NFL Playoffs: Cincinnati Bengals beat Buffalo Bills just weeks after Damar Hamlin collapsed

CNN
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distance Kansas City Chiefs Philadelphia Eagles beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants, respectively, all eyes were on the remaining round-robin matchups on Sunday, with the Buffalo Bills facing the Cincinnati Bengals. San Francisco 49ers Hosting the Dallas Cowboys.

The Bills fell to the Bengals, 27-10. And the 49ers defeated the Cowboys 19-12.

Here’s what else you need to know.

Twenty days after he suffered cardiac arrest in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was in attendance as the Bills again faced the Bengals, this time in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs at High Mark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

But the Bengals prevailed despite Buffalo’s home advantage and the emotional uplift of Hamlin’s presence on the field.

A CBS broadcast of the game showed Hamlin arriving with a wagon and entering the Bills’ locker room wearing sunglasses, a face covering, and a jacket sold through Chasing M’s hooded clothing line. Hamlin’s mother, Nina, Mario’s father, and younger brother Damir are also shown entering the stadium.

Later, video posted on social media showed Hamlin walking from the locker room to an elevator while being blocked by security officials.

During the game, Hamlin’s presence was announced over the stadium’s public address system, drawing applause from the crowd at Haymark Stadium. CBS showed a video of Hamlin amplifying the crowd by making his heart-shaped gesture with his hands and urging the crowd to make noises by raising his arms.

With a steady snowfall in western New York and all feelings tilted toward the Bills, Bengals came out of the gate strong. A pair of Joe Burrow touchdown passes gave Cincinnati an early 14-0 lead, and the Bengals took a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Bengals maintained a comfortable advantage, taking a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, while Cincinnati’s defense stifled Buffalo’s offense throughout the game. The Bills offense could gain no momentum and only managed to reach the end zone once in the game.

Cincinnati now advances to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. The Chiefs will host the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday with kickoff at 6:30 PM EST.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 to advance to their second straight NFC Championship game on Sunday.

San Francisco’s defense came out swinging, and the Cowboys’ evasive offense shut down. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott struggled against the unit, throwing for 206 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. One of Dallas’ bright spots on offense was CeeDee Lamb, who finished with 117 receiving yards.

49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy continued his transition from Mr. He improved to 7-0 as a starter after taking over an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in mid-December. Purdy threw for 214 yards in the win.

The Cowboys’ kicking struggles appear to have continued from last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kicker Brett Maher got off to another rocky start, having held up his extra point after missing four extra point attempts the previous week. Maher continued to bounce off the blocked kick, kicking two field goals afterwards.

The 49ers will now head to Philadelphia to play the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and have a chance to clinch their spot in the Super Bowl for the second time since 2019. The game is scheduled for next Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Super Bowl LVII is scheduled to take place on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.