Bills Start Fast, Patriots Hang Tough in 14-14 Halftime Tie
The New England Patriots are playing for the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills are playing for Damar Hamlin.
The Bills shot out of an emotional cannon early and took two seven-point leads in the first half. But the Patriots, behind a calm and accurate Mac Jones, produced two long scoring drives to stay in contention in their must-win game in Buffalo.
Buffalo was seemingly driving for the go-ahead late in the first half when Matthew Judon's pressure forced a Devin McCourty interception of Josh Allen inside the Red Zone to preserve a 14-14 tie.
In one of the most scintillating starts in NFL history, the Bills used the empowering emotion of their fallen teammate to jump to a 7-0 lead before the tears had dried over the moving pre-game tributes to Hamlin. Nyheim Hines fielded the opening kickoff at his 4-yard line and weaved his way 96 yards for a touchdown, out-running New England's Mack Wilson and Matthew Slater to the end zone.
The score prompted an outburst of relief and jubilation at Highmark Stadium, as the Bills emphatically announced a return to football in the wake of Hamlin's terrifying collapse from cardiac arrest last week in Cincinnati. Watching from his hospital bed in Cincinnati, Hamlin enthusiastically approved of the play via Twitter.
The opening salvo rivaled the 2006 return to New Orleans for the Saints, who saw Steve Gleason block a punt for a touchdown on the opening series in the first home game at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.
The Patriots weathered the early emotional storm. They drove 74 yards to tie the score at 7-7, culminated by Jakobi Meyers' leaping, twisting, toe-tapping 2-yard touchdown just inside the back line of the end zone.
New England, which needs to win to secure a Wild-Card playoff berth, is playing a Buffalo team that has beaten it five of the last six meetings and three in a row by a combined, 104-48.
Already with a depleted secondary missing Jalen Mills (groin) and Jack Jones (suspended), the Patriots took another hit when veteran Jabrill Peppers left in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
The lack of a Pats' pass rush helped Buffalo re-take the lead early in the second quarter. With all day to find a receiver, Josh Allen stayed in the pocket and surveyed the end zone until tight end Dawson Knox finally broken open for a sliding 4-yard touchdown catch to make it 14-7.
Jones, however, led the Patriots back with another 74-yard scoring drive. On New England's two scoring possessions the quarterback was 12 of 12 with two touchdowns, the second coming to DeVante Parker from two yards to tie the score at 14-14.
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