Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has had perhaps the most difficult journey of all to become a starter in the NFL. And on Monday, all of his hard work paid off in perhaps the best highlight of his career to date.
Hamlin, who of course made it back to the field last season after suffering a cardiac arrest in the 2022-23 NFL season, had played a big impact on the Bills this season after the departure of numerous safeties from their roster this offseason, starting all three games thus far.
On Monday, he didn’t just start the game. He made a massive impact early in the game that helped swing the result in the Bills’ favor.
In the second quarter, Hamlin was able to capitalize on an overthrow from Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, recording the first interception of his NFL career and returning it past midfield to set his team up in great field position.
DAMAR HAMLIN PICKS OFF LAWRENCE.
📺: #JAXvsBUF on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cSxknIWzDB— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
Hamlin still has a long way to go to become regarded as one of the best players at his position in the NFL. But given all he has gone through to get this point, fans took to social media to take note of Hamlin’s incredible and rapidly changing NFL story.
Damar Hamlin’s return to play may be the best football story this decade. He was dead on the field. Now he is the starting safety for the @BuffaloBills and just caught his first career 1 interception. YOU LOVE TO SEE IT. @HamlinIsland pic.twitter.com/I0rMAeGcad
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 24, 2024
Damar Hamlin gets his first career INT and it happens on Monday Night Football.
AWESOME. pic.twitter.com/lwzMOkRk5S
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2024
Damar Hamlin’s first career NFL interception comes, fittingly, on Monday Night Football. pic.twitter.com/vJKmKAFLvG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2024
.@notthefakeSVP gives Damar Hamlin his flowers after his first career INT 💐🫶 pic.twitter.com/9Ea1Jkw9T0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 24, 2024
Hamlin’s infamous injury of course happened on Monday Night Football. So for Hamlin to be able to experience this moment on the exact same stage is truly something special.
[NFL on X]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.