The NFC emerged victorious to secure the first edition of the NFL's new Pro Bowl Games, defeating the AFC 35-33 in the final flag football contest.

In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.

Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.

The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.

That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.

In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.

NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.

The NFC emerged victorious to secure the first edition of the NFL's new Pro Bowl Games, defeating the AFC 35-33 in the final flag football contest.

In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.

Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.

The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.

That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.

In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.

NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.

Speaking publicly for the first time on Saturday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and well wishes he has received since he suffered a cardiac arrest while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2.

Hamlin said now was "the right time" to speak after the Bills' season ended and because he needed time to recover and gather his thoughts.

"It was just a lot to process within my own self – mentally, physically, even spiritually. It's just been a lot to process," he said. "But I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all the love, all the support and everything that's just been coming in my way."

Hamlin then said he has come to peace with what happened on the field when he collapsed after making what appeared to be a routine tackle of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who struck Hamlin squarely in the chest.

"What happened to me on Monday Night Football I feel is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world," he said in a five-and-a-half-minute video posted on his Instagram account.

Hamlin appeared in the video almost a week after he made his first public appearance during the Bills’ playoff loss to the Bengals last Sunday. He was shown on the video board holding up his hands in the shape of a heart, in what has become his signature gesture, while also pumping up the crowd.

Titled 'Thank You: A message from Damar Hamlin' the video opens with Hamlin walking into view, placing down a jacket and taking a seat in a dimly lit room with the word 'Bills' prominently displayed behind him. Hamlin shows no after-effects of the injury while wearing a white T-shirt with the name of his charitable foundation, Chasing Millions, printed on the front and with a gold chain with the initials ''DM'' hanging around his neck.

Hamlin thanked his teammates, training staff, and the medical staff at both the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Buffalo General Medical Center, where he split his recovery. He also thanked those who donated more than $9million to his charity over the past four weeks.

"While I'm so thankful to everybody, I know that it isn't enough just to be thankful. This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world," Hamlin said in closing the video by making a heart sign with his hands.

Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs defended his actions on Twitter after his cantankerous display towards quarterback Josh Allen in the final minutes of Sunday's 27-10 elimination loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Diggs led both teams with a game-high nine targets, but they resulted in only four catches for 35 yards – his second-lowest yardage in a game this season.

The Allen-Diggs combination is viewed as one of the league's best as Diggs finished fifth in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards, while his 11 receiving touchdowns tied for the third-most.

Despite how well he has been fed by his quarterback this season – also enjoying the fifth-most targets (154) – Diggs was animated and demonstrative on the sideline as the Bills' season slipped away.

When asked how he felt about Diggs' actions in the heat of battle, Allen was forgiving but said sometimes the opposition defense can dictate the action.

"Guys are competitive, we don't want to lose," he said. "It's not fun losing, and it's not fun losing that way.

"It's all understood. At the end of the day, we've got to be there for each other and continue to keep pushing forward.

"I feel like sometimes there weren't that many opportunities, and again, defenses can game-plan and try to take away your number one receiver, that's just a fact of it. Those guys on the other side of the ball get paid, too.

"It's just about continuing to find a way to get [Diggs] the ball."

He added: "I've got a lot more to learn, a lot more to grow from, and I've got a long way to go."

Hours after Allen's media availability on Monday, Diggs sent out a series of tweets defending his behaviour.

"Want me to be okay with losing? Nah," he wrote. "Want me to be okay with our level of play when it's not up to the standard? Nah.

"It's easy to criticise my reaction more than the result."

Allen will be 27 by the time the 2023 season begins, and he will enter the first year of his six-year, $258million contract extension.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Diggs will not begin his four-year, $96m extension until the 2024 season, meaning they are both tied to the franchise until at least 2027 unless one is cut or traded.

Josh Allen confirmed he will not undergo offseason surgery on his troublesome elbow as he reflected on the Buffalo Bills' season after crashing out of the playoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Allen suffered his elbow injury in the Bills' Week 9 loss to the New York Jets in early November, and despite trying to tough his way through it, it clearly affected his play.

