Playing in front of hostile Bills fans has been one of Patrick Mahomes’ hopes
Days before the Chiefs’ game against the Packers in late November, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked about playing at Lambeau Field for the first time.
“I’m extremely excited,” Mahomes said during an interview on KCSP (610 AM).
Mahomes was then asked how many NFL stadiums he has yet to visit.
“I mean, off the top of my head, I haven’t played in the Panthers’ stadium, I don’t believe,” Mahomes said. “And I don’t think I’ve played in Atlanta during the regular season. I played there in the preseason, but I haven’t played in the regular season there. I think they’re coming up maybe next year. So I’ve played in most of them now. And obviously you say Cowboys, I wasn’t starting whenever that happened, but I got to go to that game and I played some college games there.”
Yes, the Chiefs do play at Carolina and Atlanta in the 2024 season, so Mahomes will be able to knock those off his list.
But there are also stadiums in which Mahomes has played that were missing one key component: opposing fans.
That includes Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The last five meetings between the Chiefs and Bills have all been at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, including a pair of postseason games.
Mahomes’ only visit to Highmark Stadium came on Oct. 19, 2020. That was during the COVID pandemic, and the game had been moved from Thursday to a Monday during a season of scheduling changes.
Kickoff was at 4:05 p.m. and official attendance that day was zero. The Chiefs won 26-17.
“I’m excited to be able to hit every stadium and then some of the stadiums I hit during the COVID year like Buffalo and New Orleans,” Mahomes said in that KCSP interview seven weeks ago. “I mean obviously I was glad that I got to hit them during the COVID year and the fans weren’t in the stands, but I want to see what it’s like to be in that type of environment.
“I mean I know it’ll be hostile and it’ll be tough for us, but it’d be cool for new experiences.”
Little did he know at the time of that radio interview, but Mahomes is about to get his wish in Sunday’s AFC Divisional playoff game. Bills fans are sure to be in full throat for what will be Mahomes’ first road playoff start (Super Bowl LV was considered a neutral site, even though it was at the Buccaneers’ home field).
Bills quarterback Josh Allen told reporters after Monday’s Wild Card win over the Steelers he hopes fans make some noise against the Chiefs.
“We’re going to need a fantastic atmosphere,” Allen said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 8:52 AM.
