Sean McDermott expected something special from kickoff after the Buffalo Bills' difficult week and Nyheim Hines duly delivered with a remarkable return touchdown.
The Bills endured the most challenging of weeks after Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest on the field forced last Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals to be suspended and ultimately abandoned.
Hamlin has remained in a critical condition but has made significant progress in recent days, and watched Sunday's game against the New England Patriots from hospital.
The Bills claimed a 35-23 victory to clinch their playoff spot, with the first piece of action being a storybook 96-yard opening kickoff return TD from Hines. That marked the Bills' first kickoff return touchdown since 2019.
"To be honest, I thought in the days leading up to the game wouldn’t it be special if we could take that opening kickoff," coach McDermott told reporters.
"When it happened, respectfully, I wasn't surprised just by the way the week has gone."
Hamlin tweeted "OMFG!!!!!!" after the stunning move.
Hines sensationally achieved a second kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter when the Bills trailed 17-14.
Bills QB Josh Allen was emotional when he spoke about Hines' opening TD: "I can't remember a play that touched me like that. It's probably number one.
"You can't draw that one up any better. I just got told it's been three years and three months since the last kickoff return so pretty cool."
Buffalo cornerback Tre'Davious White offered an insight into the challenge for the players returning to action for the first time, given the trauma from Hamlin's on-field collapse and subsequent resuscitation.
"I don't know how some of us did it because some of us had a different view of what went on and that's traumatising," White said.
"I was telling someone earlier I've seen traumatic things in my life, just growing up where I grew up at, and in the environment I've been raised in, but it was always the end result of me walking up and seeing it.
"It was never a time I saw every event, everything transpire until the end. It's tough, man. It's a lot."
McDermott added that Hamlin would not only inspire the Bills' postseason push, having secured a Wild Card game at Highmark Stadium against the seventh seed Miami Dolphins, but also the wider community.
"I think we would all agree, that guy's hand is in this and has been in it from the first moment," he said.
"I think, I should say this, when you watch how, at times, divided we can be as a country and a world, I think the thing we all recognised this week is when people can put love first and people first and come together, how powerful this country and this world can be for the good."
Commanders add coveted cornerback Lattimore ahead of NFL trade deadline
A handful of teams made moves ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline in an attempt to bolster their play-offs hopes.
Three first-place teams - the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers - all swung deals, and we'll find out in just over three months if any of these trades help those franchises capture a Super Bowl championship.
The Commanders acquired perhaps the biggest name on the trade market, picking up cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the scuffling New Orleans Saints.
The Commanders shipped a third-, fourth- and sixth-round pick to the Saints for the four-time Pro Bowler, as well as a fifth-round draft pick.
The 28-year-old Lattimore was named 2017 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and though he has been slowed by injuries to his hamstring and abdomen the past few seasons, he is still considered one of the best shutdown defensive backs in the league, having not allowed a touchdown to be scored on him in coverage since 2021.
He has 15 interceptions in his eight pro seasons, but doesn't have one in seven games this year.
Lattimore goes from a New Orleans team that is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and had just fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday to a Washington team that is 7-2 and is surprisingly atop the NFC East.
Lions add pass rusher Smith in trade with Browns
The Lions opened the final day of trading by acquiring pass rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2026. The Lions are also receiving a seventh-round pick in 2026 from the Browns.
Detroit (7-1) had been looking to upgrade its pass rush after star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson fractured his left tibia and fibula back in Week 6, and Smith should help in that department.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, the 32-year-old Smith has five sacks this year and 65 sacks in 132 games over 10 pro seasons.
The Lions are in first place in the NFC North with a 7-1 record, but have struggled to generate pressure without Hutchinson, recording just five sacks in the three games without him after registering 15 in its first five games.
Jets send wide receiver Williams to Steelers
The New York Jets found a suitor for Mike Williams, shipping the wide receiver to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Williams, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver, was in his first season with the Jets (3-6) after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
He was never able to build any chemistry with Aaron Rodgers, however, and the 40-year-old quarterback called out Williams for running the wrong route on a play that Rodgers threw an interception late in a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
At that point, it was clear New York was going to try to find a trade partner for the embattled wide out, especially after the Jets acquired Rodgers' old friend Davante Adams in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) last month.
Williams, who has 321 career receptions for 4,972 yards and 31 touchdowns, now joins a Steelers team that has won three straight games and is atop the AFC North with a 6-2 record.
Pittsburgh also acquired veteran pass rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round draft pick.
Rams trade cornerback White to Ravens
The Los Angeles Rams dealt cornerback TreDavious White to the Baltimore Ravens (6-3) in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick and a seventh-rounder the following year.
The Rams (4-4) had given White permission to seek a trade in late October, and has been inactive in their last four games.
The disgruntled cornerback was in his first season in Los Angeles after spending his first seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills.
The 29-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but has been limited to 14 games in the last three seasons due to various injuries.
He should still be able to help a Baltimore defense that is last in the NFL against the pass, allowing an average of 280.9 passing yards per game.
In moves on a smaller scale, the Cowboys (3-5) acquired wide receiver Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers (2-7), and the Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) picked up Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears (4-4) for depth at running back.
One player who didn't change teams and was rumoured to be on the move was the Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Seattle Seahawks (4-5) also decided to keep wide receiver DK Metcalf , while the Panthers are sticking with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Indianapolis Colts (4-5) are keeping quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Cowboys owner Jones says quarterback Prescott will likely be placed on injured reserve
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones implied that quarterback Dak Prescott will likely be placed on injured reserve, meaning he would miss a minimum of four games.
The Cowboys announced Monday that Prescott would be side-lined with an injured hamstring, but a decision on if he would go on IR had not yet been made.
Speaking on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Jones indicated the injury was worse than initially feared.
"It's likely we'll IR him," Jones said. "We'll see how his rehab goes."
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
Mahomes' 'scary' ankle injury 'not too bad'
Patrick Mahomes assured the ankle injury he sustained during the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is “not too bad” despite hailing the incident as “scary”.
The quarterback led the Chiefs to their 14th straight win with 34 of his 44 passes completed for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bucs took them to overtime but the AFC West leaders prevailed to remain unbeaten following a 30-24 victory on Monday.
Mahomes had hobbled off with assistance at one point during the game, leading to concern ahead of the Chiefs' next game against the Denver Broncos, but he has provided some reassurance.
"[The injury was] definitely scary. I think it hurt more just because it's the same ankle I rolled last week, so it scared me a little bit,” he said.
“But once I took my breath and calmed down a little bit, it ended up being not too bad. We were able to go in there at the reset and go back on the football team."
It means it is likely Mahomes will return next week despite the reoccurrence of the injury on the same ankle, with head coach Andy Reid marvelling at the 29-year-old's resilience.
"I wasn't sure exactly where he was going to be with it. He might have the loosest ankles in America. It's ridiculous how he can come back from those things,” he said.
The victory also marked DeAndre Hopkins’ first home game as a Chief, as he finished with eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
"[Hopkins] is so good at winning one-on-one, so to be able to have him down in the red zone, third-down situations - he does a good job of filling out and finding those windows. You give him a chance down the field and he makes a play,” Mahomes said.
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