Bengals News: Week 17 won't be rescheduled and Damar Hamlin updates

In Bengals news, the NFL has decided not to reschedule the Week 17 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. The announcement from AP came on Thursday afternoon and on Thursday night, the proposed playoff scenarios were revealed and they don't favor the boys from Cincinnati. They can't get the 1-seed now no matter what happens, which is frustrating.

The game not being rescheduled would give the Bengals their second consecutive AFC North title. Had they lost the game on Monday night, their game against the Ravens this weekend would have been for the division but with the game being ruled as a no-contest, there would be no way Baltimore could catch the stripes in the AFC North race.

Also in Bengals news, Damar Hamlin is reportedly showing great improvement. He has been able to hold people's hands and even asked in writing if the Bills won on Monday night. This received a response of "Yes, you won the game of life."

Here's what's trending in Bengals news.

AP sources: NFL will not resume Bills-Bengals game [Rob Maaddi, Associated Press]

This was the initial announcement of the game not being rescheduled. Again, as of this writing, the NFL has not officially confirmed this ruling.

NFL officially declares Bills vs. Bengals a no-contest, reveals AFC title game plan [Chis Roling, Bengals Wire]

"This was the cleanest way to move forward and the one that does the least harm to both teams and others that didn’t even take the field that night. The only other viable options were rescheduling the game on a short turnaround or pushing the entirety of the playoffs back by at least a week. "

- Chris Roling

Roling gives some perspective on things here in this blurb and in the article. This was obviously a tough task for the league and I'm glad I didn't have to be the one making the rules.

Damar Hamlin updates: Buffalo Bills player asked in writing if team won the game, doctors said [USA Today]

"Hamlin’s first comments were to a nurse at his bedside, according to doctors, while his family, friends and members of the Bills organization have remained by his side since he was transported to the medical facility. "

- USA Today

How can you not get emotional hearing this news? Ted Karras said that hearing Hamlin ask if his team won restored his spirit. It did that for a lot of us.

Joe Burrow said that some Bengals had conversations about not playing in Week 18 [Leigh Oleszczak, Stripe Hype]

I included this article that I wrote because it's understandable why players might not be ready to take the field in less than a week after witnessing Hamlin's collapse. Joe Burrow said some members of the team were contempating not suiting up for the Week 18 conclusion against the Ravens. I would not blame any of those players if they opted to sit out this week.