Damar Hamlin’s teammates knew that he would be watching as the Buffalo Bills took on the New England Patriots on Sunday. Hamlin, who is still at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering cardiac arrest on the field last Monday night at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, has come a long way in his medical progression since then.
Hamlin was all set to watch the game from his hospital bed.
GAMETIME!!! @BuffaloBills 💙 pic.twitter.com/PQYClonUHb
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 8, 2023
What he could not have expected was running back Nyheim Hines’ 96-yard kickoff return to start the game. After all, no Bills player had returned any kickoff for a touchdown since 2019…
Nyheim Hines tallies the Bills first kickoff return TD since 2019 (10/20 vs. MIA, Micah Hyde-45 yds).
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 8, 2023
…and just the second time in team history that any Bills player did it on the opening kickoff of a game. The Bills have been around since 1960, by the way.
CHILLS.
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/9uXnx91reb
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 8, 2023
So, Hamlin was pretty excited, as you might expect.
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 8, 2023
FREE HINES @TheNyNy7
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 8, 2023
We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.
