Cincinnati Bengals

Damar Hamlin's presence at the Bills' playoff game has fueled wild conspiracies on the Internet among the tin foil hat-wearing crowd ... with some suggesting a body double was used in the 24-year-old safety's place.

But, multiple sources tell TMZ Sports that's simply not true ... sorry, conspiracy theorists.

Hamlin attended the Bills-Bengals game Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium ... his first time back at an NFL game since he went into cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati on January 2.

Damar, wearing a mask, hoodie, and sunglasses, was shown on television and the stadium scoreboard ... but between the accessories and bad weather in Buffalo, it was difficult to see Hamlin.

FYI, it was 30 degrees in western New York on Sunday.

Given Hamlin didn't speak with the media, and his face wasn't seen clearly, some people went to Twitter and online forums, suggesting a stand-in was used in DH's place.

The speculation has even gotten to the point where people were dissecting other pictures of Damar ... including the one teammate Matt Milano posted last weekend, which was believed to be Hamlin's first return to the Bills facility.

In the interest of debunking Internet conspiracy theories, we made some calls ... and multiple people close to Damar say it's absolute nonsense.

Bottom line -- Damar Hamlin was at the Bills game.

Don't be shocked if Cincinnati upsets Buffalo in their playoff game this weekend ... ex-NFL star T.J. Houshmandzadeh tells TMZ Sports he's confident his former squad will get the dub on Sunday!!!

The ex-Cincy wideout broke it down for us at LAX this week -- right after Joe Burrow and the guys beat the Baltimore Ravens in their Wild Card matchup last weekend.

"I like the Bengals' chances," he said.

The 45-year-old former Pro Bowler explained that with the way the Bengals looked against the Bills during their brief "Monday Night Football" contest earlier this month -- he's giving the edge to Cincinnati heading into the big AFC Divisional Round game.

"The way that regular-season game was going," he said, "I like the Bengals' chances."

Of course, the experts in Vegas disagree -- calling the Bills a 5.5-point favorite.

We also talked about the matchup with Houshmandzadeh's former Bengals teammate, Chad Johnson, at the L.A. airport -- and while he didn't seem as sure as his pal did about the outcome of the game, he didn't exactly pick Buffalo either.

"I think it comes down to whoever makes the fewest mistakes," Ochocinco said. "And, the offense that executes the best."

Stefon Diggs might have a job in commentary after his NFL career -- but not necessarily calling football games -- the Bills star did some impromptu play-by-play on social media during the first Power Slap event, and it was hilarious!!

The 3x Pro Bowl receiver was flipping through the channels Wednesday night when he turned on Dana White's new Power Slap event on TBS ... and Diggs was in complete and utter shock as he watched Kortney Olson and Sheena Bathory slap the crap out of each other.

"Nah, this some crazy s**t right here," Diggs, as he lay in bed watching, said in a video he posted to social media, adding, "they right here smacking the s**t out of each other. Watch this right there... Ohhh! My gosh!"

In fairness to Diggs, what he was watching was actually insane ... Olson was KO'd with a massive slap from Bathory and the doctors called the fight.

"Oh s**t!" Diggs said watching the knockout, "Oh my gosh!"

Diggs also watched Jon Kennedy getting KO'd by Wesley Drain ... and hilariously dropped a famous quote from the iconic movie, "Friday," when Deebo knocks Craig down.

"Get up Craig! Get up, Craig!" Diggs yelled, "Get up! Get up, Craig!"

Of course, Diggs has somewhere to be on Sunday ... his Bills squad will play the Bengals in the Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

Joe Burrow had a digit disaster at his press conference on Wednesday ... 'cause the superstar quarterback wore the wrong jersey!!

The 26-year-old showed off the new look as he met with reporters ... and he was immediately asked if he was ditching #9 for #8.

Naturally, as soon as Burrow looked down to check what they were talking about ... he started cracking up.

"I guess I put the wrong one on," Burrow laughed. "So what happened was, I forgot about the press conference ... so I put my jersey back on. But apparently, it wasn't my jersey."

"Guess it's been that kind of day, huh?"

FYI -- #8 belongs to Brandon Allen, the backup quarterback who resigned with the Bengals last March.

Hopefully, Burrow remembers to wear his own jersey when the Bengals take on the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday.

