Tyler Bass wasn’t the only botched special teams moment that sparked strong conversations after the Buffalo Bills fell to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 27-24.
Turns out there was another whiffed moment at Highmark Stadium involving the Bills’ special teams unit. However, this one involves, of all players, NFL Comeback Player of the Year Candidate Damar Hamlin.
Buffalo Bills Attempt Fake Punt With Damar Hamlin
Hamlin has won over the NFL world with his miraculous comeback from a cardiovascular scare one year ago against the Cincinnati Bengals. He managed to earn his playing time on special teams as he slowly made his way back into the Bills’ defensive lineup.
However, the Bills oddly used him for this 4th-and-5 punt fake with the Bills down three but having more than enough time to still win.
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/NQMIpTdGjJ
— ★★★★★ (@TSV__1) January 22, 2024
Hamlin ended up getting stuffed short of the needed mark to gain the first down. The Bills rolled out a play that, while they may have secretly practiced before, certainly have never run with Hamlin as the go-to option for the fake punt run.
That play call earned some widespread reactions online from viewers who watched the scene unfold, including former Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Antonio Brown on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Damar Hamlin got stuffed on the fake punt on 4th and 5
Why would @BuffaloBills call this 🙄🤦🏾♂️
— AB (@AB84) January 22, 2024
One fan was more on the amused side watching that sequence unfold.
“I’m sorry but this has to be the funniest play I ever seen this NFL Playoffs because why the bills run a fake punt with Damar Hamlin with their season on the line,” the fan posted.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, however, began thinking about what the narrative would’ve been had Hamlin converted that fourth-down situation.
“Obvious fake situation, but man, imagine if Damar Hamlin was the guy who finally got the Bills past the Chiefs. What a story that could’ve been,” Quinn posted.
Why Did the Bills Try the Fake? Sean McDermott Offers Explanation
After the game, head coach Sean McDermott was on the hot seat fielding questions on another failed attempt to knock off the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Among the hardball questions he got asked: What went into the decision to roll with the fake punt?
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“I just felt like we were having a hard time stopping them,” McDermott explained to reporters postgame. “And they were up three at the time. And I wanted to be aggressive.”
Sounds like a head coach who started losing confidence that the Bills’ defense would hold off a high-powered Chiefs offense that was finding its rhythm. Still, that baffling decision was made with the Bills in their own territory in the fourth quarter.
“We only get one chance. Obviously, it didn’t work,” McDermott said. “But it was a decision I made. And you live with it.”
But why opt for Hamlin instead of keeping Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Company out on the field?
“I hadn’t done it, the element of surprise maybe a little bit there. We felt good about the look going into the week — it’s just where we were on the field in relation to the element of surprise in that situation,” McDermott explained. “Obviously, we didn’t execute and get it done, but I’m just going to be aggressive there.”
Fortunately for McDermott and the Bills, the Chiefs were unable to score the rest of the night. However, Buffalo couldn’t muster any points either — as the game ended with Tyler Bass kicking it wide right.
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