Pregame Notebook: Bengals Honor Damar 

Sights and sounds of Sunday’s Bengals-Ravens pregame at Paycor Stadium:

Six days after they helped save the life of Bills safety Damar Hamlin when he suffered a cardiac arrest during the game against the Bills, the Paycor paramedics gathered for a prayer on the same sidelines they stood sentry Monday night about fours before kickoff. At various moments Hamlin’s smile flashed on the scoreboard with the message, “Love For Damar.”

With news of Hamlin’s progress continuing to flow a couple of miles from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard arrived at Paycor wearing “More Than Football,” T-Shirt with Bills colors and Hamlin’s No. 3.

Not long after, Bengals long snapper Cal Adomitis, Hamlin’s teammate at Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High and the University of Pittsburgh, walked into the locker room wearing a replica of Hamlin’s game jersey. Word was another Pittsburgh native and alum and Hamlin friend, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, planned to do the same. He had been hoping get the jersey in a swap with Hamlin after Monday’s game.

At about 9:30 a.m., Bengals head coach Zac Taylor walked through the tunnel he took his team back into Monday night when it became clear there was no way anybody could play after Hamlin had been revived and taken to the hospital. Before walking across the field to meet ESPN, he spoke to Melanie Collins of CBS and in the same measured, unflappable tone that marked his impressive week in front of his players and media, he outlined the day.

Relief, gratefulness and prayers for Hamlin. Singular focus to win Sunday with plenty on the line for next week’s Wild Card Game. Taylor didn’t have to say it. The stakes range from home field in a game against these very Ravens to possibly going from No. 3 to No. 2 in the AFC seedings.

After Taylor exited, his players, grim and quiet, began to slowly take the field for warmups dressed in black “Love For Damar,” T-Shirts. Quarterback Joe Burrow, looking to break his…