Speaking of the game, Burrow eventually got to talkin' about the big road matchup ... and he's not concerned about the Bills being the betting favorite.

"I always enjoy going on the road. Just you and your guys," Burrow said. "It feels like it's you against the world and that's where we like to be."

"Never feel like an underdog."

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor continued his playoff tradition after his team pulled off a tight win over the Baltimore Ravens ... by hitting up a Cincinnati bar to present a game ball to fans!!

The fourth-year play caller showed up at The Blind Pig -- right across the street from Paycor Stadium -- following the Bengals' 24-17 dub over their division rivals on Sunday night ... and the crowd was clearly thrilled to have him join their party.

Taylor even addressed the patrons in attendance ... thanking them for their continued support.

"We appreciate it," Taylor said over the mic. "You all are the best fans in the whole world."

"Playoff win, the first of many," he continued. "Love you guys. Game ball to the Blind Pig. Appreciate all your support. We need you next week in Buffalo, find a way to get up there. Find a way, find a way. Who Dey!!"

The Bengals will now travel to New York to face the Bills in the divisional round ... setting up a matchup between Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.

A Cincinnati store that made custom Damar Hamlin shirts in the wake of the Bills safety's medical crisis tells TMZ Sports it's made $50K off the tees ... and is now planning on donating all of that cash to DH's Chasing M's Foundation.

Cincy Shirts put together three designs after the scary incident on Jan. 2 ... when the 24-year-old collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during the Bills vs. Bengals "Monday Night Football" game.

One shirt reads "More Than Football" with Hamlin's #3 jersey number. Another has Cincinnati's "513" area code on it with Bengals and Bills team colors. The third is a design from a local artist that features the Bengals and Bills mascots wearing No. 3 jerseys.

Cincy Shirts co-owner Josh Sneed tells us the custom pieces are selling like crazy, both in stores and online ... and they're trying hard to keep up with the orders.

Sneed went on to say that all of the proceeds from the shirt sales will be donated to Hamlin's foundation.

"It seems no matter who needs something, this city steps up," Sneed said. "I'm lucky to see this happen time in and time out. Very proud of this city."

Sneed also delivered a box of shirts to Hamlin's family at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and to the Bengals. In fact, cornerback Cameron Taylor-Britt took a selfie wearing one on Thursday.

The NFL has decided to cancel the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game, the league announced Thursday night ... days after Monday Night Football was postponed following Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency.

The Week 17 game will NOT be made up.

Of course, the game was postponed by the league Monday night after a terrifying incident involving the 24-year-old Bills safety.

The cancellation throws a wrench into the playoffs ... as the Bills-Bengals game had major postseason implications.

In an effort to mitigate any advantage, the league has proposed several options ... including potentially playing the AFC Championship game at a neutral site, removing any home-field advantage.

The issue is the Bills-Bengals game could have determined who was the #1 seed ... important not just because that team would have home field, but also a first-round bye.

There are 3 potential scenarios where the AFC Championship game would be played in a neutral area. Those scenarios depend on Week 18's games, but it's likely a Buffalo vs. Kansas City game would be at a neutral site. There's also a chance a Buffalo or Cincy vs. Kansas City game would be played at a neutral area.

As a result of the cancelation, the Bengals are now AFC North champions.

The Bengals will play the Ravens on Sunday ... while the Bills will take on the Patriots.

Cowboys star Micah Parsons laid into former NFL player-turned-commentator Bart Scott ... who blamed Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins for causing Bills safety Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest during "Monday Night Football."

"Yoo are we serious?!!?," Parsons tweeted. "Why do we let some people speak on tv?! This was a  freak incident but putting fault on another player is wild! They should make some of these guys go over lines or something or not even give them a seat at the table!"

Parsons wasn't done, firing off another tweet in response to Scott ... writing, "Like does not even consider how Tee Huggins feels before airing some bull shut like that! That traumatic event he just went through! I swear some of these tv guys have too much egos on these stages we give them!"

ICYMI, during an appearance on ESPN's First Take, Scott seemed to insinuate Tuesday Higgins was in part responsible for Hamlin going into cardiac arrest on the field.

“Right before the tackle, he lowers his helmet, and he kind of throws his body into his chest,” Scott said on FT. “He’s standing up because he’s thinking he got to chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle, so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him."

