Patriots take on the Bills less than a week since Damar Hamlin collapse

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The Buffalo Bills took the field Sunday for the first time after 24-year-old safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday night football last week.

In a week 18 AFC East match-up, the Patriots took on their division rival, the Buffalo Bills.

However, fans and players put this rivalry to the side for just a moment to celebrate the recovery of Bills safety Damar Hamlin after he collapsed during Monday night football in their game versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fans watching the game at the Rumbleseat Bar & Grille in Chicopee told Western Mass News that while they hope the Pats take the win, they still give their support to Damar Hamlin and the Bills.

“I think it’s definitely going to be in the Buffalo Bills favor,” Patriots fan Tom Hofstetter said. “They’re the better team anyhow so I think they’re going to blow the pats away.”

“I was very saddened by it and I’m glad he’s doing well,” Laurie Brunetti added. “Today is really not about the game it’s about him”

Both teams were showing their support on social media. The Patriots tweeted out during the Monday night game:

“Our thoughts are with @HamlinIsland as well as the entire @BuffaloBills organization.”

Before the game, the Patriots tweeted out pictures of the locker room and players wearing shirts with Hamlin’s number that say, “Love for Damar.”

In the Patriots press conference on Wednesday, quarterback Mac Jones addressed the Damar Hamlin situation, saying some events transcend the game and bring people together.

“We’re all in this together, and I think it’s important to realize that football is a game that brings people together, and I think this is a great example of bringing not only our teams together, but the whole league, the whole world really, and the whole nation,” Jones said. “I think it’s a really tough time and you can see all the support for him and his family.”

Since that press conference, doctors said that Damar Hamlin is showing remarkable signs of recovery.

Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said his team got the chance to facetime Hamlin. An excited Dawkins said that the call gave the Bills the energy they needed to get the job done come Sunday.

“Man, we got our boy, man, you know what I’m saying? That’s all that matters,” Dawkins said. “We got our boy, the excitement was beautiful. It was amazing; it has given us so much energy, so much bright, high spirits, whatever you want to call it, has given it to us to see that boy’s face, to see him smile, to see him go like this in the camera. It was everything.”

Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.