The Bills safety, making his third straight start of the season, was in the right place at the right time when Lawrence badly missed Brian Thomas Jr. on a first-and-10 crossing route. Hamlin ran the ball back 19 yards to the Jacksonville 41-yard line, and then ran toward the jubilant crowd with his teammates in tow.
“It’s special, man,” Hamlin told ESPN of his teammates’ reaction. “They were a big part of me being able to make this type of comeback. They pushed me. They gave me love, they gave me grace, they gave me everything I needed on the journey, and they was even happier than I was to get my first interception. That just shows the community and the bond that we have here in Buffalo. It’s truly a special place, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Hamlin’s pick was directly followed by a five-play, 41-yard drive that resulted in a Khalil Shakir receiving TD and a 27-3 Bills lead. Buffalo entered halftime leading Jacksonville, 34-3.
It was a moment of great celebration for Hamlin and Bills Mafia. Six-hundred-and-thirty days ago, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a Week 17 Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati and had to be revived on the field before being transported to a local hospital. The safety’s return to football was no sure thing, but little by little, Hamlin overcame obstacles to make it back to the Bills’ roster. This summer, the safety took another step, securing his place in the starting lineup to replace the departed Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
On Monday night, he made his impact felt in a big way during a big win.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s miraculous comeback reached another milestone Monday as he grabbed his first career interception.
Hamlin intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence late in the second quarter. Lawrence overthrew receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and Hamlin was ready and waiting to accept the errant pass.
The Bills scored their fourth touchdown only a few plays later and won 47-10.
Hamlin is in his fourth season with Buffalo, but it’s his first season as a starting safety. He earned the spot in training camp after the Bills parted ways with their previous starting safeties in the offseason.
Through two weeks, Hamlin has played the vast majority of Buffalo’s defensive snaps, and entering Monday he had recorded 14 total tackles.
Hamlin’s first career interception came 20 months after his near-fatal injury against the Cincinnati Bengals, which was also a “Monday Night Football” game. In January 2023, Hamlin collapsed after he made a tackle and went into cardiac arrest. He was revived on the field before he was hospitalized. He later said he had an episode of commotio cordis, a condition that causes a disruption in the heartbeat after a blow to the chest.
“It’s one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It’s another thing to come back off of what he came back off of, right?” Bills coach Sean McDermott said before the team’s season opener. “Let alone just to decide to play football and contact football in full pads at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything more. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin was cleared to play football in April 2023. He appeared in only five games for Buffalo last season, recording two tackles while playing mostly on special teams. During Buffalo’s divisional round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he took a direct snap on a fake punt attempt in the fourth quarter, but he failed to convert for a first down.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of Thursday night’s game with the Buffalo Bills because of a concussion after colliding with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa, who has a history of dealing with head injuries, remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands, appeared to smile and departed for the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) collide during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Tagovailoa suffered a concussion on the play.
Lynne Sladky / AP
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards.
He signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left the game with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, which held as the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa was hurt on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
He wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at Tagovailoa as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season.
Going into last season, Tagovailoa added muscle and spent time studying jiu-jitsu in an effort to learn how to fall more safely and try to protect himself against further injury.
