For the second time in less than a year, the Buffalo Bills have 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 trailed the New York Giants, 6-0, on “Sunday Night Football.”
Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke dropped Harris, who went down after a one-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Buffalo 34-yard line.
Harris’ helmet appeared to hit Okereke squarely in the left shoulder.
A board was brought out to immobilize Harris and an ambulance came on the turf 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 for transport to a nearby hospital for additional testing.
Shortly after leaving the field, NBC’s Melissa Stark reported Harris has a neck injury and that he has movement in his arms and legs.
Bills coach Sean McDermott told the NBC broadcast after halftime that he did not have an immediate update on Harris’ condition.
The scene was eerily familiar to the one which played out in January 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 is inactive for Sunday’s game 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 New England Patriots.