National Football League

Emotional Bills look electric as Josh Allen, Nyhiem Hines have huge days

Updated Jun. 8, 2023 3:55 p.m. ET

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Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Kickoff returner Nyheim Hines did a favor to whoever ends up writing the biopic about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Because on the opening kickoff of the first Bills game in the wake of Hamlin's cardiac arrest, Hines took the ball to the house for a touchdown.

There was no shortage of emotion at Highmark Stadium. Coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane were both crying. 

It felt magical. Surreal.

"I can't remember a play that touched me like that," quarterback Josh Allen said after the game. "It was just spiritual."

Hamlin tweeted his excitement from UC Medical Center, where he continues his recovery after he collapsed on the field Monday during the Bills' game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

It felt even more special when Hines scored his second kickoff return touchdown later in the game. And while the Patriots stuck around — with New England's playoff hopes on the line — the Bills managed to pull off the 35-23 victory and eliminate their division rival from postseason contention.

"It was electric," Hines said on Sunday after the game. "All that was for [Hamlin]. I feel like he was out there with us."

Aside from those outstanding and shocking plays, the Bills played their game. And that's a good thing. Buffalo looked like themselves. The Bills managed the extreme emotions surrounding Hamlin and took care of business.

That didn't mean they didn't feel Hamlin's presence. Tight end Dawson Knox did a tribute to Hamlin during a touchdown celebration. Hines gave his touchdown ball to Denny Killington, who administered CPR on Hamlin. And after the game, Hamlin broke the huddle down in the locker room by making an appearance over FaceTime.

But the Bills appeared focused on football between the whistles.

"I feel like that [adversity] only makes us stronger," linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said after the game. 

Did they feel the challenges of managing their emotions?

"I think a little bit," Allen said. "Sitting there [during] the national anthem, I know some guys had some tears rolling down and just a lot of just the feeling of uncertainty of what it will feel like to go back out there. But Nyheim kind of put that to rest and our special teams helped a lot with that."

Yes, Allen threw an interception in the red zone, his fifth of the year. But that's been a part of his game this year. Because for every costly interception, he generates three or four or five touchdowns for the offense — with a play or two that only he can make. The clearest example of that? Well, there were a few jaw-dropping throws.

On a second-and-10 in the third quarter, Allen rolled out of the pocket and improvised by sending receiver John Brown downfield for the end zone. Allen then threw a pop fly that Brown ran under and fielded for a touchdown.

But that wasn't even Allen's best throw of the game. In the fourth quarter, the quarterback later zipped a deep pass to Diggs for a 49-yard touchdown down the left sideline. Allen took a hit on the play, but still managed to place the ball in the perfect spot.

Diggs did what he does so well: he served as a first mate while Allen captained the game. Diggs finished with seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo continued their late-season push of getting James Cook involved, as he finished with nine carries for 45 yards (both team highs) with two catches for six yards.

The Bills made a few costly errors in the game that kept New England around. Buffalo lost a pair of fumbles, one immediately after generating an interception out of Mac Jones and another fumble on a punt. They felt like freebies for a Patriots team that needed as many as it could get.

But Buffalo has a way of making up for its mistakes. When Allen throws an interception, he makes up for it with big plays. When the offense or special teams fumbles the ball away, the defense compensates with takeaways of their own. Jones finished the game 26 of 40 for 243 yards, three touchdowns. But most important for Buffalo: Jones had three interceptions.

The second interception really killed the Patriots. The third destroyed all hope. Jones threw a slightly off-target pass in the direction of running back Damien Harris, who popped the ball into the air for a Edmunds interception. 

At every twist and turn, the fans were completely engaged in the game.

"I talked about that being in sync with your fan base and the fan base being in sync with with your team. I think that's real here in Buffalo and we lift each other up, that's what we do. And we need them like they need us and we feel strongly about that," McDermott said in a postgame presser. "I think Zac Brown has got that song ‘Family Table’ and being at home. Being at home today was like we were coming together as a family in that stadium."

The Miami Dolphins managed to take their lead over the New York Jets at roughly that same moment as the Edmunds' pick. So the Bills and Dolphins booked their appointment with one another at the same moment. The Dolphins and Mike McDaniel clinched a postseason appearance — and a matchup against Buffalo. The Bills took the No. 2 seed with their win.

With Hamlin watching from the hospital, this wasn't just another win. The Bills did something tremendously challenging — they beat a hungry Patriots team despite Buffalo facing major adversity and emotional trauma. 

"Excuse my language, but this week has been a s***show. … It's something you can't unsee," Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White said Sunday of Hamlin's collapse. White said that, every time he closed his eyes this week, he kept seeing Damar falling to the ground.

Surely, there were a lot of guys going through similar experiences.

"When people can put love first … and come together, [it shows] how powerful this country and this world can be for the good and [it shows] the amount of love that people can have for one another," McDermott said. "And maybe it took a sporting event for that to happen."

You have to appreciate what McDermott has done to help his locker room. It makes me optimistic about what this team can accomplish in the postseason. 

Because as they've said since training camp, it's Super Bowl or bust for Buffalo.

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Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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Henry McKenna