Bills Use Damar Hamlin on Fake Punt, Sean McDermott Explains Decision: 'You Live With It'

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin found himself at the center of the spotlight again in the playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Buffalo Bills fell short of a trip to the AFC Championship once again on Sunday in a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.

Many fans will point to the miss by Tyler Bass on a potential game-tying 44-yard field goal or the pass by Josh Allen two plays before that fell short of Khalil Shakir's reach in the end zone as key plays in the loss. That's hard to argue with.

Still, there was one play that stood out on Sunday, even if it's impact on the final outcome wasn't as huge as it could've been in hindsight.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half for the 2024 AFC divisional round game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium / © Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY

Trailing 27-24 with 12:57 to play in the fourth quarter, Bills coach Sean McDermott elected to use none other than famed safety Damar Hamlin as the ball-carrier on a fake punt on 4th and 5 at Buffalo's own 30-yard line. Hamlin picked up just two yards on the carry and was stopped well short of the first down. 

After the loss, McDermott explained the reasoning behind the decision to fake it in that situation and pointed to his defense being unable to stop Mahomes as a major reason why.

"Just felt like we were having a hard time stopping them and they were up three at the time I believe it was and wanted to be aggressive," McDermott said. "You only get one chance and so I wanted to be aggressive. Obviously didn't work but it's the decision I made and you live with it."

On the play, the Chiefs only had 10 men, as nine lined up at the ball with the returner back deep. The Bills still couldn't convert.

The failed conversion ended up not meaning much, but it nearly sealed Buffalo's fate earlier in the final frame rather than on the missed field goal later on. After a 29-yard run from running back Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Bills the ball back after just two plays.

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Hamlin played in just five games and was inactive for the other 12 during the regular season but suited up for both playoff games due to Buffalo's injuries in the secondary. He got most of his work in on special teams during the season, hence why he was on the field for the play.

Hamlin will now wait to see if he's the winner of the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Award, which he's been the betting favorite for during most of the season. The NFL awards will be revealed on Thursday, Feb. 8.