In January 2023, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday night game in one of the most terrifying scenes in American sports history.
Less than two years later, on Monday night, Hamlin recorded his first career interception, sending his teammates and the Bills crowd into a frenzy.
The play came late in the second quarter of Buffalo’s 47-10 lead over the Jaguars. With the Bills up 20-3, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a pass downfield on first-and-10 intended for rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Instead, he found Hamlin, who intercepted the pass at Buffalo’s 40-yard line and returned it 19 yards.
The Highmark Stadium crowd erupted in cheers as Hamlin ran down the sideline to celebrate in the end zone with his fellow Bills defenders. He continued to receive praise and congratulations from his teammates on the sideline.
It was a special moment for Hamlin, the Bills and the entire NFL community, who watched in horror on a Monday night in 2023, not knowing if Hamlin would survive. Hamlin not only survived, but is now thriving as an NFL starter.
After a lengthy recovery process, Hamlin returned to the Bills last season in a largely ceremonial role. He was a member of the roster for the 2023 season but played sparingly as a reserve in five games, recording two tackles on the season.
Prior to Buffalo’s season opener on Sept. 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced that Hamlin would return to his starting role that he held before his cardiac arrest.
“What else can’t this young man do?” McDermott said Sept. 4. “He went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about it over and over again, and to come back from that, it’s one thing to come back from an ACL injury or a broken bone.
“It’s another thing to recover from what he did. And it’s another thing to decide to play football, and contact football, with full padding at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything else. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin has since started Buffalo’s first three games of the season, recording 14 tackles in two games before Monday’s game against Jacksonville. And how he recorded his first career interception on the same “Monday Night Football” broadcast that saw his terrifying scene on the field less than two years ago.
