For the second time in less than a year, the Bills watched a player require immediate medical attention during a national prime-time broadcast.
Bills running back Damien Harris went down with 3:15 left in the second quarter as Buffalo played the Giants, and a board was brought out to immobilize Harris and an ambulance took him off the field.
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris, center, is hit by New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II (97) during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Harris was injured on the play. AP
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris is attended to by medical staff after taking a hard hit against the New York Giants during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. AP
An ambulance waits on the field as medical staff attend to Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. APBills coach Sean McDermott told the NBC broadcast after halftime that he did not have an immediate update on Harris’ condition, but he told reporters postgame that all of Harris’ tests had come back normal.
“You never want to see that,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen told reporters postgame. “That’s the ugly part of the game … The juice that he brings and the tough-nosed running that he brings to this offense, you can’t really replace it. I’m hoping he’s alright. I haven’t gotten an update yet.
“I did see him moving, so obviously that’s a positive sign but praying for him, him and his family, and hopefully we can get an update on him soon.”
Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke dropped Harris, who went down after a one-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Buffalo 34-yard line.
Damien Harris left Sunday’s game on an ambulance after getting injured in the second quarter. Screengrab via Twitter/@jasrifootball
Damien Harris was injured in the second quarter of the Bills’ game against the Giants. Screengrab via Twitter/@awfulannouncingHarris’ helmet appeared to hit Okereke squarely in the left shoulder.
Bills trainers and medical staff rushed from the sideline to help Harris before a silenced sold-out crowd at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The game was delayed for about five minutes while players from both teams gathered around him on the field.
According to the broadcast, Harris gave a thumbs-up as he was loaded onto the ambulance, which had Hamlin’s No. 3 across its doors, for transport to a nearby hospital for additional testing.
The Associated Press reported a cheer went up when Harris raised his thumb.
Shortly after the ambulance left the stadium, NBC’s Melissa Stark reported Harris has a neck injury and that he has movement in his arms and legs.
The scene was eerily familiar to the one which played out on Jan. 2 when the Bills watched safety Damar Hamlin go into cardiac arrest during “Monday Night Football” and require CPR before being transported to a Cincinnati-area hospital.
Hamlin was inactive for Sunday’s game, which the Giants lost when a last-second attempt for a touchdown failed, and was seen with his head down on the bench as he watched the medical staff attend to Harris.
The 26-year-old Harris is in his first season with the Bills after spending four seasons with the Patriots.
