Buffalo’s Nyheim Hines returned kickoffs 96 and 101 yards for touchdowns on Sunday as the Bills captured a No. 2 playoff seeding with an emotional 35-23 victory over New England, eliminating the Patriots from playoff contention.
The Philadelphia Eagles took the No. 1 seed in the National Football Conference after a 22-16 win over the New York Giants on the final day of the regular season, but the Green Bay Packers missed out on the playoffs after losing at home to the Detroit Lions 20-16, allowing the Seattle Seahawks to take the last available spot in the National Football Conference.
In their first game since Buffalo defender Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was revived on the field on Monday last week, the Bills set up a home playoff game next week against Miami.
Photo: AFP
The Dolphins ground out an 11-6 win over the New York Jets to make the post-season for the first time in six years.
It was an emotional return for the Bills. Hundreds of supportive signs for Hamlin and his recovery were on display as a crowd of more than 71,000 watched the Bills play host to New England.
Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards to deliver an electric start.
New England’s Jakobi Meyers caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones in response.
Josh Allen capped a 75-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown toss to Dawson Knox to give Buffalo another lead, but again New England equalized on a two-yard Jones touchdown pass to DeVante Parker, making it 14-14 at halftime.
Nick Folk’s 24-yard field goal after a Devin McCarty fumble recovery gave the Patriots their first lead early in the third quarter, but Hines responded with a 101-yard kickoff return in another shocker — there had been only four kickoff return touchdowns all season — and Buffalo reclaimed the lead.
Allen added a 42-yard touchdown pass to John Brown for a 28-17 Bills lead, but Jones and Parker combined on a 26-yard touchdown pass to lift New England within 28-23, but a two-point conversion attempt failed.
Allen answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to create the final margin.
“I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life,” Allen said when asked about the remarkable start to the game. “It was just spiritual.”
Miami’s Jason Sanders kicked his third field goal of the game, a 50-yarder, with 18 seconds remaining to give the Dolphins an 11-6 victory over the visiting New York Jets.
That combined with New England’s loss gave Miami the last American Football Conference playoff berth.
The Dolphins’ third choice quarterback Skylar Thompson started and did a solid job, throwing for 152 yards in the low-scoring game.
“Nobody was telling me that I had to be a hero,” Thompson said. “It may not have been pretty, but we got the job done.”
Having squandered two prior chances to take the top seed and a first-round bye, the Eagles finally finished the job albeit in less-than-impressive fashion.
Philadelphia led 16-0 at halftime thanks to three field goals from Jake Elliott and a first-quarter, eight-yard touchdown rush from Boston Scott.
Elliott ended with a career-high five field goals as the Eagles, with Jalen Hurts back from injury at quarterback, secured a franchise-best 14th win of the season.
The San Francisco 49ers took the second seed after beating the Arizona Cardinals 38-13, with Brock Prudy throwing for 178 yards and three touchdowns.
Elijah Mitchell rushed for two touchdowns and 55 yards on five carries as the 49ers ensured they ended with a 13-4 record.
The 49ers face Seattle in the wild-card round after they beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 with a field goal in overtime from Jason Myers.
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