Bills' Josh Allen talks Damar Hamlin ahead of return to Cincinnati

The Buffalo Bills (5-3) will play at the Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) this coming Sunday night for the first time since Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin nearly lost his life at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium on Jan. 2.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen reflected on all he and his teammates endured after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest in front of a "Monday Night Football" audience. 

"The weeks after that and getting the positive updates on Damar, obviously, that helped our team and our mentality a lot," Allen explained during the latest edition of the "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "It’s a lot for a team to go through, though. I think that it weighed on us quite heavily throughout the rest of the season and, you know, it was constantly on our minds. But for him to come back and obviously make the squad and be an inspiration, not just to us, but so many people in the world, he’s done so much good." 

Hamlin required CPR on the field this past January before he was taken to a local hospital and ultimately stabilized. The Bills, meanwhile, entered the playoffs with a record of 13-3 before they earned a wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo then fell to the Bengals at home in the tournament's following round, and Bills players later admitted they experienced an "emotionally draining" season for a handful of reasons. 

As for Hamlin, he made the Bills' initial 53-man roster in August but has been active for only a single game this season. It's unclear if he'll play in Cincinnati, but Allen noted how the 25-year-old has made massive contributions off the field as it pertains to "bringing awareness to CPR and raising money" so high schools and other youth teams have defibrillators at events. 

"I think that that’s so freaking cool that he’s been able to turn such a tragic moment in his life into such a positive movement that could very well end up saving people’s lives," Allen added about Hamlin. "And I think that’s very powerful in itself." 

As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed Hamlin as the betting favorite at -105 odds to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors for this season. That same outlet had the Bills as three-point underdogs against the Bengals regarding what will be an emotional contest for both clubs.