Rematch against Bengals adds perspective to Buffalo’s rebound from Damar Hamlin’s setback
Damar Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter. His heart stopped beating. As emergency responders worked to save the life of the second-year Bills safety, the big, primetime showdown in Cincinnati pitting two of the top teams in the AFC became an afterthought. The NFL ultimately canceled the game.
And here they are again, less than three weeks since the incident that shook the NFL to its core.
Bills vs. Bengals. The stakes will be even higher on Sunday at Highmark Stadium, with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship Game.
“They’re going to come in here with their best,” Dion Dawkins, the Buffalo left tackle, said on Friday. “We’re going to try to play our best. We’re going to keep swinging, blow after blow.”
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visited the team’s headquarters on multiple occasions this week after watching the first-round playoff win against Miami on television.
Will Hamlin show up in person on Sunday?
“I don’t know the answer,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Friday. “We’re just going at Damar’s cadence. It’s what he needs and how we can help him. And how our training staff can help serve him. Walk at his pace, so to speak.”
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Imagine the jolt of energy on Sunday that Hamlin could provide fans if they got a glimpse of him in public for the first time since his collapse. Then again, as symbolic as a Hamlin appearance might be, his recovery can’t be jeopardized for show. According to a family spokesman this week, Hamlin still faces a “lengthy” recovery. Although it was previously reported that doctors believe he is neurologically intact, he still requires oxygen and gets winded quickly.