The month of November was easily his worst of the season, throwing only four touchdowns with five interceptions over four games while also sporting a passer rating of 75.9 – far below the 98.8 figure he either reached or eclipsed in September, October, December and January.

Although his stats rebounded in the lead-up to and during the playoffs, Allen still appeared to be struggling with his elbow on certain throws, and he could only lead the Bills to one touchdown in the 27-10 elimination loss at home to the Bengals.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Allen acknowledged the pain in his elbow messed with his throwing mechanics but said the rehabilitation plan is simple.

"Rest and recovery is going to be really good for it," he said. "I mean, there was a period, obviously, right after, for a few weeks, where it was pretty bothersome – but again, it didn't affect me all that much.

"I just felt like maybe I was trying to throw it a little differently mechanically, had to change a few things and got away a little bit from how I'm used to throwing the ball. That's just a by-product of that.

"I think, really, two weeks ago is when I felt like I got back to mechanically what I like. Being the rotational thrower, it's very elbow prevalent, and maybe I got a little bit to more of a linear-type deal because I just couldn't really use all that much force and flicking it out there, but, again, just adapting."

When asked about what will stick with him from the 2022 season, Allen said he was proud of how his team came together during a string of traumatic events – including a deadly blizzard in Buffalo and the cardiac arrest of safety Damar Hamlin.

"The adversity that this team [has] overcome," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that happened to a football team that I don't know if it's ever happened before. 

"Just battling through that with the guys in this locker room and us trusting each other. Obviously, we want to win, make no mistake about it. But I'm proud of how this team was able to fight through some of the stuff that we went through."

That sentiment was echoed by defensive leader Von Miller, who said: "It's an honour to be a Buffalo Bill. I've never been on a team that handled as much adversity in a season."

The Cincinnati Bengals revelled in causing problems for those who had formed plans for a neutral site AFC Championship Game as they defeated the Buffalo Bills to secure another road game at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Victory for the Bills on Sunday, due to the cancelled regular season game between the teams when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, would have seen them meet the Chiefs in Atlanta.

The NFL had even set in motion ticket sales, which did great business with the game just a week away, but the alternative plan will not now be required after the Bengals won 27-10 in Buffalo.

Joe Burrow had the Bengals in control from the outset, and he had advice for those who had planned to see the Bills play the Chiefs.

"Better send those refunds," he told CBS.

Coach Zac Taylor added at a news conference with a grin: "We had our minds set to go and play in Kansas City.

"It is tough, because they have to formulate the plans for coin tosses, they have to formulate the plans for neutral site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody.

"I hate that for the people who have to endure all those logistical issues. We just keep screwing it up, so I'm sorry."

The Bengals won in Kansas City in last year's AFC Championship Game, and Taylor has no doubts they are capable of a repeat.

"We're built for this," he said. "It doesn't matter what anybody thinks about us.

"We don't care who's favourite and who's not; we're built for this. We're excited to go on the road to Kansas City."

The Bills had been 13-1 in home playoff games in the Super Bowl era, but that record merely provided a source of motivation for Taylor's team.

"In our whole team, you just look at the leadership in every position," he said.

"We talked about last night how they were 13-1 in the playoffs, the best home winning percentage in NFL history. I wanted to show that to the team, because I knew what that would do to them.

"It wouldn't put fear in them that 'oh my God, we're walking into an environment that people don't win in', it was completely the opposite for our guys. It was."

Burrow completed his first nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, putting the Bengals 14-0 up before the Bills had a first down.

"He's the greatest," Taylor said. "He does a great job leading this team, managing situations. The bigger the moment gets, the calmer he gets, and the team feeds off that."

But Burrow was keen to deflect praise onto the offensive line, which was missing key personnel but ensured the quarterback took only a single sack.

"It was one of their best games of the year – rushing, pass blocking," Burrow said. "It might be our most complete game of the year as a team."

Burrow, like Taylor, is confident of the team's chances against the Chiefs, believing they are better now than they were when winning that game last year.

"I think we're a more complete team, I think we're a better team," he explained. "We just seem to make plays when it counts. That's all there is to say.

"I think our O-line is better, I think our run game is better, I think our defense is better, I think our special teams is better. We're just overall a much better team than we were last year."

