Barring some sort of gridiron miracle, it doesn't appear that the Buffalo Bills will host and NFL playoff game this season.
And, while it changes the on-field dynamic for the Bills, it also has a deep economic impact on downtown Buffalo's bars, restaurant and hotels.
"We feel it," lamented developer Rocco Termini, whose holdings include Tappo restaurant on Ellicott Street.
Put it this way: A regular season Bills' home game has a spin-off economic impact in the $10 million range, with much of that felt in downtown Buffalo via booked hotel rooms and new business for bars and restaurants.
For a playoff game, that economic impact rises exponentially as the Bills' go deeper into the post season.
That, in a snapshot serves as an example of the economic hold the Bills have over the Buffalo Niagara region, especially in downtown Buffalo.
Unless there is total collapse by the New England Patriots and the Bills' go on a regular season-ending multi-game winning streak - two big "ifs" - it appears this will be the first time since the 2019 season that the Bills will not host at least one home playoff game.
"You really feel it the days just before the game," Termini said. "That's when hotels get filled up and the bars and restaurants are packed."