Bills fans have donated thousands to Andy Dalton’s charity as thanks for saving their season

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

• The Cincinnati Bengals helped the Buffalo Bills reach the playoffs with a last-minute touchdown.
• After the game, Bills fans flooded Andy Dalton’s charitable foundation with donations as a way of saying thanks.
• Fans donated more than $57,000 in the first 24 hours.

The Buffalo Bills are going to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, and they couldn’t have done it without some help from Andy Dalton.

Entering Sunday, the Bills needed a win against the Miami Dolphins and an upset win by the Cincinnati Bengals over the Baltimore Ravens in order to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Shockingly, Cincinnati came through. Facing fourth-and-12 from midfield, Dalton found Tyler Boyd who escaped defenders to find the end zone. That ended the Ravens season and sent Buffalo to the playoffs.

With this in mind, Bills fans have been donating to the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, which “provides support, resources, opportunities and life-changing experiences to seriously ill and physically challenged children and their families.”

“I think I’m the hottest guy in Buffalo right now,” Dalton said on Monday. “According to my Twitter, I think everybody’s loving us right now. Obviously that’s a crazy fan base, and they’re all pretty excited.”

Many of the donations have been $17, commemorating the 17-year-long playoff drought which Dalton helped end, while other Bills fans are donating even more. On Monday, Dalton thanked the Buffalo fanbase for their support, noting that the foundation had raised over $57,000 in the 24 hours after the Bengals win.

The foundation also released a statement on the influx of cash from Bills fans, saying “Buffalo fans are a class act. Thank you for showing your appreciation to Andy Dalton by supporting the families we serve. All of your donations will go to our outreach programs. We can do more with your help.”

The Bills will play their first playoff game of the 21st century this Sunday, as they travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars.