Damar Hamlin, Bills teammates on emotional outing vs. Jaguars: ‘It was inspiring’

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin recorded his first career interception in his team's Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

It’s the type of story you’d expect to see play out in a Hollywood tear-jerker.

Damar Hamlin’s last start on Monday Night Football was marred in tragedy, as the then-second-year defender suffered a cardiac arrest in the first quarter of the Buffalo Bills Week 17 primetime clash with the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season. It was unknown if Hamlin would even survive, let alone play professional football again after the incident, but he’s since made a full recovery, winning a starting job in Buffalo’s revamped secondary ahead of the 2024 campaign.

The Bills’ Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars was Hamlin’s first Monday Night Football start since that fateful January 2023 night, and he delivered in an almost storybook way, tallying five tackles and two pass deflections as he also reeled in his first career interception.

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The Buffalo sideline and Highmark Stadium crowd erupted after the defender’s pick, as his defensive teammates ran off the sideline to celebrate the momentous occasion with him. Veteran pass rusher Von Miller spoke about the moment after the game, telling reporters that it was truly special.

“Damar, with his first interception, the crowd went crazy, everybody ran out on the field, man, it was inspiring,” Miller said.

Head coach Sean McDermott also touched on Hamlin’s pick and general performance in his postgame media availability, stating that the moment served as an encapsulation of his journey back to the gridiron.

“Damar, what a night for Damar, right?” McDermott said. “At home on Monday Night Football, getting his first interception, I believe, of his NFL career. The journey that he’s been on and how he’s persevered.”

Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hamlin also spoke with reporters about his night, not focusing on his interception, but instead on a pregame moment in which he ran from the tunnel and onto the field. The 26-year-old has faced unbelievable adversity throughout his young professional career, and the fact that he was able to make another Monday Night Football start at all is not lost on him.  

“Man, it was special,” Hamlin said. “We all know my last start on Monday Night Football and how that game went, so to be able to come all the way back from that and have a special moment like that, it’s all God right there. I’ve been giving him the praise like crazy lately, because it wasn’t easy, but I’m super thankful to my teammates for just the support and the love. That was encouraging.”

Hamlin has recorded 19 tackles through three games this year as he’s manned Buffalo’s defensive backfield alongside Taylor Rapp. He credits his play—and the fact that he’s playing football at all—to his teammates, as playing for them is what fuels his fire.

“It makes all of the emotions way easier when you just go out there and you think about, ‘I just want to make plays for my teammates,’” Hamlin said. “It makes it all simple again.”

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