The lead-up to the ultimate week of the NFL regular season was clouded by the horrific incident through the last game of Week 17, when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the sphere through the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals.
As Hamlin showed signs of improvement in a Cincinnati hospital, the NFL resolved to finish the regular season as scheduled Saturday and Sunday and start the postseason on time the next weekend.
The cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game led to the approval of a rather modified playoff format, however the playoffs remain otherwise intact and can culminate with Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz.
Here’s what it’s good to know before the postseason kicks off.