The Cincinnati Bengals will again play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game after going to the Buffalo Bills and winning 27-10 in the Divisional round on Sunday.

The Bengals went to their third Super Bowl last year after upsetting the Chiefs in the conference title game, and they will get the opportunity to repeat that feat next week.

Damar Hamlin, recovering after his cardiac arrest in the regular season meeting between the teams, was in the building to see the Bills, but Joe Burrow kept his cool with a clinical display in snowy conditions to cut short Buffalo's season.

The Bengals had made a bright start to that Week 17 game before it was halted and did so again in this encounter, taking control before the end of the first quarter.

Burrow completed his first nine passes across two drives for 105 yards and two touchdowns – including a 28-yard TD pass to Ja'Marr Chase – while the Bills had to wait until the second quarter for a first down.

That belated drive ended with Josh Allen running in to score, before a second Chase TD was taken off the board following a marginal review.

But a Bengals challenge after halftime resulted in a Joe Mixon TD when he was initially adjudged to have been halted at the goal line following a six-minute drive, and the lead was out to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.

Still Allen could not get the Bills offense to fire, with his last desperate effort an interception thrown to Cam Taylor-Britt to seal the Bengals' 10th straight win.

Damar Hamlin met with his Buffalo Bills team-mates ahead of their AFC Divisional playoff clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, three weeks on from his cardiac arrest.

The safety collapsed during the first quarter of the pair's Week 17 clash on January 2, and was hospitalised in serious condition after receiving treatment on the field.

But the 2021 draft pick has continued to show a remarkable improvement since, with coach Sean McDermott revealing earlier this week that he had been attending the team's training facility.

Now, Hamlin has gone one step further after missing last week's opening playoff win against the Miami Dolphins in making the trip to Highmark Stadium for the Bills' crunch clash.

Video footage posted on social media showed him in attendance alongside members of his family, ahead of kick-off in the Sunday encounter.

In Hamlin's absence, Buffalo won a taut opening playoff encounter with Miami last week, running out 34-31 victors at Orchard Park.

Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns in all, with the hosts holding their nerve to keep their visitors at bay in the final quarter.

The winner of the Bills-Bengals match will meet the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game next weekend.

An emotionally charged encounter is on the cards when the Buffalo Bills host the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional round given the events when the two sides met just over two weeks ago.

In the Week 17 contest in Cincinnati, Damar Hamlin's collapse and cardiac arrest brought the NFL to a standstill.

Now, the Bills will continue to be spurred on by news of Hamlin's improving health throughout the playoffs – not that they have needed much help of late.

A 34-31 Wild Card victory against the Miami Dolphins was the third playoff game in a row in which they have scored at least 34 points. Prior to this run, the Bills had tallied 34 or more points in just five of their first 34 playoff games.

Buffalo are 11-2 in the postseason when scoring at least 28 points, compared to a 7-17 record when scoring 27 or fewer.

The Bills will have confidence in Josh Allen to lead them to another big score after his latest impressive playoff showing. His 352 passing yards against the Dolphins last week represented the third-best such performance by a Bills quarterback in the playoffs, behind only Jim Kelly (405 in the 1989 Divisional round) and Doug Flutie (360 in the 1998 Wild Card round).

It was Allen's fourth playoff game with at least 300 passing yards and multiple touchdown passes, making him one of only 10 players in NFL history to have at least four such games. He has only played seven playoff games in total.

The Bengals might represent a step up, however, with this the first game at the Divisional round or earlier in NFL history to have both teams entering on winning streaks of at least eight games.

Both previous playoff encounters between the sides have gone in the Bengals' favour, although their last postseason meeting was in the 1988 season.

The Bengals reached this stage with a 24-17 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, which made this the first time they have had wins in back-to-back postseasons.

Even so, they have a knack for close playoff games, with their last six all decided by seven or fewer points.

To come out on top in another tight matchup, the Bengals will need to do a better job of protecting Joe Burrow, who was sacked four times against the Ravens and has been sacked 23 times in his five career playoff games, tied with Wade Wilson from 1987 to 1989 for the most through a QB's first five playoff starts since at least 1970.

