While the emotional scream of “Let’s Go Buffalo!” cheers for wounded Bills safety Damar Hamlin was still vibrating through the stadium, another clamor quickly erupted when Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
After Hines returned another kickoff 101 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the Bills’ 35-23 victory over the New England Patriots, the crowd erupted in chants of “Hamlin! Hamlin! Hamlin!” and the Bills players held up three fingers in tribute to the No. 3 jersey of the wounded safety.
The Bills’ doubts about their ability to compete six days after witnessing Hamlin’s miraculous recovery on the field in Cincinnati were put to rest before the game had even begun.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a play that moved me so much. Josh Allen, a quarterback, said it was “probably first” in importance. To put it simply, it’s religious. That is the best one I’ve ever seen somebody come up with in either drawing or writing.
“OMFG!!!!!!” Hamlin, who has spent the week recuperating at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, tweeted from his hospital bed.
After Hines’ second touchdown, he tweeted once more, “HINES FREE.” According to Head Coach Sean McDermott, the team called Hamlin and asked him to count down the last huddle from the locker room.
Hines, who was traded to Buffalo from Indianapolis two months ago, became only the eleventh player in NFL history and the first since Leon Washington of Seattle in 2010 to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game.
Hines reflected on the message Hamlin’s father, Mario, provided to the squad on Wednesday, encouraging them to play, saying, “I feel like we needed this win as a community.” His words were, “That’s what Damar wanted; he would want us to push forward and win against New England.”
Although Hines was the game’s spark plug, the Bills were still thinking a lot about 24-year-old Hamlin after he addressed the team via videoconference on Friday and told them, “Love you, lads.”
Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who had doubted he’d ever play again after suffering a knee injury in November 2021, couldn’t contain his elation after recording his first interception of the year.
White recalled that Hamlin had texted his defensive secondary teammates to say sorry for the emotional toll he had taken on them by using a curse to describe how tough last week had been.
That he would care enough to check on us, you ask? He said, white. To quote the movie: “I want to hug the (heck) out of him.”
After scoring a 42-yard touchdown for the Bills, wideout John Brown presented the ball to assistant trainer Denny Kellington. Kellington’s rapid action on the field in administering CPR to revive Hamlin’s heartbeat has earned him much praise.
The Bills have shown perseverance by elevating Buffalo’s spirits in the face of hardship over the last year, from a terrible Christmas snowstorm to a fatal grocery mass shooting in May. Despite the emotional and psychological trauma of Hamlin’s on-field collapse, Buffalo’s (13-3) victory sealed the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
Next Sunday, the Bills will host the Dolphins in the wild-card round.
With Miami’s victory over the New York Jets, the Patriots (8-9) were eliminated from playoff contention for the second time in three years and for only the fourth time in Bill Belichick’s 23-year coaching career.
With 8:51 left in the game, Buffalo went up 35-23 on a touchdown grab by Stefon Diggs, who had made it a point to visit Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after the game in Cincinnati was suspended.
As Allen walked off the field with his hands raised, the sold-out crowd, many of whom were wearing No. 3 Hamlin shirts and jerseys and holding up red hearts in the player’s honor, erupted as one.
The subsequent kickoff resulted in a touchback, and the entire Bills special teams unit ran into the end zone to celebrate with the fans. All of a sudden, the crowd erupted into a deafening clamor.
All told, Allen was 19 for 31, throwing for 254 yards, three scores, and an interception.
However, they were unable to close the season strong, losing five of their last seven games despite needing only one victory to secure a postseason berth.
Very pleased with the effort and results of our team. Belichick, who is tied with Don Shula for the most postseason appearances by an NFL coach with 19, admitted after the game that “collectively, players, coaches, we just weren’t good enough today.”
This is a day where we dropped several opportunities and allowed some big plays. That’s what decided the game, right there.
All three of Mac Jones’ interceptions occurred in the second half, as he completed only 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns (two to DeVante Parker).
In the final six minutes, Jones had two interceptions in a row.
Jones’s deep pass over the middle on third-and-19 from Buffalo’s 22 was dropped by tight end Hunter Henry and picked intercepted by linebacker Matt Milano.
On the Patriots’ next drive, Tremaine Edmunds intercepted a pass intended for Damien Harris but intercepted it instead.
