After as emotional a week as the Buffalo Bills could have, their entire stadium became unglued after their first play since Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field last Tuesday (AEDT).
Nyheim Hines of the Bills returned the opening kickoff against the Patriots 96 yards for a touchdown in 13 seconds, sending everyone at Highmark Stadium into a frenzy with Hamlin watching the game from his hospital in Cincinnati.
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“OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Hamlin wrote on Twitter after Hines’ touchdown. “FREE HINES.”
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BENGALS STAR’S CHEEKY CELEBRATION AIMED AT NFL
Joe Mixon turned his unhappiness into a touchdown celebration.
On Thursday, the Bengals running back expressed his frustration with the way the NFL tweaked its playoff procedures to adjust for the Bills-Bengals game being cancelled in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest.
The changes meant that if the Bengals lost to the Ravens on Sunday, the league would flip a coin to determine home-field advantage for their playoff rematch.
So on Sunday, when Mixon ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, he had his prop ready.
Upon entering the end zone, he took off his gloves, where he had a coin stored, and flipped it to mock the potential playoff scenario.
Mixon’s touchdown gave the Bengals a 10-0 lead, which if they held on to, no coin toss would even be necessary.
Cincinnati took a 24-7 lead into halftime.
The NFL rulebook states that if a game is cancelled, playoff seeding is determined by final winning percentage.
Even if the Bengals lost to the Ravens on Sunday, their record would be 11-5 to the Ravens’ 11-6, meaning Cincinnati would still be the better seed entering the playoffs and therefore host Baltimore.
But news of the NFL tweaking its playoff procedure to adjust for the unprecedented Bills-Bengals situation led Mixon to tweet, “So we not following the rules no more.”
The Bengals would go on to secure a 27-16 win over the Ravens to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record.
TEXANS WIN WITH LAST-GASP TD… BUT LOSE NO. 1 DRAFT PICK IN THE PROCESS
The Houston Texans gift-wrapped the No. 1 draft pick and handed it to the Chicago Bears after the former enjoyed a last-minute victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and the scoreboard at 31-24 in favour of the Colts, the Texans had the ball deep in Indianapolis territory with just 50 seconds remaining on the clock.
Remarkably, Houston QB Davis Mills somehow found Jordan Akins in the end zone as his Hail Mary pass went straight through the hands of a Colts defender to score a touchdown.
With the score now at 31-30, the Texans had the opportunity to take a one-point conversion to send the contest to overtime or to go for the two-point conversion and secure a win.
The crucial twist was that a loss would leave the Texans with the first pick of the 2023 draft, but a win would hand it to the Bears.
Instead, Houston coach Lovie Smith decided to put it all on the line and went for a two-point conversion.
The Texans’ two-point attempt was successful as Akins delivered once again to secure a 3-13-1 record for his side and handing the Bears, who finished the regular season 3-14, the No. 1 pick.
Safe to say, Houston fans didn’t quite know how to celebrate the victory that well and truly seemed like a defeat in the long run.
THIRD-STRING DOLPHINS ROOKIE SAVES THE DAY AGAINST JETS
Miami Dolphins’ rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson miraculously did enough to secure the franchise a playoff spot with a narrow win over the New York Jets.
What was expected to be a low-scoring affair was exactly that in a battle of third-string quarterbacks.
A 50-yard field goal by Miami’s Jason Sanders with 18 seconds left was the difference before a safety on the final play solidified an 11-6 Jets loss as the Dolphins clinched a playoff berth.
Miami got in thanks to the Patriots’ loss to the Bills.
The Jets finished a once-promising season at 7-10, losing their final six consecutive games.
Joe Flacco got the start at quarterback for the Jets with Mike White injured and Zach Wilson benched.
The 37-year-old was 18-for-33 with 149 yards.
Thompson started for the Dolphins with both Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater out injured.
Thompson went 20-for-31 with 152 yards. There were zero touchdowns scored in the game.
Sanders made a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter before Greg Zuerlein tied it with a 32-yarder before halftime.
Sanders converted from 27 yards out in the third, and Zuerlein made a 35-yarder early in the fourth.
FULL SCORES
Steelers 28-14 Browns
Bengals 27-16 Ravens
Bears 13-29 Vikings
Bills 35-23 Patriots
Dolphins 11-6 Jets
Falcons 30-17 Buccaneers
Saints 7-10 Panthers
Colts 31-32 Texans
49ers v Cardinals
Commanders v Cowboys
Seahawks v Rams
Eagles v Giants
Broncos v Chargers
Packers v Lions
