During the final two minutes of the Buffalo Bills‘ 24-10 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, quarterback Mac Jones nearly drilled a trash-time touchdown to receiver Jakobi Meyers, but the pass was shut down by a huge hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Shawn Hochuli’s referee crew flagged Hamlin for unnecessary roughness and ejected him from the game for hitting a defenseless receiver, which quickly sparked a major debate on Twitter. Several NFL analysts believed the referee’s call was excessive.
Syracuse.com‘s Matt Parrino tweeted, “To be clear, there’s no way Damar Hamlin thinks about stopping himself as he’s trying to defend from a touchdown. He tried to put a hit on the receiver and attempted to use his shoulder. Didn’t think it was dirty. Not much else he could do IMO. Also, saved a TD.”
Damar Hamlin ejected for this t.co/IL1Z0pkn8P
Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Robert Griffin III tweeted, “That hit by Hamlin would have been praised in a different era of football,” while Democrat & Chronicle‘s Sal Maiorana surmised, “Damar Hamlin disqualified for playing football.”
A Cover 1 host tweeted, “I mean, what do you want Hamlin to do there? He isn’t head hunting it’s just a football play.”
Bills fans were empathetic toward Hamlin as it’s unclear how he could’ve avoided the hit unless he stopped playing in general, which would’ve easily allowed the Patriots to score. “Next time he should just let him catch the td right?” one man tweeted, while another fan wrote, “Penalty, yes, DQ, no. What else could he have done.”
Per the NFL’s guidelines, Hamlin will be slapped with a $15,914 fine for the hit.
Meyers was Evaluated for a Head Injury After the Game, He’s ‘Okay’
GettySafety Damar Hamlin #3 and safety Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills break up a pass intended for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers #16 of the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Hamlin was ejected for the hit on the play.
While Bills fans were defensive of Hamlin, Patriots fans were not happy with him at all. One New England Fan tweeted, “That was so unnecessary. They were up and even if we did score it wouldn’t have changed anything. He should be ejected for multiple games for that hit.” Another Pats fan wrote, “Meyers catches a touchdown and gets murdered by a jerkoff bills player. What a stupid night. Goodnight.”
Boston Globe‘s Ben Volin tweeted, “Ugly hit on Jakobi Meyers. He got up and walked off OK, but now the trainers are checking him on the bench.” The 26-year-old NC State alum was initially listed as questionable to play against the Bills due to a shoulder injury, but exited the game after the hit to checked out for a potential head injury.
After the matchup, MassLive reporter Mark Daniels tweeted that Meyers said he’s okay “after being evaluated for a head injury,” which is great news for one of the Patriots’ top wide receivers. Heading into Week 13, Meyers led the team with 571 yards receiving and three receiving touchdowns, per Pro Football Talk. He’s second on the team with 47 catches. Against the Bills, Meyers only recorded three catches for 22 yards.
Hamlin Came Under Fire for a Controversial Hit on Steelers QB in Week 5
Damar Hamlin’s filthy — or as the ref called it, ‘legal’ — hit on Kenny Pickett:
This isn’t the first time Hamlin’s hits have become a topic of debate. During the Bills’ 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, quarterback Kenny Pickett ran the ball himself for 10 yards into the Bills’ red zone and started to slide near the right sideline when he was hit by Hamlin.
While the refs did not throw a flag for a late hit, Steelers right guard James Daniels took the situation into his own hands and shoved Hamlin to the ground after the play, causing a fight to break out on the sidelines.
Daniels and Steelers’ lineman Kevin Dotson, clearly incensed by what appeared to them as a late hit on their quarterback, were both flagged for unnecessary roughness. However, Hamlin told reporters after the game that he made the play with no ill intentions against his friend. The Bills safety and Pickett were teammates together at the University of Pittsburgh.
Here’s what Damar Hamlin had to say after the game about his hit on #Steelers QB Kenny Pickett.
“Like I told him on the field, you’re my brother. I’m not going to hurt you or play dirty.”
“You see there was no flag,” Hamlin said. “But like I told him on the field, ‘You’re my brother. I’m not going to hurt you or play dirty.’ He know that. I’m playing within the lines of the game. If you supposed to slide, you gotta slide or you’re gonna get hit.”
Daniels, however, couldn’t believe Hamlin didn’t get penalized. “He’s our franchise QB,” Daniels said of Pickett. “I’m shocked they didn’t throw the flag.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had more of an issue with the referees. “I had a problem that the officials didn’t have a problem,” Tomlin said. “Not necessarily Hamlin. I love Hamlin. He’s a 412-er. He plays hard. He’s a good kid. I have a problem that it wasn’t officiated in a way that I anticipated it being officiated.”
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Twitter Strongly Reacts to Bills Safety’s Ejection From Patriots Game