Bengals News (1/5): Moving forward but not moving on

Joe Burrow, Zac Taylor And Bengals Leadership On Display As They Embrace Damar Hamlin's Fight
They can take solace in the facts that while they are with Bills safety Damar Hamlin as he fights for his life, their head coach is Zac Taylor, his quarterback is Joe Burrow and DJ Reader is his nose tackle. Their humanity dwarfs their numbers and at 11-4 the season after a Super Bowl run, the numbers are pretty good.

Willie Anderson Joins Fellow Bengals Ring Of Honor Legend Ken Riley On 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finals Ballot
Anderson made it to his second straight modern era finals among candidates who have played in the last 25 years. Riley, the 15-year cornerback who has the fifth most interceptions of all-time with 65, is one of three seniors from the category of players retired longer than 25 years. He was named a finalist late last year when he joined Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley and Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko.

Report: 'Momentum Building' For Making Bill-Bengals A No-Contest
"Current momentum is pointing toward not resuming the Bills-Bengals game, and declaring it a no-contest," Mike Florio wrote. "Playoff seeding then would be determined based on the outcome of the Week 18 games."

How Will the Suspended Bills-Bengals Game Be Resolved?
The N.F.L. has a number of options, none of them perfect, for how to handle competition for the last week of the regular season and the playoffs.

NFL playoff picture ramifications of suspended Bills-Bengals game
And while Hamlin's health is paramount, at some point decisions must be made regarding the schedule – specifically as it pertains to the uncompleted Bills-Bengals game. The league announced Tuesday that the "game will not be resumed this week," but stopped short of canceling it while also signaling Week 18's schedule would move forward as planned.

Bills vs. Bengals Game Schedule? Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow Casts His Vote for Buffalo
Says the Bengals' Joe Burrow on the Bills schedule in the wake of the Damar Hamlin injury: “Whatever Buffalo would want to do would be what we would want to do as well. We’re behind them 100 percent and support them in whatever they would decide to do going forward.”

Joe Burrow: Bengals quarterback says team has 'mixed' feelings about playing next game
Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field as staff tended to him, the Bills have said, before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Bengals Prepare For Ravens With Damar Hamlin's No. 3 In Mind
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin and his family, his loved ones, his teammates, coaches, the entire Bills organization," is how Taylor opened his first media availability since that night. "We've always had a great deal of respect for them and that's grown much deeper, obviously with what we've all seen transpire. Certainly we're pulling for Damar. Hoping for the most positive outlook and looking forward to him seeing all the support he's getting from his team, his community, and people around the league, his family. That will be a great day when he's able to see that."

Around the league

Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 revealed
The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed the modern-era finalists for the Class of 2023 on Wednesday, highlighted by three players who made the cut in their first year of eligibility: defensive end Dwight Freeney, cornerback Darrelle Revis and left tackle Joe Thomas.

Niners WR Deebo Samuel (ankle) won't play Sunday unless he's '100% ready to go'
Not long after, though, optimism prevailed that the San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver could return before the regular season's end after he was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.

Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey turns 100 years old
With Chicago already eliminated from the playoffs, Sunday's home game against the Minnesota Vikings marks the conclusion of McCaskey's 40th season at the helm, a term that makes her the longest-tenured owner in the league. Pretty remarkable, especially considering she wasn't initially groomed to inherit the team.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson explains how he discussed Damar Hamlin with his team
"I've been around this game a long, long time. Obviously, been around the NFL for 30-plus years and never seen a situation like this. To see the reaction of the players and the coaches, you knew something more was going on. And for me, everything just stopped. I was just focused on the TV and trying to get as much information from Troy (Aikman) and Joe (Buck) and some of the guys on the network that night. But as we found out, it escalated rather quickly. Everything kind of went away, and life became the most important thing at that time."