Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen speak about Damar Hamlin

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen spoke to the media Thursday for the first time this week.

On Monday night Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. His heartbeat was restored and he was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment.

The Bills announced Thursday morning that the doctors caring for Hamlin said he has shown "remarkable improvement" over the past 24 hours. The statement continued on to say: "While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress." In a press conference Thursday afternoon, doctors said Hamlin was awake, communicating in writing, and moving his hands and feet.

Later Thursday McDermott and Allen addressed the media. McDermott started the press conference by telling reporters "this press conference is about Damar Hamlin, whom we love. It's about his parents, Mario and Nina, and their extended family. We continue to pray for them during this time and Damar is and remains our number one concern."

McDermott continued on to thank several different people including first responders on the field, the medical staff of both the Bills and Bengals, and the staff at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

"The amount of faith, hope, and love that we saw on display over the last three days has been nothing short of amazing," said McDermott.

The Bills coach said the team has been getting incremental updates on Hamlin from either the staff that is still in Cincinnati or the medical staff at the hospital.

When asked about McDermott's leadership after Hamlin's collapse on the field, Allen responded "he was the perfect man in that situation, to handle that type of situation. I can't say enough about what he did, what he said to us in the locker room." Allen continued on to say that you lose sleep, you hurt, and have a lot of shared grief, but getting positive updates eases the pain and tension.

The Bills quarterback said the scene replays over and over in his head so it's hard to describe how he and his teammates felt in the moment. He added that practicing Thursday was really good for the team, but said some people will be changed forever after what they went through on Monday.

Coach McDermott told reporters the Bills have in-house staff for player counseling, but they've also had additional counselors available the last few days.

According to McDermott, Damar's father spoke to the team Wednesday and his message was that the team needs to get back to focusing on the goals they set for themselves, Damar would have wanted it that way. McDermott said speaking with Damar's father and the positive news they received Thursday morning has helped as the team prepares to play New England on Sunday.

"His dad said the first thing he's gonna ask when he wakes up is 'who won the game?' and sure enough that's what he did," said Allen. "As teammates, you love hearing that response that the first thing on his mind wasn't 'poor me' it was 'how are my teammates doing? Did we win this game?' and that's powerful in itself."

In a follow-up question, McDermott was asked how the team overcomes this and he responded "how do I know that we'll be able to overcome? We have to. Just like we've done many times before in this city and the people
of Western New York that have dealt with what they've dealt with, that's what you do. I've never been around a city or a region like this that is so in sync, their teams and the fan base... this is what Western New York and the fans of the Buffalo Bills, this is what we do."

When asked about the donations that have been made to Hamlin's "Chasing M's Foundation," coach McDermott was clearly emotional and said, "it's amazing to know the impact that this has had on so many people and for now Damar to be awake and his mom to be able to share that with him is incredible."

Toward the end of the press conference, reporters asked what the team expect's Sunday to be like at Highmark Stadium and McDermott said knowing the fan base and the connection they have with the team, he thinks it's going to be very emotional for everyone there and unlike anything he has ever seen before.

After Allen and McDermott spoke, Bills center Mitch Morse and cornerback Dane Jackson also spoke. You can watch both press conferences in full in the video player above.