AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:19 p.m. EST

Hamlin in mind, Bills return to action with first-play TD

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills scored a touchdown on their very first play since safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game in Cincinnati on Monday. Return man Nyheim Hines ran the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday. The uplifting score was an early highlight to a cathartic day in Buffalo. A weeklong outpouring of support continued as the Bills returned to the field for the first time since Hamlin had to be resuscitated after making a tackle during the first quarter at Cincinnati. Hamlin has since made what doctors call a remarkable recovery.

Bills’ Hamlin selling shirts to benefit first responders

CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is selling shirts to benefit first responders and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center amid his recovery from cardiac arrest. He tweeted about the shirts after the Bills beat the New England Patriots 35-23 Sunday in their first game since Hamlin’s health scare. His tweet included an image of three shirts, each with Hamlin’s hands forming a heart and “Did We Win?” in big print. Hamlin’s first question after he awoke Thursday was whether the Bills had beaten the Cincinnati Bengals in the game when he collapsed on the field. Fans have already contributed over $8.5 million to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation as of Sunday evening.

Bucs’ Brady breaks own NFL mark for completions in a season

ATLANTA (AP) — Tom Brady has broken his own NFL record for most completions in a season. Brady quickly gained the needed nine connections in the first half of Tampa Bay’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Brady had a record 485 completions with the Buccaneers in 2021. The 45-year-old Brady entered the game against the Falcons with 477 completions, leaving him only nine away from a new record. Brady set the mark on a 5-yard completion to Russell Gage early in the second quarter. Brady had 13 completions, giving him 490 for the season. He left the game late in the first half.

Bills win for Hamlin and eliminate Patriots from playoffs

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Nyheim Hines ignited an emotionally charged atmosphere celebrating injured Bills safety Damar Hamlin by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns, and Buffalo clinched the AFC’s second playoff seed with a 35-23 win over the New England Patriots. The loss, coupled with Miami beating the New York Jets, eliminated the Patriots from the playoffs for the second time in three years, and just the fourth time in 23 seasons during Bill Belichick’s coaching tenure. Buffalo will now host their division rival Dolphins in the wild-card round next weekend. With the game in hand, Bills players held up three fingers in honor of Hamlin’s number with the crowd chanting “Hamlin! Hamlin!” in honor of the safety who is recovering in a Cincinnati hospital after going into cardiac arrest on Monday.

Dolphins clinch playoff berth after beating Jets 11-6

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jason Sanders kicked a go-ahead 50-yard field goal with 18 seconds left and helped send the Miami Dolphins to their first playoff berth since 2016 after barely squeaking by the New York Jets 11-6. The Dolphins snapped a five-game losing streak and then had to wait a few minutes for Buffalo to defeat New England 35-23 to make their postseason appearance official. “We’re In” was displayed on the videoboard at Hard Rock Stadium. The Jets ended the season with six straight losses and finished a disappointing collapse for Robert Saleh’s squad. New York failed to score a touchdown in its final three games.

Bengals’ Mixon celebrates TD with coin flip

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals are still flipping out over the NFL’s plan to determine home-field advantage in the playoffs. Mixon referenced the NFL’s decision to use a coin flip as a tiebreaker Sunday by celebrating a 1-yard touchdown run against the Baltimore Ravens by taking a coin out of his glove and flicking it. He and several teammates then kicked it on the ground. The league decided to add a coin flip to settle some potential playoff scenarios after Monday night’s game between the Bengals and Buffalo Bills was declared a no-contest after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.

Bengals beat Ravens to avoid coin flip, set up home rematch

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw for a touchdown and Joe Mixon ran for another as the Cincinnati Bengals took advantage of four Baltimore turnovers to beat the Ravens 27-16 and set up a rematch in the first round of the playoffs next week. The AFC North champion Bengals beat a Ravens team that rested some key players ahead of the postseason. Cincinnati avoided a coin flip to determine the site of its playoff game against Baltimore. But the Bengals’ chances at the No. 2 seed in the AFC ended when Buffalo beat New England. Third-string quarterback Anthony Brown started for the Ravens. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Bears get No. 1 pick after Texans rally for win at Indy

CHICAGO (AP) — Thanks to an old friend, the Chicago Bears are on the clock for the NFL draft. Chicago will pick No. 1 for the first time since 1947 after it lost 29-13 to the Minnesota Vikings in its season finale. It was the 10th straight loss for the Bears, extending a franchise record. Even with all that misery, the Bears were headed for the No. 2 selection before Lovie Smith coached Houston to a wild 32-31 victory at Indianapolis. The 64-year-old Smith coached the Bears from 2004-12, going 81-63 and making the playoffs three times.

Steelers beat Browns 28-14 but miss out on playoffs

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Najee Harris ran for 84 yards and a touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14 but were eliminated from the playoffs when Miami edged the New York Jets. The Steelers will have to settle for a 16th straight non-losing season under coach Mike Tomlin, fueled by a 7-2 finish. Pittsburgh’s ugly 2-6 start included an injury to star linebacker T.J. Watt and rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett’s ascension to the starting job. The Browns finished 7-10, including 3-3 with quarterback Deshaun Watson. This is the 17th time since Cleveland re-joined the NFL in 1999 that the Browns have lost at least 10 games.

Shiffrin shows her emotions after matching Vonn’s record

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has matched Lindsey Vonn’s women’s World Cup skiing record with her 82nd win. Shiffrin led from start to finish to win a giant slalom and can now break Vonn’s mark in a night slalom scheduled for Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday. Already with eight wins this season, Shiffrin is also quickly approaching Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record between men and women of 86 victories. Vonn retired four years ago when injuries ended her pursuit of Stenmark.