Damar Hamlin watched on from hospital as the Buffalo Bills claimed an emotionally charged 35-23 win over the New England Patriots in their first game since his cardiac arrest.
Hamlin remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after collapsing following a collision with Tee Higgins in the Bills' game with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. That game will not be resumed.
The safety has shown continued signs of improvement and was able to speak to his team-mates via videocall in the build-up to the game.
He was a keen viewer as, after pre-game shows of support for Hamlin that included Buffalo emerging from the tunnel and huddling at midfield, the Bills made an extraordinary start.
Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. New England responded well, and touchdown throws from Mac Jones to Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker, sandwiched by a Dawson Knox touchdown, sent the teams into half-time tied at 14-14.
New England, needing only to win to qualify for the postseason, took the lead with a Nick Folk field goal after a Devin Singletary fumble.
However, Hines struck again, taking the subsequent kickoff back 101 yards, becoming the first player since Leon Washington in 2010 to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same game.
A stunning 42-yard throw on the move from Josh Allen to John Brown stretched the Bills' lead and, though Parker responded for New England, another pinpoint deep ball from Allen to Stefon Diggs proved the decisive blow, with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions from Jones ending the Patriots' hopes.
It means the Bills, following agreed changes to the AFC playoffs following the cancellation of their game with the Bengals, will not have to play a postseason road game. As the second seed, they have home-field advantage for the first two rounds and, should they face the one seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, it will be held at a neutral site.
That first home game will be against the Miami Dolphins, who took advantage of the Patriots' loss by squeaking by the New York Jets 11-6 to clinch a playoff spot. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14, were also eliminated.
Bengals avoid coin flip
The Bengals also prevailed in their first game since Monday's traumatic scenes, beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-16. Despite being the AFC North champions, the Bengals would not have been guaranteed a home game against the Ravens in the playoffs had they lost this second regular-season meeting, with the venue being decided by a coin flip as part of the agreed changes.
It rarely looked as if they would face such a fate in a game Cincinnati controlled throughout. The Bengals' win means they will reunite with Baltimore in the playoffs next week, and it will be in Cincinnati. The Bengals had made no secret of their displeasure at the coin flip decision, and running back Joe Mixon pretended to flip a coin after scoring Cincinnati's first touchdown.
Texans win, but lose number one pick
The Houston Texans would have locked up the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but their current crop of players showed no regard for the long-term future in a thrilling finale.
On fourth down and 20 in the last-chance saloon, quarterback Davis Mills heaved a 28-yard touchdown to Jordan Akins, who then caught a two-point conversion to seal a 32-31 win what could be head coach Lovie Smith's final game. The victory saw the number one pick go to Smith's former team, the Chicago Bears, who lost at home to the Minnesota Vikings.
Eagles lock up wide receiver Smith through 2028
The Philadelphia Eagles locked up wide receiver DeVonta Smith through the 2028 season on Monday.
Philadelphia exercised its fifth-year option on Smith for the 2025 season and agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that runs through 2028.
Smith’s extension is reportedly worth $75million, including $51million in guaranteed money.
Philadelphia selected Smith with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with Alabama in 2020.
Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and first non-quarterback or running back to capture the honour since cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.
Smith has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in 50 regular-season games while adding 27 receptions for 405 yards and a TD catch in five postseason contests.
OJ Simpson: Cherished star whose fall from grace was seen live by millions on TV
From cherished American superstar to villain whose murder trial captivated a global audience, OJ Simpson’s fall from grace was startling.
Simpson, nicknamed ‘The Juice’, has died at the age of 76 after losing his battle with prostate cancer, leaving behind four children.
Before the low-speed car chase by police and ‘Trial of the Century’ that began the unravelling of his reputation, Simpson was a darling of American sport who had also carved out a successful acting career.
He was raised in a low income neighbourhood in San Francisco and joined a local gang but his athleticism offered a route out and he found his purpose in gridiron.
A prolific running back, he starred for USC and in 1968 won the Heisman Trophy awarded to the outstanding player in college football. Inevitably, he was first overall draught pick the following year.
Progress in his first couple of seasons at the Buffalo Bills was slow but his impact grew and he went on to become one of the most successful operators in his position, winning the NFL’s most valuable player in 1973 and being inducted into the hall of fame in 1985.
He became the game’s highest paid player and lucrative commercial deals also followed as companies looked to leverage his charisma and popularity, while his acting career included parts in blockbusters ‘Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Naked Gun’.
For all his film presence he was little known outside the United States but that changed for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested in 1994 for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Brown and Goldman had been found stabbed to death in LA and once police had filed charges, Simpson refused to turn himself in and was pursued in an extraordinary car chase that was at low speed because he had a gun pointed to his head.
The event was televised live to millions and projected his notoriety worldwide, with the broadcasting of his subsequent murder trial only intensifying interest in this fallen star.
He was acquitted the following year but a civil lawsuit found him liable for the deaths, resulting in an order to pay £26.7million pounds to the victims of the families. Only a fraction of that amount was actually paid.
Arrests followed for a variety of offences in the early 2000s and his lowest point eventually came in 2007 when he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
He served nine of a 33-year jail sentence and upon his release he continued to live in Las Vegas, looking increasingly frail when in public but active on social media. Simpson always maintained his innocence of the murders.
OJ Simpson dies aged 76
OJ Simpson has died of cancer at the age of 76.
Simpson was a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969 to 1979, before being acquitted of murder in a trial in the mid-1990s.
News of Simpson’s death was announced by his children on his X account.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family”
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