The Buffalo Bills had their big win of the season on the national stage during NFL Week 3, in a 47-10 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football.
On a night of firsts for a handful of Bills, safety Damar Hamlin took the field for his first Monday Night Football start since the January 2023 contest in which he suffered cardiac arrest.
In his return to MNF, Hamlin had a strong performance with five tackles and two pass deflections.
He also got his first career interception.
3 gets the INT! 🫶
📺: @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/FxZawgN9Mq
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 24, 2024
While it carried significance for the 2021 sixth-round NFL Draft pick from PITT as a career achievement, it was the experience of walking down the tunnel and out to the field that resonated with him.
“Man, it was special,” Hamlin said to the media. “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.”
The Jags’ offense had a 1st-and-10 at their own 41-yard line when Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence overthrew rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. And Hamlin was there to take away the pass, giving QB Josh Allen and the Bills offense the ball back, which he would then throw to Khalil Shakir for a touchdown and a 27-3 lead.
The young safety’s teammates erupted with excitement when he got the pick and celebrated with and around him.
“Damar, with his first interception, the crowd went crazy, everybody ran out on the field, man, it was inspiring,” said OLB Von Miller, who took the press podium seated alongside Hamlin after the win.
His head coach was moved as well by the on-field moment.
“Damar, what a night for Damar, right?” Sean McDermott said during his press conference. “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.”
Hamlin’s last Monday Night Football start was against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season, his second year in the NFL. He suffered a cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Week 17 clash, in a broadcast on-field moment in which the NFL world stood still.
The Bills’ medical staff worked quickly to save his life, and he went on to make a full recovery after stabilizing in the hospital. He’s since won a starting safety position battle in Buffalo’s new-look secondary, leading to a very significant moment back on the MNF stage.