Damar Hamlin Reflects On His Journey Back To Cincinnati

The writing was on the wall of sorts for Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young in the offseason when the organization declined to pick up his fifth-year option. Now, after seven games this season, in which Young looked back to his best as he grabbed five sacks, nine quarterback hits, and six tackles for loss, he was shipped off to San Francisco in a move that raised the collective eyebrow. Now, head coach Ron Rivera has detailed what went into the decision to move Young on.

Sunday Night Football for Week 9 could very well be a postseason preview as the Buffalo Bills head on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Both teams haven’t been quite themselves during the 2023 NFL season as they’ve suffered some uncharacteristic losses, though they’ve seemingly found some momentum as they’re coming off Week 8 victories.

Safety Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills watches from the sidelines during the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeated the Bills 22-16 in overtime.

Josh Allen has been his usual self as he remains one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, while Joe Burrow looks like he’s finally fully healthy after dealing with a calf injury over the offseason and early part of the season.

This is the second consecutive year that the Bills find themselves in Bengals territory as the two teams face off toward the end of the 2022 NFL season.

However, fans will always remember that game as the night that Damar Hamlin went down on the field and needed emergency help.

Ahead of their matchup, Hamlin recounted the experience and gave credit to the medical staff that helped keep him alive, via ESPN.

“Anyone can be a hero. These are mine,” Hamlin said.

It was one of the scariest moments on an NFL field to ever happen, as Hamlin made a routine tackle on Tee Higgins, got up and almost immediately fell backward and collapsed.

Hamlin was transported from the field to a nearby hospital and was, fortunately, eventually released.

The public outpouring from the league and fans was encouraging to see and the Bills safety is back to playing the game he loves.

All in all, it was good that the medical staff was able to respond as quickly as they did and Hamlin is surely grateful to be where he is now.