Patriots Succumb to Hamlin's Recovery, Hines' Returns in Playoff-Eliminating Loss to Bills, 35-23
In the end, the New England Patriots were knocked out of the playoffs - and put out of their misery - by the Buffalo Bills' 1-2 punch:
1. Damar Hamlin's emotional recovery.
2. Nyheim Hines' electric returns.
Buffalo 35, New England 23. An 8-9 season going nowhere fast nonetheless ended too soon. For the second consecutive January, the Patriots were finished by a loss at Highmark Stadium.
A Pats' defense that for most of the season played well enough to win a Super Bowl gave up two long touchdown passes in the second half. And their inept offense and horrendous special teams helped keep them from even qualifying for the postseason.
Needing a victory over the Bills or a combination of losses by AFC Wild-Card hopefuls Miami and Pittsburgh, the Patriots got neither. New England's loss opened the door for the Dolphins, who grabbed the AFC's No. 7 seed with a last-second field goal to beat the New York Jets.
Despite the emotional atmosphere fueled by continued positive news about Hamlin's health, the Pats were in prime position to take control of this game in the third quarter. But after the defense created a takeaway and a first down at Buffalo's 11 in a 14-14 game, the offense was forced to settle for Nick Folk's 24-yard field goal.
On the ensuing kickoff, lightning struck.
Twice.
After energizing the crowd with a 96-yarder to open the game, this time Hines fielded the ball in the end zone, broke Myles Bryant's tackle at the 30-yard line and scampered 101 yards to give the Bills at 21-17 lead. Buffalo never trailed again.
There had been four kickoff return touchdowns in the NFL all season; Buffalo produced two in the game's first 40 minutes. Hines became only the 11th player in NFL history with two kickoff return touchdowns in one game, and the first since 2010.
The Patriots had allowed only two kickoff returns for scores in their previous 227 games.
On Buffalo's next possession quarterback Josh Allen escaped a heavy rush by Josh Uche, rolled right and ad-libbed a perfect throw to a diving John Brown for a 42-yard touchdown and a 28-17 Patriots' deficit. After missing the key tackle on Hines' second return, Bryant was also beaten on Brown's long catch.
New England was feisty, yet futile, to the finish.
DeVante Parker's second touchdown catch - a leaping 26-yarder at the goal-line - pulled the Pats within 28-23 early in the fourth quarter. But Allen and the Bills answered again, this time with a gorgeous 49-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to make it 35-23 with 8:51 remaining.
Fitting that it was Diggs who scored the clinching touchdown (on an out-and-up route that beat cornerback Jonathan Jones). In the wake of Hamlin's injury in Cincinnati six days ago, the receiver was the first Bills player to arrive at the hospital ... by taking an Uber.
The Pats drove into Buffalo territory twice late, but Mac Jones was intercepted in the end zone by linebacker Matt Milano and by Tremaine Edmunds on a tipped pass just before the 2-minute warning.
A microcosm of his confounding season, Jones threw three touchdowns, but also three interceptions.
The Patriots were playing for the playoffs.
The Bills played for 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 Jones, produced two long scoring drives to stay in contention.
In one of the most scintillating starts in NFL history, the Bills used the empowerment of their fallen teammate to jump to a 7-0 lead before the tears had dried over the moving pre-game tributes to Hamlin. 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 through the 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.
On a day in which the NFL paid tribute to Hamlin and his No. 3, the Bills' first play since the scary scene six days ago was their first kickoff return for a touchdown in - sure enough - three years and three months.
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. Jones led the Patriots on another 74-yard scoring drive to tie the game at 14-14 at halftime, this time connecting with Parker from two yards.
With this bitter defeat, the Pats have now lost six of seven to the Bills including the last four by a combined 139-71.
In a season ultimately doomed by a woeful offense, ill-timed mistakes - the lunatic lateral at Las Vegas and Rhamondre Stevenson's last-minute fumble against the Bengals - and costly special teams breakdowns, the Patriots went 1-9 against opposing No. 1 quarterbacks and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Grim reality: Since Tom Brady left three years ago, the Patriots are 25-26 and without a playoff win.
Their season is over.
Their system as well?
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