Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - For the fourth time in the Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes era, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are set to square off in the NFL Playoffs. And for the first time since 2020, both teams will meet in the AFC Championship Game with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake.
In the lead up to Sunday's contest at Arrowhead Stadium, Bills fans in Kansas City can feel the excitement on the rise for this game, especially with the Chiefs looking to be the first team in NFL history to ever win three Super Bowls in-a-row.
However, John Rood, a Rochester native now living in Kansas City and a member of the Bills Backers of Kansas City, says there's a different feel to this Bills team coming to town this weekend.
"So 2020, I actually was one of the lucky people to be able to go to that championship because the Chiefs sold limited tickets. But that was one of those years that we just felt like we were excited to be there. I was also at the Divisional Round the following year, but I don't like to talk about that one as much. I think this team's a lot more complete in a weird way," said Rood in an interview with WBEN. "They don't have the talent, the flashy names other than the quarterback, but I think if you look at [the Chiefs], Kansas City has proven time-and-time again you don't need to have 22 stars on the NFL field. You need to have three solid solid guys and one stud, and that stud has to be your quarterback. We've got a stud in Josh Allen. So I feel better about this game than I've felt about games in the past, but I'm still cautious with my feelings, because I've had them crushed before."
Just like in 2020, the Bills needed to first beat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round in order to play the Chiefs for the right to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. However, four years ago, COVID still had its firm grasp on the way fans were able to root for their favorite team.
"The last time we were watching that game, it was during COVID, so we actually couldn't go to our Bills Backers bar, they were shut down. So most of us watched it from home, I know a few of us organized some small gatherings," Rood recalled. "So a very different feeling to be able to go to Al's this last weekend and watch it with a bunch of other Bills fans, and a couple of Chiefs fans. But everything was pretty good natured right up until the end, and then it was kind of, 'It's on.' We're ready for the Chiefs."
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The day prior to Buffalo's win over the Ravens, the Chiefs had taken care of business against the Houston Texans in the other AFC Divisional Round game in Kansas City. Rood admits he was ready to by tickets for the AFC Championship Game even before the Bills had secured their spot with the win over Baltimore.
"I was looking at tickets, for sure, but then I was also being a superstitious fan, and worried that if I bought tickets, I would somehow jinx us. So I didn't grab a ticket until after the game had been confirmed. Besides that, it was just kind of that realization that, 'Yes, this is the likely matchup,'" he said. "But I think I was so worried about the Ravens, I really didn't even consider the fact that they were coming back to Kansas City, if they won that game."
While Rood feels different about this Bills team in 2024 compared to years past, he believes the fandom of "Bills Mafia" in Kansas City has been reinforced over the last few seasons.
"I don't know if it's just because we live here, so we experience the Chiefs every year and we see their excitement. It's kind of that, 'Why can't we get some of that? Just give me one of those so I can have that feeling,'" Rood said. "I think that a lot of people are very excited this year. If my social media is any indication, we're getting blown up with people asking how to get tickets, or how to find out where to tailgate and things like that. We're putting information out there as quickly as we could, but it's certainly a level of excitement I have not seen probably since 2021."
That 2021 playoff game was the AFC Divisional Round in Kansas City when the Bills lost an instant classic in overtime, 42-36, at Arrowhead Stadium.
As for Sunday's game, Rood is hoping to feel the satisfaction of a win on Chiefs turf, believing it would be an ultimate level of redemption from the games past that have ended in Kansas City. However, he is also hoping one day to get a chance to see a Bills win in the AFC Championship Game at home with Josh Allen under center.
For those Bills fans that may be heading to Kansas City for the weekend, Rood says there are a couple of events going on Friday and Saturday that should allow members of "Bills Mafia" the chance to get together.
"We're gonna have welcome parties up at Al's Bar and Grill, which is the Bills Backers bar that I actually go to up in Parkville, Mo. It's a relatively small bar, but they are definitely a Buffalo bar," he detailed. "You'll feel that as soon as you walk in, you'll see Sabres memorabilia, you'll see a big old buffalo Fathead on the wall. But they also are a Chiefs bar, he caters to his clients. Every bar is a Chiefs bar around here.
"And then downtown, we have Taps on Main, which is right on Main Street. That's going to be really convenient if you're staying downtown in a hotel. There's a street car that'll take you up and down Main Street for free, and Taps on Main is also hosting welcome events, so they'll have people. Both bars will be packed, I'm sure, the majority of the weekend."
There's also a chance for Bills fans to meet up for a special tailgate run by the Bills Backers of Kansas City on Sunday before the game.
"We're organizing more of just a 'hangout' tailgate in Lot G, which I'll pin that information on my Twitter account, @BillsBackersKC, if you want to join, if you want to come on by. We're going to try and have some food and snacks for everyone, but kind of just bring your own tailgate and we'll have the Bills fans set up there."
Meanwhile, back in Western New York, Vinnie Garofalo is, once again, getting ready to cheer on his Chiefs this weekend from the comfort of his bar, Casey's Black Rock, on Amherst Street in Buffalo. Casey's is the only Chiefs Backers Bar in the entire region.
"This is our yearly tradition. Lots of excitement in-and-around the bar. We're happy it's these two teams," said Garofalo with WBEN. "I think we all saw this coming about four-and-a-half months ago when the preseason ended, and here we are again. It's no surprise."
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While Garofalo admits he's happy the game is being played at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend, he knows this isn't going to be the same Bills team the Chiefs have played years prior.
"I think we're looking at a completely different team with just a different level of confidence they've been playing with this season. Just taking care of the football, not making many mistakes, just playing smart, tough football," Garofalo said. "I've said it before to a couple of the fellow Chiefs fans this week, I would say with full confidence, this is our toughest test in this 6-to-7-year stretch that we've had in any postseason game. I'm looking forward to it, I think Bills fans are looking forward to it, and I can't wait to see some fireworks on Sunday."
Whenever the Bills and Chiefs match up over the course of a season, Garofalo says it's generally a split crowd rooting for the Bills and Chiefs, with, perhaps, a slight advantage in favor of Buffalo.
"Everyone plays really nice together, shockingly. We're happy to have both fan bases in there at full strength, and, hopefully, there's some good football to watch on Sunday," he said.
Earlier this year when the Bills welcomed the Chiefs in the regular season, Garofalo noticed quite the influx of Kansas City fans, with more than 800 members of "Chiefs Kingdom" visiting the bar from Missouri.
"It was a good chance for them to kind of get to know us. I hadn't seen the influx firsthand before, because last year during the playoff game, I was in Puerto Rico, so it was really nice to meet all the fans, and we had some ex-players come in. It was a really nice thing to see firsthand at the bar," Garofalo noted. "I don't anticipate that many Chiefs fans, obviously, this weekend, but we have our regulars that come out, and we have our regular Bills fans that come out. It should be a full house this weekend."
And while Garofalo is expecting business to be the usual come this Sunday evening at Casey's Black Rock, he is advising anyone looking for a spot to catch the game to arrive early.
"If you want to get a seat for the game, get there relatively early, because we expect a full house a few hours even before kickoff," he said. "We might do to some giveaways here-and-there during the game, maybe pregame, but we're just trying to survive the weekend, and hopefully we're still standing when it's all said and done."
Kickoff this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium is slated for 6:30 p.m. EST.