Damar!"

It's the reality of life. There's nothing to be done for it.

 

I had thought one solution would be to finish the Buffalo/Bengals game January 15 - what would be the first weekend of the playoffs. Then the playoffs would all move back a week and there would be no week break between the Conference finals and the Super Bowl. That seemed to be the most fair option to me, but I'm not sure if it was ever considered. Instead they've just decided to cancel the game and deal with the home field advantage bridge when (and if) they get to it.

Thank goodness Hamlin seems to be making a good recovery. Whatever happens with the game, that is the best news of all.

 

Mr.Fog, I think a lot of the neutrals will be rooting for Cincinnati. The fans showed class in the stadium that night, showed humanity at the hospital, helped kick off Damar’s GoFundMe page (he was asking $2500 for a toy drive, it over ‘$8 million as of now). In extraordinary circumstances there isn’t a ‘right’ answer on the course of action.

@MicahMan I heard that the league did discuss that scenario of pushing back the playoffs a week, but not sure why they decided against it. My guess is it would give all teams a bye week (except for the Bills and Bengals) and giving the 2 teams most affected another disadvantage.