A game with playoff implications up next for heavy-hearted Buffalo Bills: What to know

Football certainly seems pretty inconsequential right now given the ongoing situation surrounding the health and well being of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering cardiac arrest during the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Bengals.

The incident occurred with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter and after Hamlin was transported by ambulance to the hospital, the NFL suspended the game which, as far as we know, is an unprecedented event in NFL history. No known game has ever been suspended and then not finished on the same day or night.

After closely monitoring the situation Tuesday morning, the NFL announced in the afternoon that the game would not be resumed this week.

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However, the Week 18 schedule will be played as normal, in its entirety, meaning the Bills will be hosting the New England Patriots Sunday at 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

As for the fate of the Bills-Bengals game, which was to be perhaps the biggest game of the NFL season given the major playoff ramifications for both teams, the NFL is still trying to figure out what to do.

But it now seems that only two options are available, and neither are good. The first, and probably the easiest, would be to cancel it altogether. If that happens, it means both teams will have played only 16 regular-season games, one less than the rest of the league, and the playoff seeds in the AFC would be determined by best winning percentages.

This was a plan the NFL was prepared to implement during the COVID-impacted seasons of 2020 and 2021 when there was a chance that teams would play an uneven amount of games due to outbreaks and resulting scheduling problems. Incredibly, the league found a way to overcome several obstacles and every game was eventually played.

The other would be to push the game all the way to the weekend of Jan. 14-15, which was supposed to be the start of the wild-card round of the playoffs. If the NFL does this, the Bills-Bengals game would be the only one played that weekend, and the playoffs would start a week later.

The NFL can do this because it can eliminate the bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, but there are a whole bunch of logistical problems that would have to be dealt with, not the least of which are the upheaval of the prime-time TV schedule.

While that huge decision is still up in the air, and because the games must go on, the Bills are now confronted with the enormously difficult task of turning their attention to the Patriots for a game that also has major playoff implications, though bigger, actually, for New England.

Bill Belichick’s team, which owned the first two decades of the 21st century by winning 17 AFC East division titles, nine AFC championships and six Super Bowls, is playing for its postseason life.

If the Patriots beat the Bills, they will secure the seventh and final seed in the AFC bracket. But if they lose, the only way they get in is if all three of these things happen: The Dolphins lose to the Jets, the Titans lose to the Jaguars, and the Steelers lose to the Browns.

Buffalo has already clinched the AFC East division title and a playoff berth, but if it hopes to have any chance of securing the No. 1 seed, it has to win the game.

Also, if the Bengals game is eventually canceled, the Bills would need the Chiefs to lose Saturday night against the Raiders to get the top seed.

Here’s an early look ahead to the matchup:

Top players for New England Patriots on offense, defense

▶ QB Mac Jones: He is the very description of mediocre as he has completed 65.2% of his passes, but he has averaged only 6.8 yards per attempt and has a mere 11 TDs compared to eight interceptions. Part of Jones’ problem, of course, is the lack of elite talent around him on offense.

▶ RB Rhamondre Stevenson: When he’s not throwing laterals to cost the Patriots against the Raiders, and fumbling near the goal line to cost the Patriots against the Bengals, Stevenson is a fine player. He’s a powerful runner who has 986 rushing yards (4.8 per attempt) plus he’s a favorite check down option for Jones who has 64 catches for 393 yards.

▶ WR Jakobi Meyers: He is by far the Patriots best outside target as he has 64 catches for 771 yards and five TDs. With a catch percentage of 71.3, Meyers has been a reliable player who has typically made the Patriots’ biggest plays in the pass game.

▶ TE Hunter Henry: He hasn’t been the stud the Patriots thought they were getting when they signed him to a big-money free agent deal in 2021, but he now has 35 catches for 467 yards and two TDs. He can be a red zone problem for the Bills.

▶ DE Matthew Judon: He was leading the NFL in sacks midway through the year and now he has 15.5, but only 2.5 have come in the last six games. Still, he has a team-high 68 pressures and can be a game-changer on the edge.

▶ DE Josh Uche: As teams have done a better job blocking Judon, Uche has become a major threat. He has 50 pressures and 11.5 sacks with 7.5 in the last six games.

▶ LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: He leads the Patriots with 118 tackles and 45 of those were considered stops meaning he was the player that caused the play to fail.

▶ SS Kyle Dugger: He’s one of the most versatile defensive players in the NFL for his ability to play the run and pass, plus his big-play skills. Sunday against Miami he had his third touchdown return of the season, two interceptions and once fumble. He has 72 tackles and has allowed only 139 yards after catch this season.

▶ CB Jonathan Jones: He has allowed only 53.9% of the passes into his coverage area to be completed and leads the team with four interceptions including one which he returned for a touchdown, one of a league-leading seven defensive scores for New England.

What the game means to Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

As stated above, the Patriots have to have it. Win and they’re in, but if they lose, they need a cascading series of events to take place for them to avoid missing the postseason for the second time in three years.

The only thing at stake for the Bills is the chance to get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and that is no small intangible. The Bills have never won a road playoff game under Sean McDermott (0-4), so staying home, while not guaranteeing anything, would certainly be preferred.

Who is favored to win Bills vs Patriots?

The Bills have opened as 7.5-point favorites for the game.

The money line is Bills minus-340 (bet $340 to win $100) and Patriots plus-280 (bet $100 to win $280). The over-under is 42.5.

What time does the Bills vs Patriots game start?

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots game on TV, streaming

Cable/Network: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).

Online streaming services: NFL.com and the NFL mobile app. Also, the NFL has a streaming service called NFL+ which replaces NFL Game Pass, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet. The cost is $5 a month or $30 for the season, and a premium tier costs $10/$80 which includes all-22 coaches film and condensed and full-game replays. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and the Super Bowl. You can also stream if you have subscriptions to DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Patriots game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 228 (Bills) and channel 384 (Patriots). On traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. They include:

Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)Newark (WACK 1420 AM)Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do Bills play next? Heavy-hearted Buffalo preps for Week 18