WATCH: Damar Hamlin spotted at the Bills-Bengals playoff game for the first time since he suffered a cardiac arrest
Andrew Walker
Updated on March 31, 2026
The Buffalo Bills suffered an embarrassing defeat against the AFC North division title winners Cincinnati Bengals led by Joe Burrow in their divisional round matchup on Sunday. Even in their team’s loss, the Bills fans (and everyone else) had something to cheer for as their team’s defensive back Damar Hamlin was spotted at the playoff just a few weeks after he went through a life-threatening injury.
The 24-year-old safety suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game between the Bills and the Bengals in week 17 of the NFL regular season. He suffered a massive collision with the Bengals WR Tee Higgins and collapsed on the field. He was then administered CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the field by the Bills’ assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington and his medical staff before he could be transferred to the UC Medical Center for further treatment.
Damar Hamlin remained in a critical condition for multiple days before he started to show substantial improvement in his recovery. He has since been discharged from the hospital and is now recovering from his home in Buffalo. The Bills defensive back was finally spotted in the public as he attended the Bills-Bengals playoff game at the Highland Park Stadium for the first time since that Monday night.
The six-foot DB was shown on the jumbotron and was seen excitedly supporting the Buffalo Bills team and cheering up the audience by showing the heart gesture with his hands. The fans went crazy when they saw Damar Hamlin on the big screen.
What’s next for the Buffalo Bills?
The AFC East Champions Bills’ season comes to an end with a disappointing loss against the Bengals in the divisional round matchup. Moreover, the Bills look farther away from a Super Bowl ring now than they looked a year ago.
The Bills’ led by Josh Allen went out fighting last season as they lost in a shootout with arguably the best quarterback in the league Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. But this season they went out sad, they lost by three scores against the Bengals.
The Buffalo-based franchise also has a lot of key players heading toward free agency. The most notable players include DB Jordan Poyer, G Rodger Saffold, LB Tremaine Edmunds, RB Devin Singletary, and Edge Shaq Lawson. However, they still have some young and developing players like DB Kaiir Elam, DE Greg Rousseau, and RB James Cook to fill out some of their needs. Also, the return of their LB Von Miller will give them a huge boost next season.
In brief, they are still a powerhouse but certainly have a lot of work to do in the off-season, which came earlier than they would’ve liked. On the flip side, the Bengals advanced to the next round where they will face the Chiefs for the AFC Conference Championship this weekend.
