The Bills took the day off and were unsure when they might resume practicing, putting Hamlin above everything else, including their quest to clinch the AFC’s top seed.

The NFL’s schedule is now in flux after the game between Buffalo (12-3) and Cincinnati (11-4) — a showdown with AFC playoff race implications — was postponed indefinitely.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed both teams that their game would not resume this week. No decision has been made on whether it will be played at a later date, with the league not making any changes to its Week 18 schedule, a week before the playoffs are set to begin.

Numerous NFL teams canceled their media availabilities, including the New England Patriots, who are scheduled to travel to Buffalo for the teams’ season finales on Sunday.

“Please pray for our brother,” quarterback Josh Allen posted in a tweet.

Added offensive lineman Rodger Saffold: “He is more than an athlete. He is a son and brother. And I pray God gives him mercy and brings him back to us.”

Hamlin is from McKees Rocks, a hardscrabble exurb of Pittsburgh, and was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He spent his rookie season limited to special teams roles, and took over the starting job in Week 3 in place of veteran Micah Hyde, who remains sidelined by a neck injury.

Overnight, Hamlin went from being a relatively unknown second-year player to receiving an international outpouring of support.

His Chasing M’s Foundation eclipsed its modest goal of raising $2,500, exceeding $5 million by Tuesday evening.

The Bills now face perhaps their most difficult hurdle in a calendar year filled with on- and off-field adversity. The team has seen its schedule disrupted twice by major snowstorms in the past month, including a blizzard that led to at least 40 deaths in the region over Christmas. The Bills also rallied to support the community in the aftermath of a racist shooting rampage that left 10 dead at a Buffalo supermarket in May.

On Tuesday, it was the region’s turn to rally for the team on both sides of the New York-Ontario border.

The Ontario-based Niagara Parks commission announced it will illuminate Niagara Falls in blue in honor of Hamlin.

“Our collective thoughts are with him, his family, his team and the City of Buffalo,” the commission wrote.

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