Damar Hamlin attends first game since collapse

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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin attended Sunday's playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, his first game since he collapsed on the field earlier this month.

The Bills posted a video on Twitter of Hamlin donning sunglasses, a hoodie and a puffer jacket as he was driven by security to the team's locker room. The video, captioned "Welcome home," also showed Hamlin's mother and younger brother heading into the locker room separately.

Hamlin gave a locker room talk to his teammates ahead of the game, according to CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson.

Hamlin's visit to Highmark Stadium was his first public appearance since Jan. 2, when he collapsed after taking a hit to the chest from Bengals' wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin's locker room speech took place just before Sunday's AFC Divisional Round game — a rematch of the game that was canceled after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest.

The Bills tweeted a photo mid-game of Hamlin cheering on his team, holding up his signature heart hand gesture as the crowd roared in support.

The Bills would go on to lose to the Bengals 27-10 in Sunday's rematch. Following the loss, which eliminated the Bills from the playoffs and ended the team's season, Hamlin tweeted "We'll be back… don't even trip."

Despite his public appearance, Damar still faces a lengthy rehabilitation, his marketing representative told The Associated Press on Thursday night.