November 14, 2023
Bills’ Damar Hamlin Sees First Action At Safety Since Collapsing On Field Last Season
Bills Safety Damar Hamlin saw his first action at the safety position and recorded his first tackle in more than 300 days.
Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the field last season after suffering cardiac arrest, saw his first action of the season at the safety position against the Denver Broncos, The Daily Mail reported.
Hamlin was active for the second time this season after playing on special teams in week four against the Miami Dolphins. However, this time, he got snaps at his safety position after entering the game in the fourth quarter for Cam Lewis, who was injured while tackling Broncos running back Samaje Perine.
Hamlin entered the game at a pivotal moment as the Bills were clinging to a 22-21 lead, with the Broncos driving to take the lead. Three plays after he entered the game, Hamlin made his first tackle in more than 300 calendar days when he brought down tight end Adam Trautman after a six-yard gain.
Before the end of the game, Hamlin may have been part of why the Bills lost 24-22.
The Broncos used a 28-yard pass interference penalty to get into range for a game-winning field goal with seven seconds left in the game, but Broncos kicker Will Lutz’s 41-yard attempt went wide right for a miss.
However, the Bills were penalized for having 12 men on the field. Hamlin was running off the field late, but the Bills had an extra lineman out there for the entirety of the play. After the five-yard penalty, Lutz got a second chance to win the game and blasted a 36-yard attempt between the uprights to give the Broncos the win.
The Bills did not say who was not supposed to still be on the field and who made the mistake. Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott called the gaffe inexcusable in his press conference after the game.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” McDermott said after the game. “We practiced that two or three times this week — the substitution from dime to field goal block. At the end of the day, we didn’t execute it. So, it’s inexcusable.”
The loss put the Bills at 5-5 on the season with seven games left. In addition to the penalty, the Bills had four turnovers as quarterback Josh Allen threw two interceptions and has thrown at least one in six straight games. Allen now leads the NFL in the category with 11 and is the only quarterback to throw at least 10 interceptions in each of the last four seasons.
