Over two years after suffering from cardiac arrest on a football field, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had a strong game in the AFC Wild Card round against the Denver Broncos.
Hamlin finished the day with four total tackles – including a solo tackle – in the 31-7 demolition of the Broncos at home in Orchard Park.
But a highlight for Hamlin came toward the end of the game when he dove to catch an interception off Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Hamlin snagged the ball and then ran off to celebrate – taking his helmet and a protective neck layer off before jumping into the crowd of Bills fans.
It was a wonderful moment – only to immediately been undone when officials ruled that the ball had hit the ground before he was able to catch it, overturning the interception and ruling it an incomplete pass.
Cameras caught a stunned Hamlin staring up at a video board with his mouth open in disbelief.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin runs off to the end zone after an interception vs. Denver
Hamlin celebrated with Bills fans, only for officials to overturn the call as an incomplete pass
Fans took to social media to make fun of Hamlin for his celebration on Sunday afternoon
That led some NFL fans taking to social media to mock Hamlin for celebrating an interception that wasn’t.
‘He ain’t even catch the ball doing all that,’ one user on X, formerly Twitter, posted.
Another user commented, ‘Bro stay reaching for a Disney moment. Know damn well that ball hit the ground.’
‘If the catch was as good as the celebration, maybe it would have been a pick,’ another user joked.
Another comment read, ‘Cringe as f***. Dude didn’t even pick it off.’
This season, Hamlin has had a much greater impact than in the 2023 season, when he spent plenty of time recovering from the incident in Cincinnati that left him in a hospital after tackling a Bengals wide receiver.
In the 2024 regular season, Hamlin played in 14 games, made 89 total tackles (62 solo tackles), and snagged two interceptions.
He’ll look to improve on that mark in the AFC Divisional round next week when the Bills host the Baltimore Ravens.