He continued ... “It’s one of those things, a lot of times you see it as a linebacker … a running back comes through the hole, and he knows the contact is coming, so he lowers his helmet, and you can’t get underneath him so he’s able to get into you and your chest is exposed."

"They have taken that out of the game, but they don’t really regulate it as much as possible. I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.”

As you know by now, Hamlin was carted off the field Monday night after his heart stopped on the field, and remains hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where the 24-year-old appears to be making signs of progress, according to the Bills.

Scott responded to Micah directly on Twitter Wednesday, saying, "It’s wasn’t concise in my explanation but this was from the third segment. The first segment I said exactly what u said, it was a freak incident. And expressed my concern for Higgins and was happy his mom was there."

The NFL just announced the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will not return to the field this week ... this after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football.

Roger Goodell made the announcement official just minutes ago ... saying he spoke with both teams and elected not to resume the matchup prior to Week 18 -- the final week of the NFL season.

The league says it has not decided what to do about the contest ... and Week 18 will continue as scheduled.

The league says it has been in regular contact with the medical team caring for Hamlin ... as well as the Bengals, Bills, and NFL Players Association.

As we previously reported, Hamlin collapsed after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of Monday night's matchup ... and received emergency CPR for several minutes before being carted off the field and transferred to a local hospital.

The game was suspended ... and the league said Hamlin was in critical condition. The Bills later added he was stable, and his heartbeat was restored prior to leaving the field. He spent the night in the ICU, where he remains.

The Cincinnati Bengals learned a lesson about flying on XMAS eve ... it's all about the landing.

After beating the New England Patriots Saturday, the players jumped on the team plane in Rhode Island for a flight back home. At some point during the flight, an engine on the Delta jet conked out and 71 minutes after taking off ... the plane made an emergency landing at JFK in NYC.

One of the players called the incident "a little rough" ... given the weather on the east coast and the emergency, it had to be super scary,

The plane landed safely, the players switched planes and they returned to Cincinnati around midnight.

ICYMI ... the Bengals are on a roll, winning their 7th straight game by a score of 22-18.

A reporter is issuing a public apology for ambushing Giovani Bernard after Sunday's loss to the Bengals ... saying the awkward interaction came off as "cruel and insensitive."

Jenna Laine, a Bucs beat reporter for ESPN, released a lengthy statement on the matter Tuesday night ... explaining why she feels remorseful for the testy locker room exchange.

Laine says she was wrong to post video of the incident on Twitter ... which showed her peppering Bernard with questions about a failed fake punt as he tried to leave the locker room to be with his family.

"The first misstep was posting a video of 'our' interaction with Giovani," Laine wrote in the statement. "My intention wasn't to make it some 'gotcha' moment but to illustrate how tense things can get in the locker room when a team isn't meeting expectations."

Laine also addressed her comments in the video ... saying she was trying to point out the accountability athletes deal with on a daily basis.

"In full transparency, I now see that there was no benefit to doing it. I realize that it came across as cruel and insensitive."

"In no way was I trying to weaponize his injury against him either by pointing it out."

Bernard took issue with Laine at the time ... saying the reporter did not prioritize interviewing him throughout the season. He eventually answered their questions and took responsibility for the costly turnover against Cincinnati.

Ex-NFL star Domata Peko's father-in-law had a helluva Tuesday -- it turns out his gas station sold the $2 BILLION Powerball-winning ticket ... resulting in a $1 million payday!!

The 37-year-old former Bengals nose tackle -- who played the majority of his career in Cincinnati -- shared the exciting news just now ... saying, "My Father In-Law Sold the winning PowerBall (ticket) 2 billion $"

"Congrats Baba."

Joe Chahayed -- who owns the Joe's Service Center gas station in Altadena, CA -- turned into a local celeb after it was announced he sold the winning ticket ... with folks in the area heading to his store to take selfies with him.

Joe told reporters he's had some winning tickets in the Super Lotto and Fantasy 5 at his location in the past -- but those tickets were only worth up to $9,000.

BTW -- Domata reportedly made over $47 million in contract money over the course of his career.

Joe says he's not going to retire just yet ... but his family can expect a really nice Thanksgiving.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive analyst Adam Zimmer -- the son of longtime Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer -- passed away unexpectedly on Monday, according to his sister.

He was only 38.

