The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will be tethered together for the rest of time after what took place at Paycor Stadium two weeks ago.
Both teams went into the Week 17 matchup on “Monday Night Football” with high stakes. It was supposed to be the NFL's marquee game of the season.
Only nine minutes of the Bills-Bengals game was played before Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collided with Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins on a routine tackle play, collapsed and then suffered a cardiac arrest. CPR was immediately administered by the Bills’ medical staff and when his heart rhythm was restored, Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center by ambulance where he remained in critical condition for days.
After the jarring tragedy that took place, the level of respect from one franchise to another couldn’t be higher. From the players and coaches to the fans, the way the teams and fan bases came together in the devastating moment won’t be forgotten.
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“The city of Cincinnati, all sorts of people, prayers, sending things, just what a great city,” Buffalo’s general manager Brandon Beane said. “You never want something like this to happen but lots of love and respect for that town and that city and the support they’ve shown.”
And now these teams meet again, this time at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.
Cincinnati and Buffalo connected by tragic event
After the ambulance left the field Jan. 2, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bills head coach Sean McDermott met for a few minutes on the field and decided to pause the game. Cincinnati’s team captains, including Joe Burrow, walked down the hall from their locker room to meet with the Bills’ team captains. Burrow and the rest of the Bengals’ team captains wanted to make sure Buffalo knew they were there to support them, even if it meant canceling the game, and both teams decided to postpone the game.
The NFL was informed of their decision and the Bills flew back to Buffalo in the early morning. Hamlin remained in critical condition in Cincinnati, where Bills and Bengals fans surrounded the hospital with cards and candles and linked together for prayers. Restaurants all over the city set up a meal train to send food to Hamlin's family and the medical staff at the UC Medical Center. Downtown Cincinnati, including Paycor Stadium, was illuminated in blue for days to show support for Hamlin, the Bills and the city of Buffalo.
The league announced the game would never resume.
Hamlin spent one week in the intensive care unit and made an extraordinary recovery. He was sent back to a Buffalo hospital where he spent a few days and after showing enough progress, Hamlin was released.
Since then, he has been back at the Bills’ facility almost daily, according to McDermott. The Bills’ season is unquestionably dedicated to Hamlin. The NFL honored Hamlin and the Bills the following weekend with a No. 3 stenciled on every field and made shirts for players and coaches that said "Love for Damar."
Damar Hamlin's recovery helped Bengals move forward
To get to this round, the Bills beat the Dolphins and the Bengals took down the Ravens. The winner of his heavyweight matchup will punch their ticket to the AFC championship game next weekend. Buffalo got to host this meeting because when the game was canceled and not made up, the Bills (13-3) finished with a better record than the Bengals (12-4).
The Bengals understand the challenge of the assignment this weekend. Winning in Buffalo isn’t an easy feat. The Bills are 7-1 at home this year and 14-5 all-time in postseason games on their home turf. Snow is also going to be a factor in Sunday’s game as one inch is expected during the game.
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“Buffalo is one of the most interesting and hostile places to play as a visitor,” said center Ted Karras. “On the field, it’s very loud. That’ll be something we practice and respect. We haven’t gone silent [count] in a while. We’ll be back to the silent count and with a couple new guys in there we’ll have to really rep that this week.”
Several Bengals players acknowledged that memories of what took place the last time they saw this Bills team will come to mind. But when the team found out the progress for Hamlin was positive, they felt a weight had been lifted from their chest and could move forward.
“He's back with the team, you’re getting all the good updates," Burrow said. "So you know, I think at least for me, that's in the past.”
Similar to last year’s postseason run for the Bengals, the road to Super Bowl 57 is likely going to be on the road from here on out. If Kansas City beats Jacksonville on Saturday and Cincinnati beats Buffalo, the Bengals would play the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium once again.
As for Burrow’s mentality as his team gets ready to hit the road, it doesn’t faze him that the Bengals aren’t favored to win on Sunday.
“I always enjoy going on the road,” Burrow said. “It’s just you and your guys. Feels like it’s you against the world and that’s where we like to be. I never feel like an underdog.”
The Bengals are the reigning AFC champions until someone knocks them off and they are coming to Buffalo with one goal in mind – to win.
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