Bills’ Josh Allen: Chiefs are AFC’s big dogs, says KC fans made impact in title game
While the Chiefs fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl last season, they maintained their status as the AFC’s best team.
The Chiefs made league history last season by being the first team to play host to three straight AFC Championship Games. And they have been in the last two Super Bowls.
Buffalo was the second-best team in the conference last season but the Chiefs beat the Bills twice, winning 38-24 in the AFC title game and 26-17 in Orchard Park, New York, in October.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was on The Ringer’s “10 questions with Kyle Brandt” podcast and said he thinks about that AFC Championship Game loss “every day.”
“I think about it all the time and where we were, where we could have been,” Allen said. “Obviously we had our chances in that game and obviously you can’t go back and do that and change anything. But it was a chance to learn, a chance to grow. I know coach (Brian) Daboll and coach (Sean) McDermott think the same thing and our goal is to get back to the game next year, but hopefully we play in Buffalo and we go on and we accomplish the goal that we set out to accomplish.
“So, again, I think it’s just another step in the gradual progression, and as coach McDermott would say, ‘Just trust in the process.’ That’s just one of the steps in the process that we’re trying to follow and you see what our front office has done this offseason and given us tools to go back and be ready to compete and try to go out there and do that again. So you can do all that during the offseason but at the end of the day, it’s the guys making the plays on the field when you have to. And we’re excited to get back out there and show that we can do that, and that we’re ready to move on and be the team that we think we can be.”
Another reason Allen is excited for the 2021 season: the return of packed stadiums.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last month he expects teams to have full stadiums for games this fall.
Allen said the announced crowd of 16,993 at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game made life difficult for the Bills.
“Playing in the AFC Championship Game last year, even though the Chiefs only had right around I think 20,000 fans, it was a huge, huge obstacle that we had to climb. And when you don’t practice for that type of situation and you have to go on silent count, you go up, then you make a check, and they get out of it, by that time they get out of it, now you’re in the wrong play again. There’s really nothing you can do to go back and change it.
“So I see how much of an advantage it is when you have a fan base that is extremely loud on first, second, but more importantly, third down, what the obstacles and the challenges that presents to opposing offenses. It’s awesome to have and I know our fans are gonna be super pumped this next year as long as we can get them in the building. It’s gonna be a huge help for us.”
Allen also was asked specifically about he views the Chiefs.
“It was the Patriots before them,” Allen said. “You want to be that team that has that sustained success. And in order to be that team, you’ve got to beat that team. And you know, it’s a lot easier said than done. At the same time. I mean, we view them I think as anybody else in the league does. They’re the guys on top and obviously they didn’t win the Super Bowl this year and that’s the Bucs. But in the AFC side, again, they’ve been in the title game three years in a row. And how do we get to that point? How do we continue to adapt and change and be able to go out there and put together our best performances to consistently be in the talks to a title run?
“And that’s what we’re trying to build in Buffalo and I think we’re really close and I think that this next year is a real opportunity for, like I said, to go out there and accomplish what we want to accomplish. But I guess like I said, it’s easier said than done and our actions have to go do the talking on the field.”
Here is the interview, starting with the talk of the influence Chiefs fans had in the AFC Championship Game (be aware there is cursing in this video):
