Monday was going pretty well.

I was in the middle of my usual “evening before returning to work” routine. I finished folding laundry and was making dinner. Yeah, that’s right, I can cook a little bit. I had the Monday Night Football game on, but the sound was off as I was getting things ready in the kitchen.

My phone, which was sitting on the counter, started buzzing like crazy. I picked it up to see that Bills safety Damar Hamlin had collapsed on the field and was being administered CPR. I whirled around to the TV and saw players clutching their heads, crying and hugging each other.

It was one of those rare moments when you don’t know what to do. How did this happen? Who? What? Where? But all that faded fast. Once my mind focused I kept saying to myself, “Come on, kid. Pull through.”

And then I felt something strange: hope.

Because other than in a hospital, Hamlin had his medical emergency in an almost perfect spot. At any NFL game, there are doctors, trainers and EMTs all over the place with an ambulance at the ready. Seconds after Hamlin collapsed, he was receiving CPR. And as we found out later, those first responders were able to restart his heart on the field.

Some minutes later, Hamlin was in the ambulance and off to the hospital. And that’s when the real torture began, because as Tom Petty so aptly put it, the waiting is the hardest part. And we waited, and waited and waited.

We all watched newscasters and talking heads speak in circles. I felt sympathy for them. Their emotions were raw and the fact that there was no more information to convey, other than what we all saw on live TV, made for an awkward experience. Talk about a tough gig.

Monday night turned into Tuesday, then Wednesday and while he was still listed in critical condition, the fact that Hamlin was still with us meant to me that he was fighting. And my hope kept growing, even though I was worried about how much damage his lungs sustained. I also kept my fingers crossed that his brain didn’t go without oxygen for too long.

Then on Thursday came the news that Hamlin has shown “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” according to doctors.

“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,” the Bills said. “His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”

And one little nugget from the story made me laugh.

“Last night he was able to emerge and follow commands and even asked who had won the game.” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Now that’s a player right there.

Obviously, Hamlin has a long road ahead of him, as he’s still listed in critical condition. But the fact that he’s been able to gradually wake up and be able to respond to people around him undoubtedly fills us all with joy.

And hope for the future. We’re with you, Damar. Get after it.

SO, WHAT NOW?

As the NFL has said, Week 18 is going to go on as scheduled. As I write this, the league has reportedly decided that the suspended Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed. That’s a good thing. Nobody wants to revisit the memory of that night. Both teams will just finish the season with 16 games each and the league can use winning percentage or one of the other 1,784 tiebreakers (I’m guessing) they have on hand.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 18

All of us in the NFL world have been thrown for a loop. If watching games this weekend feels too soon, that’s completely understandable.

Chiefs at Raiders: Kansas City can possibly stake its claim to the AFC’s top seed with a win.

Titans at Jaguars: The fate of a terrible division boils down to this.

Jets at Dolphins: Miami has fallen out of the playoff bubble and need a victory here to possibly get back in.

Browns at Steelers: Mike Tomlin’s streak of seasons with at least a .500 record is on the line.

Giants at Eagles: Philly needs a win or a Dallas loss to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Cardinals at 49ers: San Francisco can amazingly steal the top seed with a win and some help.

Cowboys at Commanders: Big D is also in line for the top spot.

Rams at Seahawks: Seattle currently has the final playoff spot. If they win here and the Lions beat the Packers, they’ll be in the postseason.

Lions at Packers: The Sunday night game could clinch a playoff spot for the winner. If the Packers win, they’re in. The Lions will need to win and hope the Rams take care of business in Seattle. Good luck with that.

Sid Saraf
Sid Saraf

NFL Analyst

Currently a Mobile Editor at Yahoo, Saraf spent 5.5 years (Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2016) working for FOX Sports as an NFL Editor and Writer. Prior to that, Saraf worked for CBS Interactive for 4.5 years (May 2006 – Oct. 2010) as a Staff Editor.

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