Minneapolis, Minn. (WBEN) - For the first time since 2018, the Buffalo Bills will be back in Minnesota to face the Vikings for a game at U.S. Bank Stadium. And for Western New York transplants living in the "Twin Cities", it's been a long time coming.
The last time the Bills played the Vikings in Minnesota was certainly a memorable game for not just Bill Brady, but all of "Bills Mafia".
"The last time they were here was a pretty significant game in the history of the Bills, because it was the Josh Allen 'coming out' party, and we remember that well," said Brady, the president of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Buffalo Bills Backers chapter. "We had a huge group that bought tickets to that game, and we went in, we walked in, they were 2-0, the Bills were 0-2, the Vikings were 17-point favorites. We had a great time partying, but we were just like, 'We know we're gonna get our asses kicked.' That's not what happened, so we all remember that game pretty darn well. We're pretty excited for a repeat performance similar to that coming up."
For that 2018, the expectations for Allen and the Bills were quite low. This time around, though, the expectations are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
"There's quite a bit of hype not just because it's Josh Allen coming in, but because the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Meaning the Bills' offense - No. 1 in the league - versus the Vikings' defense - No. 1 in the league. And, of course, our defense is suspect, and the Vikings' offense is very suspect. So there's been a lot of talk about that," Brady said with WBEN.
"We know we have a good team, we've seen Josh Allen for eight years now, and we expect it, and so does everyone else. The fans of the Vikings, they're not being cocky at all, I'll tell you that, in spite of the fact that they have the same record."
After growing up in North Tonawanda, Brady moved to Minneapolis in 1986, where he later went on to meet his wife. It was not long before their wedding when he got to experience the heartbreak of a Super Bowl loss, one that his wife was all-too familiar with.
"Back in 1991, when my wife and I got engaged - she's from [Minneapolis], of course - we had the 'Wide Right' incident, I was so despondent, and she looked at me and said, 'Oh, talk to me when you've lost four.' Well, three years later, we had lost four. Now we're [a combined] 0-8, but I always say the Bills were much more efficient in their futility than the Vikings were. It took them 10 years to lose four," Brady joked.
On a regular Bills game day in Minneapolis, Brady says the Bills Backers club gets an average of about 30-to-50 per-week at the local Buffalo Wild Wings located right across from the University of Minnesota's football stadium. The group also has about 500 people on its official Facebook page online. And over the last couple of years, Brady has noticed the group continuing to grow more-and-more.
"There's a big group of regulars, but every game we have new people coming in. New people who discover us based on our Facebook page, or who look it up on the Bills Backers website. We have people who are traveling for business and live in Buffalo or live in Upstate New York, and find out about us and come to the games, come to watch," Brady noted. "We're rowdy. We haven't broken any tables or anything at the bar, but we're a loud bunch and we're an enthusiastic bunch. Of course we're big on the 'Hey-Ey-Ey-Ey' cheer and all that stuff, and we just have a blast. It's just a lot of fun. We have old farts like me who go back to the rock pile, and we have young fans who don't even remember the '90s. So we have a real good mix of fans every week."
With the game taking place on Monday night this year, Brady has noticed the heightened hype around town, especially with an extra day-and-a-half for Bills fans to gather and enjoy the weekend together cheering on their favorite team.
"The Bills Backers purchased about 300 tickets to the game, we got a group rate from the Vikings, but there are thousands of others that we know of coming in. The downtown hotels are all sold out, mostly with Bills fans, and we have a lot of parties being planned," Brady noted.
"The excitement is palpable, especially among the Bills fans. The Vikings fans are obviously pretty excited about it too, and it's going to be quite an atmosphere."
Outside of Allen and the Bills' ascension atop the NFL standings, what else stands out as noticeably different from the last time the team was in Minnesota? For Brady, it's the fact the Bills have become a national phenomenon.
"Thanks to two things: Josh Allen is one of them, but I honestly think the guys who created the 'Bills Mafia' moniker. ... That has really given us an identity around the country that we didn't have before," he said. "There's fans who have never set foot in Buffalo who are big fans now. I was traveling in Austria just last month, and I ran into this guy wearing a Bills baseball cap, and he lives in Vienna. But he has friends in the U.S. and we're his team. That's just such a cool thing."
And Brady says he's constantly getting messages from Bills fans that make their way to Minneapolis or St. Paul, who are either visiting or making the move.
"The best way [to contact us] is through our Facebook page, which is 'Minneapolis/St. Paul Buffalo Bills Backers'," Brady noted. "Especially this week, we've had a ton of people just [on] Facebook Messenger, and I'll respond, let them know what's going on. We have a whole list of things that are that are happening this weekend that you can find out about. But anytime anyone comes to town from Buffalo, we love having visitors from the motherland, as we say."
Kickoff for Monday night's prime-time affair is slated for 8:15 p.m. EST.
The last game in Minneapolis was Josh Allen's "coming out" party during his rookie season
The last game in Minneapolis was Josh Allen's "coming out" party during his rookie season