Corri Zimmer White announced the news in a heartbreaking Instagram post ... calling her brother the "kindest, sweetest, family loving, sports obsessed soul there ever was."

"My heart is shattered and it hurts so bad," said Corri, who shared several photos of her brother in her announcement. "I'm so lost, I'm so overwhelmed, I'm so heartbroken."

A cause of death was not revealed.

"My brother was one of my best friends," Cori added, "especially after my mom died, we became so close."

Adam started his NFL coaching career in 2006 when he became the New Orleans Saints assistant linebacker coach at 22 years old.

He went on to coach for the Chiefs, the Bengals and then the Vikings, where he served as a linebacker coach and co-defensive coordinator underneath his father.

He had been working remotely as an analyst for Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this year.

"Please pray for our family as we try to navigate through this," Corri said.

"Adam, I love you so much and I will miss you every second of every day until I see you again. Please watch over us and help us be okay."

RIP

Adam "Pacman" Jones is thanking the crew that helped him launch his new weed strain ... by hookin' them up with some crazy iced-out jewelry!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former Cincinnati Bengals star gifted 24 of his employees with the new bling -- after they all played a role in getting his collab with cannabis lifestyle brand, Cookies, off the ground.

Pacman delivered the chains on Thursday ... and they're awesome.

The pieces feature a "PAC" pendant -- a nod to his nickname -- and a chain that is packed with quality diamonds.

Pacman copped 'em from jewelers Tajia Diamond and Victor Rodriguez ... and we're told the total price for all 24 pieces was over $100k!!!

"We blessing the gang," Pacman said of the gifts this week. "We thanking everybody who was a part of Cookies."

Pacman -- who retired from the NFL in May 2019 -- has been working in the weed industry for several years, and recently partnered up with Cookies to release a new line of products that will be available in California stores on Oct. 29.

"We been working on this process, this Pacman strain, for seven years," Jones told us. "Today was one of the bucket list days."

The 39-year-old Pro Bowler is really high (no pun intended) on using the product and feels everyone should utilize it, including athletes.

"Cannabis is, to me, one of the top safest things that you can use that's helped me keep myself calm and keep my rocker down," Jones said.

Joe Burrow is speaking out about his own experiences with hard hits to the head following Tua Tagovailoa's recent injury ... revealing he's blacked out and completely lost memory of parts of games.

The Cincinnati Bengals superstar's comments come as the topic of concussions has returned to the spotlight this season ... after the Dolphins allowed their star QB to play in a game just four days after he appeared to suffer a serious head injury against the Bills.

Burrow says, unfortunately, these things will continue to happen due to the nature of the sport ... and players know what they're signing up for.

"You're going to have head injuries," Burrow said on Colin Cowherd's podcast. "You're going to tear your ACL. You're going to break your arm. That's the game that we play. That's the life that we live."

Burrow -- who said he's had concussions where he didn't remember the second half of a game or an entire game -- said there's an inherent risk associated with the sport that he accepts.

"I know I got a little dizzy at one point," Burrow said on the podcast. "But nothing long-lasting."

Tua's situation has sparked serious concern with the Dolphins' handling of concussions ... with many questioning why he was even on the field to get hit in the head again on Thursday after suffering what looked like a possible head injury just four days prior against the Bills.

Tagovailoa's situation was so serious, Dr. Bennet Omalu -- the famed neurologist portrayed by actor Will Smith in the 2015 movie "Concussion" -- told us Tua should walk away from the NFL.

"If you love your life, if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away," Omalu said. "Go find something else to do."

"Sometimes money is not more valuable than human life. $20 billion is not worth more than your brain."

Terrifying moment during "Thursday Night Football" ... Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was rushed to the hospital after suffering what appeared to be a significant head injury.

The 24-year-old signal-caller was injured in the second quarter of Miami's game against the Bengals ... when he was wrapped up by a defender and thrown to the turf.

Tagovailoa's head slammed off the ground hard -- and he immediately seemed to lose consciousness.

Trainers and team personnel raced to tend to him ... before they eventually strapped him to a backboard and transported him to a nearby hospital in Cincinnati.

The Dolphins say he, thankfully, "is conscious and has movement in all his extremities."

Tagovailoa had exited last week's game against the Bills after sustaining an injury on a similar play -- though he and the team told media members afterward he only suffered a back injury.

Story developing ...