Buffalo Bills RB Damien Harris suffered a scary injury on Sunday Night Football, and for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, seeing the ambulance come on the field for a player down with a neck injury brought back bad memories of Ryan Shazier’s injury on Monday Night Football. Shazier was one of many people around football to tweet in support of Harris after the ambulance came on the field to take him off.
“Lord can you put your hands of protection over D. Harris. Allow him a healthy recovery hope its only a scare,” Shazier tweeted on Sunday Night.
It was the second time in as many years that the Buffalo Bills have had to deal with a serious injury to one of their own, as on Monday Night Football in Week 17 last season, safety Damar Hamlin also suffered an injury after a blow to the chest. Luckily, Hamlin was able to make a full recovery and return to the field, and the early reports on Harris are sound positive. The Buffalo Bills PR account tweeted that Harris, who suffered a neck injury, has movement in his arms in his arms and legs.
Harris gave a thumbs-up to the crowd at Highmark Stadium as he exited the field on a stretcher. It’s always awful to see a player exit the field in that manner, and hopefully, Harris’ injury will allow him to return to the field. Shazier unfortunately was never able to come back after his injury, but he now serves as an NFL analyst and has his own podcast, Don’t Call It A Comeback, as a part of the Wondery Podcast Network.
Harris, a fifth-year back out of Alabama, had some success early in his career as a member of the New England Patriots, running for 929 yards for the Patriots in 2021. He’s in his first season with Buffalo and has worked primarily as a backup to RB James Cook with the Bills. So far this season, he has 23 carries for 94 yards.
The Bills announced that Harris is heading to the hospital for further testing, which is standard when a player suffers a serious injury to the head or neck area. Harris went down with 3:15 left in the second quarter after a tackle from Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke, and Harris was motionless on the field as the ambulance came out.
It’s a good sign at least that he has movement in his extremities, and we at Steelers Depot are hoping for a speedy recovery for Harris. Shazier knows all too well the toll that one hit can take on a player’s body and their playing career, and it’s good to see him offer support for Harris.
