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Bills Beat Patriots in Emotional Homecoming After Damar Hamlin Injury

After an emotionally draining week, it was a day Bills fans won’t forget for quite some time.

Nick Selbe

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After a week that probably felt longer than most, the Bills returned to their home field on Sunday and delivered a fitting performance to honor their teammate.

With news of Damar Hamlin’s improved condition uplifting everybody around the NFL, the Bills came through with a 35-23 victory over the Patriots to secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC. With emotions high before the game even started, Buffalo put together a storybook moment when Nyheim Hines returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown.

That play drew a fittingly exuberant response from Hamlin himself, who tweeted his excitement as he watched the game on TV from the hospital. Hines wasn’t done with his special teams feats, though, as he would later return another kickoff for a touchdown in the second half. He became just the 11th player in NFL history with two kickoff return touchdowns in a single game and the first since 2010.

The Bills took a two-score lead late in the third quarter when Josh Allen found John Brown for a 42-yard touchdown pass, putting Buffalo ahead, 28–17. After reaching the sideline, Brown made a touching gesture by giving the ball to assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who was the person to administer CPR on Hamlin after his on-field collapse against the Bengals on Monday.

On top of all the positive vibes the Bills and their fans were able to channel on Sunday, there was one cherry on top of the sundae: eliminating division rival Patriots from the postseason.

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Nick Selbe
NICK SELBE

Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball and college sports. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a breaking/trending news writer, he worked for MLB Advanced Media, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor's in communication from the University of Southern California.

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