The entire NFL is on hold after Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest

BOSTON -- From the moment that Damar Hamlin went down on the turf in Cincinnati on Monday night, it was evident that this situation was unlike any other.

As such, in the morning after that frightening and still-worrisome event, everything in the NFL is on hold while everyone awaits word and hopes for positive news on the status of the 24-year-old Hamlin.

The scene was obviously shocking, and the situation looked dire. Yet with Hamlin under intense medical care, there's certainly room for hope that Hamlin can and will fully recover. (For those in search of reason for hope for a best-case scenario, Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen underwent a similarly terrifying scenario in 2021, but he returned to the pitch eight months later.)

The game between the Bills and Bengals was obviously important in terms of the AFC playoff seeding, but the word "important" has shifted its meaning since the ambulance came onto the field at Paycor Stadium.

The NFL understandably didn't know what to do in the immediate wake of the incident, but the players and coaches on the field knew that continuing that game was out of the question.

Now, just as understandably, the NFL likely doesn't know how to proceed.

With the Bills flying home to Buffalo, there's no way that the game could be played on Tuesday night, if that were to be deemed appropriate. (Considering how affected Hamlin's teammates were on Monday night, that probably wasn't going to be a possibility under any circumstances.)

And with next weekend approaching fast -- the Bills are supposed to host the Patriots on Sunday, and the Bengals are supposed to host the Ravens on Sunday -- it would not be particularly feasible for this game to be played on Wednesday, either. Presumably, the NFL will plan on this weekend's games being played as scheduled.

Yet if those outcomes leave some uncertainties atop the AFC -- and they surely will, with the Bills vying for the No. 1 seed and the Bengals having a shot at the No. 2 seed -- then it's hard to figure where the league will finagle the Bills-Bengals game into the schedule, with the playoffs set to start a week later.

Obviously, there's a number of complexities at play, and finding a solution won't be easy.

But for now, just like on Monday night, it largely seems immaterial. Until a positive development comes on Hamlin, it's even harder to envision the NFL laying out any plans.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m., Monday: The NFL announced that the Bills and Bengals will not be resumed this week, and that no decision has been made on possible resumption at a later date. For the time being, the league anticipates the Week 18 schedule being played as planned.