What a RAW and EMOTIONAL day in Orchard Park yesterday afternoon. Not even a full week removed from what unfolded last Monday Night in Cincinnati, the Bills suited up to take on the New England Patriots.
Prior to kickoff, Damar Hamlin posted on his social media a picture from his hospital bed rooting on this Bills team.
The Patriots would win the coin toss and would defer to the second half, so it would be Buffalo receiving the opening kickoff… It wouldn’t take long for the fireworks to start! Nyheim Hines would return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown! It was later announced that it was the first time in THREE years and THREE months since the last Bills kickoff return… Chills!!
Bills QB Josh Allen had this to say in his post-game interview on the kickoff return: “I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life.”
The Bills defense would have their turn to ride the wave of emotional energy as they forced the Patriots into a three and out on their opening possession (ending the drive with a Mac Jones sack).
But after the emotional start to the game, things started to settle in for both teams.
The Bills would be forced to punt on their next drive whereas the Patriots would match the Bills opening touchdown with a 9-play drive ending in the end zone on a Mac Jones to Jakobi Meyers 2-yard touchdown pass. (7-7)
Buffalo would answer right back with a 13-play drive ending with a Josh Allen to Dawson Knox 4-yard touchdown pass (14-7 BUF).
Both teams would trade punts on their next possessions before the Patriots would tie things up at 14 on a Mac Jones to DeVante Parker 2-yard touchdown pass.
The Bills would get the ball back with a little more than 3:00 minutes left in the first half and would drive down into field goal range but Josh Allen would be hit as he threw and the ball floated up in the air allowing Devin McCourty to bring in the interception. The score would stay locked at 14 heading into halftime.
New England would receive the second-half kick and would move the ball right down the field, but the drive would end after Mac Jones would be picked off by Tre’Davious White right on the cusp of the red zone.
But the Bills would almost seemingly give the ball right back 2 plays later after Devin Singletary would be stripped of the ball and New England would take over on the Buffalo 11-yard line. Credit to the Bills defense, however, as they would stiffen and keep the Patriots out of the end zone and force them to settle for a field goal. (17-14)
On the ensuing kickoff, lightning would strike twice for Buffalo as Nyheim Hines would return a second kickoff, this time for 101 yards! He became the first Buffalo Bills player to ever have 2 kick-off returns in a single game and only the 11th in NFL history!
(21-17).
The Patriots would be forced to punt on their next possession and give the ball back over to the Bills, who would start to pull away a bit as they would find the end zone once again, this time on a Josh Allen to John Brown 42-yard passing touchdown! (A cool moment afterward, Brown would give the ball to the trainer who administered the life-saving CPR last week to Damar Hamlin).
Onto the fourth quarter, we would go, both teams would trade touchdowns (Mac Jones to DeVante Parker – 26 yards) and (Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs – 49 yards).
New England’s last 2 drives would end in Mac Jones interceptions and Buffalo would secure the 35-23 victory.
The Bills will now play host to the Miami Dolphins in one of the AFC Wild Card games next weekend (now announced to be the 1/15/23 1:00 game).
-Jason Harris