The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs are the among the five teams set to host matches in London and Germany as part of the NFL's 2023 International Games.

The Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars complete the quintet heading to Europe as designated home teams during the 2023 season.

London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will welcome the Bills and the Titans, while the Jaguars return to their home away from home at Wembley Stadium as part of their multi-year commitment to playing in the UK.

The 2023 season will mark a landmark 10th appearance for Jacksonville in London, while the Bills (2015) and Titans (2018) will make their second appearance in the city.

Two games will also take place in Germany, with the Chiefs and the Patriots set to feature, though venues are yet to be confirmed.

The NFL previously announced that Munich, which hosted the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks in 2022, and Frankfurt will stage games in Germany over the next four years.

Details on the dates, opponents and kick-off times will be announced later in the year when the full schedule for the 2023 NFL season is announced.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed Damar Hamlin has returned to visiting the team's facility "almost daily", offering a major boost ahead of their AFC Divisional round game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Hamlin was discharged from hospital last week after being in a critical condition having suffered a cardiac arrest in the January 2 game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

The Bills safety continues to progress on his road to recovery, which McDermott outlined ahead of their rematch against the Bengals for the first time since the incident.

"Damar is in the building now, almost starting daily," McDermott told reporters. "So that's good news. As he continues to improve, that certainly helps.

"That experience, we'll carry that with us. There's a challenge to that, but there's also a lot of good that comes with that. Right now, we need to focus on the positives that came out of that as opposed to the other piece of that."

McDermott said Hamlin's participation was still "limited", not partaking in team meetings or anything physical.

"He comes in and really just started today or yesterday and just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine and just get himself acclimated again and taking it one step, one baby step at a time here," he said.

"Kind of get himself dipping his toe back in here and you know, getting on the road to just getting back to himself."

It remains unclear if Hamlin will attend Sunday's game at Bills Stadium, having watched Sunday's 34-31 victory over the Miami Dolphins remotely.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen added that the players were boosted by Hamlin's return and the emotional trauma of the incident was easing to an extent.

"I think there's honestly not too much left over," he said. "Obviously with guys being able to see Damar, guys being able to see him and talk with him, that alleviates most of that.

"I'm not saying there's going to be none, I can't speak for everyone on the team, but we're extremely focused right now, having a good week of preparation. We'll try to go out there on Sunday and execute."

The Bengals enter the Divisional round game on a nine-game winning streak, seeking back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances. Since Week 9, Cincinnati have the third best points per game and second best points per game differential in the NFL.

Despite that, the Bills are regarded as favourites for the game, given their emotional lift, home ground advantage and having finished as the AFC second seed, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor does not view his side as underdogs.

"We know that we're the defending AFC champions," Taylor told reporters. "There's an edge to this team, we're not an underdog. That's been the feeling the whole season. We know we belong in the field with every team."

Jessica Pegula has been wearing a number three on her outfit at the Australian Open, and she confirmed it is to show support to Damar Hamlin.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2 and spent over a week in hospital, much of that time in critical condition.

Pegula's parents own the NFL franchise as well as the Buffalo Sabres NHL team, and during her second-round win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Melbourne, was seen with a number three on her skirt, which is Hamlin's number and became a symbol of appreciation from well-wishers during his recovery.

"I definitely wanted to do something," Pegula said after her 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory over Sasnovich. "We were kind of figuring out what the Bills and the Sabres were doing, just as far as what was the message.

"I knew they would probably do something and what message were they trying to send. It ended up being [that] the three was the symbol.

“I just thought it would be cool to put on my outfit here. I thought it would be a fun way to kind of connect with the team and then also just show my support."

There had been speculation that the number was related to her ranking, with the 28-year-old coincidentally the WTA world number three heading into the Australian Open, where she is the third seed, but Pegula laughed off the suggestion.

"I saw someone tweet that: 'Why would you put your ranking on your skirt?'. I'm, like, 'No, that’s not why,'" she said with amusement.

Pegula will play the winner of Olivia Gadecki and Marta Kostyuk in round three at Melbourne Park.

Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Jonah Williams sustained a dislocated left kneecap during a playoff victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Williams did the damage in the second quarter of a 24-17 Wild-Card round win and was replaced by Jackson Carman.

The 25-year-old was on Monday listed as week-to-week by the Bengals, who battle the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said it was "hard to tell" if Williams will recover in time to take on the Bills but was impressed with the way Carman stepped in.

"I thought he did a nice job, especially being thrust in there," Taylor said. "He's gotta practice both sides during the week.

"He's practised a lot of guard this year as well. I thought given the opportunity that he had, against a tough defensive line, I thought he handled it really well."

Alex Cappa missed the game against the Ravens due to an ankle injury, but Taylor was encouraged to see him in attendance wearing a protective boot.

"I saw him curling a towel in there with his toes and he looked good," Taylor said. "It seemed like that was progress when I walked in. That was exciting for the room."

Josh Allen thanked the Buffalo Bills defense for crucial turnovers against the Miami Dolphins that proved decisive in Sunday's 34-31 Wild Card victory.

The Bills quarterback threw two interceptions and saw a fumble recovered for a touchdown in a nervy encounter, having entered the game with just one playoff interception in 228 passing attempts.

Those turnovers allowed the Dolphins to build up steam, fighting back from a 17-point first-half deficit and then taking an early second half lead, with Allen acknowledging his mistakes after the game.

"At half time, we were just talking to ourselves, just settling down, trying to refocus," he told reporters. "The turnovers hurt us, we really let them back in the game.

"We were up 17-0 with chances and I gave them the ball two times, gave them a touchdown, they're things you can't do and you can't expect to win like that, so there's some stuff to clean up."

The Bills defense did their part though, intercepting rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson twice and making big stops to halt the Dolphins' recovery, and Allen vowed to be better for them in future games.

"Turnover margin, especially in the playoffs, is so big. It really helps us out and bails us out," he added.

"I can't praise our defense enough for playing the way they did. I put them in some tough situations today, so I've got to be better for them."

It was not just the defense who played their part in frustrating the Dolphins offense, however, with the atmosphere in Buffalo leading to errors – including a delay of game penalty that pushed Thompson's offense back to six yards instead of one in fourth down of their final drive.

Allen reserved praise for the home fans, encouraging them to be similarly effective in next week's Divisional round clash against either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We're going to need the Bills mafia in the building being load and disruptive, I thought they did a good job tonight causing a couple false starts and delay of games, that is such a huge momentum shift for us," he said.

"When it's fourth and one, you cause a delay, then it's fourth and six, which changes the complexity of that call, so shout out to our fans."

The Buffalo Bills booked their spot in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs after twice seeing off comebacks from the Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo raced to a 17-point lead in the second quarter before the Dolphins responded with 17 unanswered points of their own, though the Bills would then hit 14 points to put them back in the drivers' seat.

Miami were not done though, fighting back to within a field goal, but an inexperienced offense could not capitalise, struggling to get plays off before the play clock ran down, as the Bills held on for a 34-31 victory.

First quarter touchdowns for Dawson Knox and James Cook came either side of an interception from Skylar Thompson, with Miami having just 19 yards and a solitary first down in a slow start to the game.

The Bills extended their lead with a field goal before Miami sprung into life with two field goals of their own and two interceptions on Josh Allen in the second quarter – who had just one in 228 playoff passing attempts in the playoffs before the game – as Mike Gesicki then tied the game with a seven-yard reception.

While the hosts retook the lead with a field goal before the break, the Dolphins moved ahead 24-20 early in the third quarter when an Allen fumble was recovered by Zach Sieler for a five-yard TD, putting the momentum back in the hands of the visitors.

The Dolphins could not capitalise though as Thompson, leading the offense in the absence of Tua Tagovailoa, threw five consecutive incomplete passes before being intercepted by Kaiir Elam. The Bills turned that into a Cole Beasley TD, then extended the lead with Gabe Davis' 21-yard score.

Miami pulled within a field goal through Jeff Wilson's reception and then had a huge stop on the Buffalo offense, but could not find their rhythm, receiving a delay of game penalty on a crucial fourth and one that leaves them still without a playoff victory since 2000.