Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Hamlin’s journey from his on-field emergency against the Bengals, to his two days of being sedated and intubated while listed in critical condition, to his rapid improvement late last week, to being discharged from University of Cincinnati Medical Center and flown back to Buffalo, to being sent home Wednesday, has captivated the nation, and even the world.’

‘If he can’t play, and backup Teddy Bridewater is recovered enough from the broken thumb he suffered in Week 17 at New England to start, the Dolphins are 10-point underdogs. And if neither can play and the Dolphins have to go with rookie Skylar Thompson, the spread balloons to 14 points.’

‘“I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health, air care and bubble care crew, including teammates who are with us on the field when Damar collapsed,” Knight continued. “He landed safely and as standard as anybody who has gone through what he’s gone through this past week, and certainly after flying on a plane, he is going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there’s no impact from the flight of his condition or on his lungs.”‘

‘And then in the third quarter, with the Bills listing a bit against a fired up New England team, he did it again, this time going 101 yards for a go-ahead touchdown which ultimately sent the Bills on their way to a tense, hard-fought 35-23 victory.’

‘“I think a little bit,” quarterback Josh Allen said when he was asked if it was tough to steady the nerves and control the emotions that were coursing through the veins of every player. “Sitting there, national anthem, I know some guys had some tears rolling down and just a feeling of uncertainty of what it was gonna feel like to go back out there.”’

‘With Hamlin out, the Bills had to turn to third-string safety Dean Marlowe who, since returning to the Bills in a trade from Atlanta, had played all of one defensive snap before Sunday. He held his own, but there were definitely times when the secondary had problems, especially with WR Devante Parker who caught six passes for 79 yards and two TDs. Nothing new for him because he used to kill the Bills when he played for Miami.’

‘You’d be hard-pressed to walk down Southwestern Boulevard without passing Hamlin jerseys and No. 3s posted everywhere. That includes Fay Street, where the Bills Mafia House sits next door to the Bills stadium. Hamburg’s Shane Prouty fixed the house nine years ago before it turned into a popular tailgating destination.’

‘The Bills will now wind up the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the conference after the NFL amended its postseason format following the cancellation of the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game in Week 17. It’s also possible the AFC Championship Game is played at a neural site.

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 23, New England Patriots 14.’

‘Given all that, this is a game that will appeal to far more than just the regular Sunday afternoon crowd and there will be a massive amount of eyeballs on Orchard Park.’

‘It was clear that it was going to be a logistical nightmare to try to wedge the resumption of the game – which ended with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter when Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest – into the schedule with the regular season ending Sunday.’

‘According to the Bills, Chris Brown will continue to perform play-by-play duties on the Bills Radio Network while Murphy recovers.’

‘“Yeah, probably won’t be able to do it justice, honestly, with words,” he said when asked to describe what it was like in the room when Hamlin’s face appeared on the screen. “Amazing, touching, to see Damar, No. 1 through my own eyes. I know that’s something I’ve been looking forward to, kind of needing to see I guess. And then to watch the reaction in the room with the players and the staff and the team. They didn’t know that we were going to do that, we wanted to make sure that that was actually going to be able to happen with Damar’s medical schedule there.”‘

‘“Last night, he was able to emerge and follow commands, and even asked who had won the game,” said Dr. Timothy Pritts, professor in the Department of Surgery at the UCMC’s College of Medicine, and Division Chief of General Surgery and Vice Chair for Clinical Operations at UC Health.’

‘“We heard that news this morning and there’s nothing that could have been told to us to bring our day down,” quarterback Josh Allen said to a jam-packed room full of reporters. “We’re extremely happy for him and his family. We just want to love up on him the next chance we get. I don’t know when it’s going to be; hopefully we get to see him soon, and it’s going to be awesome.”’