ORCHARD PARK — Asked about watching, then celebrating his teammate Damar Hamlin’s first career interception, Rasul Douglas lit up.
The Buffalo Bills, particularly the defense, erupted in celebration along with 70,000-some fans at Highmark Stadium in the second quarter Monday night.
Monday’s game turned out to be a blowout, the Bills drubbing the Jaguars 47-10. But midway through the second quarter Jacksonville still had faint hope, or was at least trying to build some, trailing 20-3 with the ball near midfield.
But then, on first down with 4:28 left in the half, Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence saw rookie receiver Brian Thomas, but overthrew him. The ball landed in the hands of a waiting Hamlin, dropping to his knees to secure the pick. Hamlin ran it back to the Jaguars’ 41, a 19-yard return.
Bills defenders, even those on the sideline, ran out to the end zone to celebrate with Hamlin and the fans.
“How sweet is this moment?” asked ESPN’s Chris Fowler.
“Walking miracle,” Dan Orlovsky added of Hamlin.
Inside the locker room, as the Bills reflected on a perfect night to bring the season to 3-0, the excitement for Hamlin was still evident.
“Hell yeah, it’s the first one,” Douglas told the Times Herald. “You’re gonna always remember that one, man. I still remember my first one.”
The Bills cornerback — his first pick, by the way, was Sept. 24, 2017, for the Eagles as a rookie against Eli Manning — turned to his fellow starter in an adjacent locker stall.
“CB, you still remember your first interception you ever got?” Douglas asked.
“Vikings,” Christian Benford shot back.
“See what I’m saying?” Douglas said.
Benford picked off Kirk Cousins as a rookie in 2022.
“It’s like getting your feet wet — it’s not like getting your feet wet, but it’s like alright, I got one,” Benford told the TH. “Because not many people get one. But you get one, and they come in bunches.”
All defensive backs take pride in that sort of moment. But for Hamlin, whose cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2023 in a primetime game in Cincinnati brought the NFL to a halt and frightened his teammates — before inspiring them on his way back to the field — it’s not just a “first,” it’s the latest marker on an incredible comeback story.
“Everybody, you’re gonna always remember your first one,” Douglas said. “You might not remember your 15th or your 16th, but you know the first one. So we (were) just happy as hell for him. You know what Damar’s been through, man, he grinds it out, and now he’s got an opportunity to run the show. So we’re all happy for him.”
In the Bills’ media room, Hamlin recounted following Lawrence’s eyes to get in position for the pick.
“I got my depth, and just watching the quarterback’s eyes, was able to make a break and make a play on the ball,” the fourth-year pro safety said. “Felt good, man. Felt good getting that first one out of the way.”
Asked about running out of the tunnel, introduced as a starter, Hamlin didn’t shy away from the connection to that harrowing night in Cincinnati either.
“Man, it was special,” he said. “We all know my last start on Monday Night Football and how that game went. So to be able to come all the way back from that, and to have a special moment like that, it’s all God right there. I’ve been giving Him the praise like crazy lately, because it wasn’t easy.
“But I’m super thankful to my teammates for just the support and the love. That was encouraging, and it makes all the emotions way easier when you just go out there and you think about, I just want to make plays for my teammates. It makes it all simple again.”
At the same media room table, Von Miller fielded a question about tying the late Derrick Thomas for 17th all-time in NFL sacks. Miller called Thomas his “idol” going back to his college days — his defensive coordinator at Texas A&M coached Thomas and Cornelius Bennett at Alabama, and Miller wore Thomas’ No. 58 in Denver — so it was a big milestone for the future Hall of Famer. But before answering the question, Miller acknowledged the man sitting next to him.
“It’s dope,” Miller said. “But, you know, Damar with his first interception, the crowd went crazy. Everybody ran out on the field. Man, it was inspiring.”
Ja’Marcus Ingram grabbed his first pick a week ago in Miami, then a second one, a pick-six. So memories of that career-first are still fresh. Ingram especially values picks since he just started playing defensive back in college, and only had one at that level.
Of Hamlin, Ingram noted, “Just to see his journey and everything that he’s been through, to even be out there on the field playing with us,” Ingram said. “Like, that’s an inspiration in itself, to see how much of a fighter he is and what type of spirit that he has, that God has blessed him to even be here with us. So it was an amazing and surreal feeling to see him make plays like that and be out there and just be the person that he is. It’s just a blessing to be able to see him make plays like that.”
Benford, Hamlin’s teammate of three years, reflected on the “joy” his interception brought to this team.
“We know how much time, effort, what goes on … we know what goes on behind closed doors,” Benford said. “But like, again, there’s still some doors that we don’t know about that he’s still pushing through, still grinding. And a blessing from God that he got. So we’re excited, more than happy, joyful for our brother to finally get him one. Blessings and joy. I’m speechless, almost. Because we know what everybody goes through behind closed doors.”
So what goes on behind those closed doors? What does the public not understand about Hamlin’s comeback?
“Making plays isn’t just luck. You gotta work for it,” Benford said. “You gotta trust God. You gotta put in the time and sacrifice, tears, sweat, love, pains, soreness. You gotta sacrifice. It’s not just some luck that happens, you know what I’m saying?”
