Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - It was a victorious Monday for the Buffalo Bills, who ended up punching their ticket to the AFC Divisional Round with a 31-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round at Highmark Stadium.
While Monday's showdown got a bit close in the fourth quarter following a Steelers touchdown, Buffalo was able to give its fans some breathing room on their next drive with a touchdown to Khalil Shakir. In addition, injuries to a number of prominent defensive players on Monday made things a bit interesting down the stretch.
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"I was scared. It was definitely a little frightening with all the injuries and all that. We just can't have that," said Bills fan Landon from Eden. "It's playoff season, and we've got to come out with a win, we've got to stay healthy. Rasul Douglas being out, that's a big loss, and losing people like Bernard, it's a big loss for us. We just can't have that."
For some Bills fans like Shayne from Florida, formerly from Rochester, Monday was one of the more surreal days with the Bills earning another win in the playoffs.
"This team has gone on such an incredible run, and we've seen this year-after-year. It just feels like it's coming up short, or it feels like this might be the game it's going to end, this is going to be what costs us," said Shayne following Monday's win. "We were up 21-0, and I didn't feel the Steelers were done just yet. I was so glad to watch this team, despite all the injuries, rebound, find ways to push through and just find a way to get through this game, and hold a sizable lead to the Steelers throughout the entire night."
Another element that left many Bills fans enamored with Monday's game was the elements that played into the contest.
In the hours following the snowfall from the weekend's winter storm that buried much of Western New York, many fans in the stands had to deal with the snow that hadn't been shoveled by the volunteers helping out before kickoff. However, many took it in stride, and even utilized the snow to contribute in some celebrations following some significant plays throughout the evening.
"It was alive, it was vibrant," said Bills fan Alyssa from Olean. "When people were throwing the snow off the third floor, I was sitting in the second floor, it was just magical. I think we deserved it, and it was it was awesome."
"It was really fun," added Landon. "This morning, I was looking at the the stuff on Channel 4, where they posted all the seats with the snow covered and all that. I was like, 'How are we going to do that?' But yeah, it was really fun. It was a really fun environment. Seeing every time we scored, the snow going up. It was it was really fun."
While there was a lot of fuss made before Monday's game to play the contest Sunday, when it was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. EST, there were some fans who were thankful the game was postponed and pushed back to Monday.
"I think it was a good move that our Governor, County Executive and the NFL decided to wait a day to play the game. It was a heck of a lot nicer today, except for a little cold, than it was yesterday," said Bills fan Bill from Hamburg.
Up next for the Bills is a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round next Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. EST at Highmark Stadium.
Remarkably, for the first time in his NFL career, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is set to play his first road playoff game, as the Chiefs finished the 2023 season as the No. 3 seed compared to Buffalo as the No. 2 seed.
Many Bills fans are already looking ahead to Buffalo's matchup with the Chiefs, as it marks the first time Kansas City will visit Western New York since the 2020 COVID-19 season when no fans were in attendance for the contest.
"This is going to be a very big task for Buffalo. I feel this is not Patrick Mahomes' best year, he is coming into our house. This is such a really good opportunity for us to take advantage and make a real plot to the Super Bowl," Shayne said. "But that team against the Dolphins looked a lot better than some of the games they played during the regular season, so by no means you should be counting our K.C. in this game. It is going to be a tough fight, and we need to heal up and be ready with the best game plan we have."
For fans like Bill, he expects Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs to have some relevance to past matchups in the postseason with Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium.
"I went to the Kansas City-Bills game, in Kansas City, where we lost in overtime. I think this year, we're going to have some payback for them," Bill said.
So what is the key to the Bills coming away with a victory over Mahomes and the Chiefs come Sunday in Orchard Park? Landon feels it's all about health and playing solid football against Mahomes and the Kansas City defense.
"We've got to play good defense. I think defense is what will win us this game, and staying healthy, getting these players back," Landon said. "I think if we shut down that Kelce momentum, I think we really have a chance at going to the AFC Championship."
"This feels cosmic. This feels like it is our year," added Shayne. "This seems to be the type of year we would have to make the run. This is our story, and I don't think this is going down any quietly. I would say for anyone in the AFC or the NFC, watch out."