Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - An emotional week for the Buffalo Bills reached a high point on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park when kick returner Nyheim Hines returned the game's opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
For a week that was all about Damar Hamlin following his medical emergency in Cincinnati, Hines' touchdown fit the theme of No. 3 with it being the first kickoff return for a touchdown in three years and three months for the Bills.
Late in the game, Hines did it again for the Bills, this time from 101 yards, with the Bills trailing 17-14 in the third quarter. The second kick return touchdown for Hines put the Bills back in front, and it was a lead the team would not relinquish.
With his two kick return touchdowns in the regular season finale, Hines was honored by the NFL on Wednesday by being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Hines became the first player since 2010 to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in a single game. Hines returned two punts for a touchdown during the 2019 season while with the Indianapolis Colts, which earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 16.
The 26-year-old is the first Bills special teamer to be named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week since kicker Stephen Hauschka earned the honor in Week 10 of the 2018 season. Kicker Tyler Bass has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in the NFL twice throughout his young career.
Hines was acquired by the Bills at the 2022 NFL Trade Deadline from the Colts in exchange for running back Zack Moss and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
