What does no contest mean in football? | NFL, Explained for Beginners

The NFL Week 18 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals has been declared a no-contest by the NFL front office. This comes after the game was halted in the first quarter following the cardiac arrest suffered by Damar Hamlin. The game was initially paused, but due to the exceptional scenario on the ground, the game was abandoned by both sides. Following numerous meetings and online speculation, the game was eventually declared a no-contest.

This is a unique situation, and it is worthy of note that it has never occurred in modern NFL history.Let'ss take a deep dive and analyze the no-contest in football today.

What does the no contest in the Bills vs. Bengals matchup mean for the NFL?

The AFC's number one seed could be impacted by the resolution of the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals match. With the Buffalo Bills being in contention to wrestle the number one seed away from the Chiefs, the league's competition committee and its commissioner Roger Goodell drew up several situations for owners to iron out merits that could result from the no-contest.

Those scenarios:

Scenario 1: Buffalo and Kansas City both win or tie in Week 18 — a Buffalo vs. Kansas City AFC championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 2: Buffalo and Kansas City both lose in Week 18, and Baltimore wins, or ties — a Buffalo vs. Kansas City AFC championship game would be at a neutral site.

Scenario 3: Buffalo and Kansas City both lose, and Cincinnati wins — a Buffalo or Cincinnati vs. Kansas City AFC championship game would be at a neutral site.

The above scenarios serve as the fairest way to mitigate an unfortunate scenario. The league will soon communicate its decision to the general public, and hopefully, it will be favourable for all affected parties.

How is Damar Hamlin doing?

Damar Hamlin was rushed to a Cincinnati hospital immediately after his cardiac arrest on the field. Hamlin's family has been doing a great job updating the public on his condition, and we have seen some positive news in the past few hours.

News reaching the world says Hamlin is awake now and slowly communicating with his loved ones. Doctors say that he is improving at a rapid rate, and there is hope that he will make a full recovery. We will keep you posted as more news gets posted.