Two Bills Drive

‘“It was electric, and we’ve had so many prayers and so much support and being able to start the game off like that, it’s amazing,” Hines said. “I even talked to family and friends. I just said, ‘Look, we’re going to be ready today.’ Our boys are going to play spirited. … All that was for him and I’m happy for the things that happened to me, but I felt like he was out there with us.”’

‘Entering the playoffs, the Bills have 27 giveaways and 27 takeaways. Over the last 10 years, only one Super Bowl champion had a minus turnover differential in the regular season (Denver was minus-4 in 2015 but was propelled by a super-elite defense).’

‘“To see it all … him getting up, to him falling, to everything – it’s just something that I can’t unsee,” White said. “Every time I close my eyes, it replays. I try watching TV, and every time the TV go to commercial, it’s just the only thing that comes to my mind, just the vision of that. So, it’s been a tough week. It’s been a tough week for our whole team.”’

‘First things first: They have what might be a very tough wild-card meeting with Miami. Or it might be an easier-than-expected third meeting with the Dolphins. Will Tua Tagovailoa come back from a concussion and play next week? There’s a lot of speculation among Miami media he will not. If that’s the case, the Bills have no complaints. If Tagovailoa plays, that game shapes up as an epic battle. Remember, it took a Superman effort by Josh Allen for the Bills to beat the Dolphins, 32-29, on Dec. 17.’

‘Hines was the first player to have two kick return touchdowns in the same game since Sept. 26, 2010 (Seattle’s Leon Washington against the Chargers).’

‘“The safety kind of went with Isaiah and I just kind of saw no one back there and pointed to him,” Allen said. “And obviously having the rapport that I have with Smoke, he saw it and made an unbelievable catch. Unbelievable. So that was a pretty good feeling, obviously bringing Smoke back. I know he’s been inactive the last few weeks, but getting a shot and making a huge play for us at a really pivotal point of the game, we definitely needed that and I kind of just chopped that down to who he is, his drive, and obviously being a smart vet and coming back and wanting to be here.”’

‘It was a tough day for Devin Singletary, who gained just 29 yards on seven carries. Singletary also lost a costly fumble in the third quarter after the Bills had gotten a big defensive takeaway to stop a New England drive. Singletary coughed it up inside the Bills’ 20-yard line, and fortunately for him, the Buffalo defense held New England to a field goal that put the Patriots up, 17-14. Not surprisingly, Singletary didn’t see much time after that, getting just one carry in the final 23:34 of the game. On the one carry he did get after fumbling, he lost 2 yards. Rookie James Cook led the Bills with 45 yards on nine carries, setting up an interesting question – will Cook continue to get more of the work in the playoffs? Josh Allen was mostly held in check on the ground, gaining just 16 yards on nine carries, with a long rush of 7 yards. The Bills finished with just 90 rushing yards, the first time they’ve been held to less than 100 yards in a game this season.’

‘The Dolphins enter the playoffs having started a different quarterback in three consecutive games. Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion (his third of the season) against Green Bay on Dec. 25. Teddy Bridgewater started last week at New England but sustained an injured finger. And rookie Skylar Thompson started Sunday against the Jets.’

‘Believe it or not, in the eight times the teams will have played in the regular season since 2012, Kansas City has been the home team four times and the Bills have been the home team four times. But since 2015, the Bills have played at Kansas City four out of five times in the regular season. The Bills also have played at Kansas City twice in the postseason but that was due to the Chiefs’ better record.’

‘All around the stadium, Bills fans manned their usual tables festooned with pizza and subs, and gathered around fires in the subfreezing temperatures. Rock songs blared and footballs sailed among the thousands practicing their normal tailgating rituals. But Sunday’s festivities also featured something unique – something that made fans don brand new shirts emblazoned with hearts, a No.3, and Hamlin’s name. It caused passing strangers to spontaneously start high-fiving each other.’

‘For the rescue, Piniewski, Morrissey, registered nurse Bridgett Henry and Dr. Ercan Sozen were honored during Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game in Orchard Park, already an emotional affair as the Bills’ first game since the sudden cardiac arrest of safety Damar Hamlin in the team’s previous contest.’