Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - It was an emotional finish to the 2022 regular season for the Buffalo Bills, as they earned a win for safety Damar Hamlin on Sunday afternoon over the New England Patriots, 35-23, at Highmark Stadium.
Sunday marked the first game since Hamlin's medical emergency in Buffalo's Week 17 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, when the second-year player collapsed to the turf and went into cardiac arrest on the field. After being revived and sent to the hospital, Hamlin was able to eventually wake from his medically-induced coma and has since returned back home to Western New York.
Hamlin remains hospitalized at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, but continues to make remarkable progress in his recovery.
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As for the game, it started with a bang when kick returned Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Hines would eventually return another kickoff for a touchdown later in the third quarter, this time for 101 yards to put Buffalo back up on top for good.
While Josh Allen was not perfect on the afternoon, he was still quite efficient throwing the football, going 19-of-31 for 254 yards and three touchdowns. This included a pair of long touchdown passes of 42 yards to John Brown and 49 yards to Stefon Diggs.
The Bills struggled a bit defensively to start the football game, as they had little answers on how to stop Mac Jones and the New England offense. However, the unit was able to shore things up in the second half, forcing three turnovers of the Patriots and only allowing nine points on the board.
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With the win, the Bills were able to wrap up the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs, meaning they would host, at least, a pair of home playoff games at Highmark Stadium.
When the Bills were able to knock off the Patriots, that opened the door for other teams in the AFC to take advantage and jump on the final Wild Card spot in the conference, while also setting up a Wild Card Round matchup in Western New York.
While the Steelers were able to earn a victory over the Cleveland Browns to try and secure their spot in the postseason, the Miami Dolphins held the tie-breaker over Pittsburgh and had the chance to get into the playoffs with a victory over the New York Jets.
It certainly wasn't a pretty performance on Sunday in Miami, but the Dolphins managed an 11-6 win over their AFC East rival to officially knock out the Patriots and Steelers, and clinch their first playoff berth since 2016.
As the Bills enter the postseason relatively healthy, there is one major question surrounding the Dolphins, and that's at quarterback. What is the health status of Tua Tagovailoa, and even Teddy Bridgewater for that matter?
Tagovailoa is feeling the after effects of a second recorded concussion this season, and potentially third concussion overall. He has not played since the Dolphins' Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day, and there is a chance he may not play again this season.
As for Bridgewater, he was unavailable for the Dolphins in their Week 18 finale against the Jets, as he deals with an injury to his right throwing hand. His status for Sunday's AFC Wild Card Round matchup with Buffalo is also unknown.
If neither Tagovailoa or Bridgewater are available to start under center, it would signal the first-career playoff start for rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson, a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Kansas State.
In seven games this season, the 25-year-old has completed 57.1% of his passing attempts for 534 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. In just his second career start on Sunday against the Jets, Thompson went 19-of-33 for 166 yards and an interception.
So how does Howard Simon see the playoff path for the Bills, as he now gets to pick the team in the playoffs? While not clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs was a bummer for many, it's not stopping Howard from seeing the Bills taking things to the promise land from here.
On the path to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, Howard sees the Bills running through the gauntlet, defeating the Dolphins in the Wild Card Round, followed by wins over the Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game (at a neutral site, mind you).
Then in the Big Game on Sunday, Feb. 12, Howard is picking the Bills to win their first Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions with a win over the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles!
Be sure to follow along on Twitter for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on Twitter: @BraytonJWilson.
You can listen to the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" in the player, or watch the Wild Card Round edition below:
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