The last six days have been an emotional whirlwind for the Bills. Or, as cornerback Tre’Davious White put it, “this week has been a s–show.”
In the days since Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field against the Bengals on “Monday Night Football,” it feels as if the eyes of the world have been on Buffalo. Tributes have poured in from everywhere for the 24-year-old safety, who has already made remarkable strides in his recovery, although he remains in critical condition.
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Speculation swirled all week about how the NFL would handle an unprecedented situation after suspending the game. The game was ultimately canceled on Thursday. On Friday, the league announced that AFC championship game would be played at a neutral site, if necessary, because of the Bills and Bengals playing one fewer game this season.
Between the terrifying scenes on Monday night and the NFL’s announcement on Friday afternoon, the Bills lost their chance at the AFC’s No. 1 seed without playing a single snap.
Amid all the chaos, the Bills had to prepare for an important game.
Coming into the Week 18 matchup against the Patriots, the message from Buffalo’s camp was one and the same: “Win for 3.”
They did just that on Sunday, pulling away late for a 35-23 win over New England that secured the No. 2 seed in the conference playoff picture.
Wearing a “3” badge on his jersey, Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. It was the Bills’ first play since Hamlin’s collapse. It had been three years and three months since Buffalo’s last kickoff return TD. You couldn’t have scripted the moment any more perfectly.
A visibly emotional Josh Allen said after the game he was moved by the stunning opening play.
“It was spiritual. It really was,” he said. “Bone-chilling. I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life.”
White also couldn’t hold back tears in his postgame press conference. He spoke of the bond the defensive backs in Buffalo have and how difficult it was for them to take the field without Hamlin by their side.
“We’re so connected. We hang out outside of the field and football never comes up most of the time,” he said. “To see everything transpire from the hit, to him getting up, to him falling . . . It’s just something that I can’t unsee. Every time I close my eyes it replays.”
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“Damar is one of the most resilient, honest and pure people that I’ve met,” White continued. “We got a text from Damar (on Saturday) around 2:31 in the morning. For him to text us, and what he said was, ‘I’m thinking about y’all. I’m sorry that I did that to y’all.’ For him to check on us when he’s the person going through what he’s going through, that just shows what kind of person he is . . . I just want to hug the s– out of him.”
Allen and White were joined by the rest of their teammates in dedicating Sunday’s win to Hamlin, who was watching from his hospital bed.
As the No. 2 seed, the Bills are set for a wild-card round showdown against the Dolphins next weekend.
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There’s no doubt Hamlin’s absence will be felt by his teammates as they try to bring a Super Bowl to Western New York for the first time. But from here on out, they won’t just be trying to win for themselves. They’ll be trying to win for 3.
