Locals in the NFL: Former Utah tight ends were Josh Allen's best friends in Bills' incredible rally


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AROUND THE SHIELD — Jackson Hawes picked a great time to record his first NFL regular-season catch.

The rookie out of Salt Lake City's Highland High caught a 29-yard pass to the 1-yard line with 3:06 remaining as the Buffalo Bills rallied from a 40-25 fourth-quarter deficit to stun Baltimore 41-40 on Sunday Night Football.

Former Utah star Dalton Kincaid scored on a 15-yard strike from Josh Allen on the Bills' opening drive, but Baltimore went on a 17-0 run to go up 20-13 at halftime.

Derrick Henry scored on a monster 46-yard run with 11:42 left in the final period to put the Ravens (0-1) up 40-25. But Josh Allen pulled the Bills back within a single possession when he hit Keon Coleman from 10 yards out with 4:05 on the clock to give up to the Western New York faithful.

"It took everybody there," Allen said. "Nobody blinked. ... God willing, we take care of business how we're supposed to and how we think we will, we're going to see that team again.

"We stuck in there, and I'm just proud of our guys."

Ed Oliver forced a fumble on the next drive, and four seconds later, Allen found Hawes — the former all-state athlete in football and basketball at Highland High with a degree in economics from Yale before his senior season at Georgia Tech — over the middle for a 29-yard reception that set up the quarterback's 1-yard sneak three plays later.

The Bills (1-0) initially drafted Hawes in the fifth round of April's draft as a blocking tight end, a No. 3 at his position behind Kincaid and Dawson Knox, who admitted he had "a lot to show" in his initial conference call with Buffalo media.

But blocking suits him just fine.

"For me, there's no better feeling than when you're moving someone and you see the little running back run right past you and get yards," said Hawes, the former triple-option receiver. "It's a great feeling."

Allen's 2-point conversion attempt to Coleman failed, but the Bills had two minutes and all their timeouts to force a punt, drive the length of the field, and set up a 32-yard field goal by Matt Prater — the 41-year-old journeyman kicker who signed with the Bills' practice squad just three days prior and made the trip to Buffalo less than 24 hours before kickoff.

"Welcome to Buffalo, basically," said Prater, joking with the NBC broadcast crew that he "was still learning" most of his teammates' names. "It was incredible."

Monday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

Bears (0-0)

  • Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
  • Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah/Murray High
  • Noah Sewell, LB, Orem High (via Oregon)

Vikings (0-0)

  • No locals on the active roster

Sunday Night Football

Buffalo 41, Baltimore 40

Bills (1-0)

  • Cole Bishop, S, Utah: Starting safety made four tackles on defense
  • Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah: Starting tight end caught four passes for 48 yards, including a 15-yard first-quarter touchdown
  • Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State: Reserve cornerback made two tackles on defense
  • Jackson Hawes, TE, Highland High (via Yale/Georgia Tech): Reserve tight end caught one pass for 29 yards

Ravens (0-1)

  • Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker had three tackles and a quarterback hurry

Sunday afternoon

Tampa Bay 23, Atlanta 20

Buccaneers (1-0)

  • No locals on the active roster

Falcons (0-1)

  • Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU: Starting tailback ran for 24 yards on 10 carries
  • Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah: Inactive for Week 1
  • Kaden Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial (via Idaho): Starting linebacker made five tackles on defense

Cincinnati 17, Cleveland 16

Bengals (1-0)

  • Ryan Rehkow, P, BYU: Punted six times for 316 yards (52.7 yards per punt) with two touchbacks and one punt downed inside the 20

Browns (0-1)

  • Mohamoud Diabate, LB, Utah: Reserve linebacker made two tackles on defense, one on special teams

Indianapolis 33, Miami 8

Colts (1-0)

  • No locals on the active roster

Dolphins (0-1)

  • Zach Wilson, QB, BYU/Corner Canyon High: Reserve quarterback completed 5-of-8 passes for 32 yards, ran for 3 yards on one carry

Jacksonville 26, Carolina 10

Jaguars (1-0)

  • Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Starting linebacker made three tackles on defense, one on special teams
  • Tim Patrick, WR, Utah: Reserve wide receiver did not have a catch

Panthers (0-1)

  • Brady Christensen, OG, BYU/Bountiful High: Rotated on offensive line, mostly special teams

Las Vegas 20, New England 13

Raiders (1-0)

  • Leki Fotu, DT, Utah/Herriman High: Inactive for Week 1
  • Jackson Powers-Johnson, OG, Corner Canyon High (via Oregon): Started at right guard

Patriots (0-1)

  • Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU/Granger High: Reserve defensive tackle made three tackles on defense

Arizona 20, New Orleans 13

Cardinals (1-0)

  • No locals on the active roster

Saints (0-1)

  • Julian Blackmon, FS, Utah/Layton High: Starting safety had seven tackles, a pass defended on defense
  • Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah: Reserve receiver caught one pass for 13 yards
  • Rashid Shaheed, WR/RS, Weber State: Starting receiver caught six passes for 33 yards, returned two punts for 18 yards with a fair catch

Pittsburgh 34, New York 32

Steelers (1-0)

  • Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State/Snow/East High (via Oklahoma State): Starting running back ran for 37 yards on 11 carries, caught two passes for 22 yards, including a 5-yard fourth quarter touchdown
  • Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah: Reserve safety made one tackle on special teams

Jets (0-1)

  • Jay Tufele, DT, Bingham High (via USC): Reserve defensive lineman made three tackles on defense

Washington 21, New York 6

Commanders (1-0)

  • Matt Gay, K, Utah/UVU/Orem High: Converted three extra points and handled kickoff duties
  • Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: Starting middle linebacker totaled team-high 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss

Giants (0-1)

  • Jaxson Dart, QB, Roy/Corner Canyon High (via Ole Miss): Active, but did not play

Green Bay 27, Detroit 13

Packers (1-0)

  • Jordan Love, QB, Utah State: Starting quarterback competed 16-of-22 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns; ran for 4 yards on three carries
  • Zayne Anderson, S, BYU/Stansbury High: Inactive for Week 1
  • Chris Brooks, RB, BYU: Reserve running back had one carry for a yard; caught one passes for 2 yards; made three tackles on special teams

Lions (0-1)

  • Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills High (via Oregon): Started at right tackle
  • Sione Vaki, RB, Utah: Inactive for Week 1

Denver 20, Tennessee 12

Broncos (1-0)

  • Garett Bolles, OT, Utah/Snow/Westlake High: Started at left tackle
  • Jonah Elliss, LB, Utah: Reserve linebacker had two tackles and a 16-yard sack on defense; one tackle on special teams
  • Karene Reid, LB, Utah/Timpview High: Reserve linebacker also played special teams

Titans (0-1)

  • Cody Barton, LB, Utah/Brighton High: Starting linebacker made nine tackles on defense

San Francisco 17, Seattle 13

49ers (1-0)

  • Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Starting linebacker made a team-high eight tackles, including one tackle for loss

Seahawks (0-1)

  • Connor O'Toole, LB, Utah: Inactive for Week 1

Los Angeles 14, Houston 9

Rams (1-0)

  • Puka Nacua, WR, BYU/Orem High: Starting wide receiver caught game-high 10 passes for 130 yards

Texans (0-1)

  • Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High (via Stanford): Starting tight end caught three passes for 28 yards

Friday

Los Angeles 27, Kansas City 21

Chargers (1-0)

  • Alohi Gilman, S, Orem High (via Notre Dame): Starting safety had team-high nine tackles in 61 defensive snaps, seven on special teams
  • Andre James, OC, Herriman High (via UCLA): Reserve center played five snaps on special teams

Chiefs (0-1)

  • Kingsley Suamataia, OG, BYU/Orem High: Starting left guard play 61 snaps on offense, four on special teams
  • Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State: Inactive for Week 1
  • Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Kearns High (via Oregon): Reserve linebacker played 16 snaps on special teams

Thursday

Philadelphia 24, Dallas 20

Eagles (1-0)

  • No locals on the active roster

Cowboys (0-1)

  • No locals on the active roster

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