Damar Hamlin latest update: Bills safety still in 'critical condition' despite making progress over last 2 days

Damar Hamlin has been in the hearts of NFL fans and countless others around the nation since his incident on Monday Night Football. The Buffalo Bills safety collapsed on the field during the team's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was given medical attention by Buffalo's medical staff, including CPR by trainer Denny Kellington.

Eventually, an ambulance was called onto the field at Paycor Stadium, taking Hamilin off to the nearby University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Days after being at the medical center, the Bills tweeted out a recent update on Hamlin's condition. The safety remains in critical condition, but has made tremendous strides over the last 48 hours.

Dr. Timothy Pritts, of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, told the media via a conference call that Hamlin had begun to awaken earlier in the week. Dr. Pritts noted initial concerns regarding Hamlin's health, but noted his progress.

Dr. Pritts said:

"We had significant concern about him after the injury, but he is making substantial progress."

When Hamlin regained consciousness, one of the things he asked was who won the Week 17 game between the Bills and Bengals. According to Pritts, the doctor gave an answer.

The response was:

"Yes, Damar. You've won. You've won the game of life."

Speaking of games, Damar Hamlin spoke to the team ahead of the Bills' final regular-season game versus the New England Patriots.

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Damar Hamlin spoke to the team ahead of the their Week 18 game

Earlier in the week, the team announced that Damar Hamlin's breathing tube was removed overnight and he was able to speak to his family and care team. The Bills safety sent a message to the team Friday and spent time talking to several teammates via FaceTime.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott commented that he couldn't quite find the words to describe the team seeing and talking to Damar Hamlin.

McDermott said:

"Amazing, touching to see Damar, No. 1, through my own eyes. That's something that I've been looking forward to, kinda needing to see, I guess -- hate to say it that way, it sounds bad. But ... to watch the reaction in the room with the players and the staff and the team, they didn't know that we were going to do that and wanted to make sure that that was actually going to be able to happen with Damar's medical schedule there."

McDermott added:

"When I said we had a treat in store ... you could see the look on their eyes in anticipation of what was probably coming. To get the Zoom, and when he came on the screen -- to see the players' reaction, they stood up right away and clapped for him and yelled some things to him and it was a pretty cool exchange for a few seconds there."

Buffalo Bills players and other players around the league will honor Hamlin by wearing the No. 3 patch on their uniforms. The team will also outline every three on the 30-yard line in his honor. While he won't be on the field physically, Damar Hamlin will be playing in every Week 18 matchup.

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