Bills’ Damar Hamlin shares admission about Jets ‘MNF’ game

It was during a “Monday Night Football” game back on Jan. 2, 2023, when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and required CPR that saved his life. 

Thus, it’s understandable Hamlin views contests such as Monday’s prime-time matchup between the 3-2 Bills and 2-3 New York Jets a bit differently than he did roughly two years ago. 

“I won’t lie, Monday nights are a little bit more meaningful to me, but I’m so deep into my process that maybe when it’s all said and done and I’m back reflecting and I’m doing whatever I’m doing after I’m done playing, and watching ‘Monday Night Football’ [will] probably be a lot more special to me,” Hamlin recently acknowledged, as shared by Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. 

Hamlin remarkably returned to the playing field last season and ultimately finished second in Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award voting. He then started a regular-season game at safety for the first time since his medical emergency in Week 1 of the ongoing campaign, and he recorded 31 total tackles and three passes defended over Buffalo’s first five games. 

In Week 3, he tallied the first interception of his pro career during a “MNF” win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

“After getting the first [interception] off your back … it makes the second one feel a little bit easier to get,” Hamlin remarked. “So, I feel like it’s on the way. Hopefully, Monday night [against the Jets].” 

Following Buffalo’s Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Hamlin insisted he doesn’t “want to be just known as the player who lived.” He’s currently trying to do everything possible to prove his long-term worth to the Bills, as the 26-year-old is in the final year of his rookie contract.

“As tough as it is, as hard as the days are, as much as the grind as all of that s— like, as hard as it is to be in this league and have success day in, day out — the grind, the pain, the hurt of my body every day — as hard as this s— is, I’m still living my dream,” Hamlin added about continuing his career after he nearly lost his life two Januarys ago.

As of late Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Buffalo third among the betting favorites at +500 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX. Hamlin helping the Bills get their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history could establish him as a Buffalo legend for reasons unrelated to what occurred in Cincinnati that winter night in 2023.