A stroke of good luck set the stage for an incredible moment for the Bills on Sunday afternoon.
Bad luck might actually be a better way of putting it. Head coach Sean McDermott planned to defer if Buffalo won the opening toss, but the coin ended up flipping in favor of the visiting New England Patriots. What happened next was a scene straight out of a feel-good film.
Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills an early lead in Week 18. The highlight-reel play ignited euphoria among a sold-out Highmark Stadium crowd that already was overcome with emotion as Damar Hamlin remained on their minds. Buffalo rode the momentum from there, earning a 35-23 win to secure the second seed in the AFC playoff field.
After the game, McDermott admitted to NBC Sport’s Peter King that the dramatic game-opening score wouldn’t have been possible if he was given the opportunity to go through with his original plan.
“I’m glad they lost this one,” McDermott told King, who featured the anecdote in his latest Football Morning in America column.
Also happy about Buffalo’s coin-toss loss was Hamlin, who excitedly took to Twitter after Hines sent Bills fans into a frenzy.
