Nine months after his cardiac arrest on the field, football professional Damar Hamlin has made his comeback to the NFL. “This moment was everything for me,” said the 25-year-old after his appearance in his Buffalo Bills’ 48:20 win against the previously unbeaten Miami Dolphins on Sunday (local time). “To still be able to do what I love at the highest level in the world is fantastic,” Hamlin added.
The defender suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during an NFL game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2nd and collapsed unconscious. Resuscitation measures were initiated immediately. A week later he was able to leave the hospital in Cincinnati.
“That was an unreal moment”
According to the doctors, the reason for his collapse was a hard hit in a duel. According to doctors, there are no long-term consequences to worry about. Hamlin played for Buffalo during the preseason in August. He wasn’t in the squad for the first three league games, but after teammate Jordan Poyer was injured, he was brought into the team for the game against Miami.
Before the game, he was the last player to enter the field, ran across the field with his arms outstretched and was cheered by the fans. During the game he only made short appearances and did not have any notable action. “It was about proving to myself that I had the courage, I had the strength, I had the pride,” Hamlin said. He went through something traumatic and came back.
“It was a surreal moment,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said. “He deserves this attention.” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen showed an outstanding performance in the entertaining game against the Dolphins. He threw four touchdown passes and scored one touchdown himself. Both teams now have three wins and one loss each.
Christian McCaffrey no longer had the chance to set the record, but with four touchdowns the NFL professional from the San Francisco 49ers was the man of the day. In his team’s 35:16 win against the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Brock Purdy scored the last touchdown of the day because 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t aware of the outcome of his best football player.
“I was a little shocked”
“Honestly, I had no idea he had four touchdowns until I came in here,” Shanahan said at the press conference. “I never know that. I was a little shocked and now I feel a little bad about it. I wish we had at least tried.” With another touchdown, McCaffrey would have equaled the 49ers record set by Jerry Rice and Ricky Watters.
The day was a complete success for the 49ers. They are one of only two teams in the NFL still undefeated after four games. Only the Philadelphia Eagles also have four wins. And: McCaffrey set a record with his first touchdown. Before him, no 49ers professional had ever managed a touchdown in 13 games in a row.
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Meanwhile, a 21-point lead in the third quarter was not enough for the Chicago Bears to win their first win of the season in the NFL against the Denver Broncos. The team, where the German-American Equanimeous St. Brown caught a pass for the first time this season, lost 28:7 on Sunday and lost to the previously winless Broncos 28:31. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson ended up with three touchdown passes, one fewer than Justin Fields. However, the Bears playmaker made a bad pass in the final phase, sealing the fourth defeat in the Bears’ fourth game of the season – and the 14th defeat in a row across the entire season.
For the Cincinnati Bengals, however, the series of disappointments continues. The Super Bowl participants from two years ago lost 3:27 to the Tennessee Titans and already have three defeats in four games. Titans running back Derrick Henry had a touchdown run and also recorded a touchdown pass. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who had a calf injury, only managed 165 yards through passes.
