'Good luck' – Payments anticipating dwelling playoff sport vs. Chiefs – ESPN

Payments offensive lineman Dion Dawkins speaks about the way it might be troublesome for Patrick Mahomes coming into Buffalo. (1:04)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In what has developed right into a historic rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs group will play at Highmark Stadium within the postseason for the primary time.
The Chiefs did come to Orchard Park within the 2020 common season, however that sport was performed with out followers within the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Mahomes and quarterback Josh Allen have began video games, the Chiefs and Payments have met six occasions, with 5 of these occurring in Kansas Metropolis.
The chance to lastly host Mahomes within the postseason is not misplaced on the Payments.
“[Mahomes has] solely been right here as soon as. So he is by no means been right here. Easy as that,” left sort out Dion Dawkins stated. “Pat has by no means been to the Payments stadium in full. … The setting shall be totally different, and to not say it is in our favor, however stadium is our favor. Stadium is us. That helps us. I do not care what no person says. That is essentially the most dopest feeling I’ve ever had. We’re having two back-to-back playoff video games dwelling. Come on now, like we get to go away and go eat wings. It is cool. So good luck.”
The Payments beat the Chiefs 20-17 at Arrowhead Stadium final month in a sport that began their present six-game profitable streak. Kansas Metropolis has received each postseason conferences since 2020 — 2020 AFC Championship Sport and 2021 divisional spherical — whereas Buffalo has received three of 4 regular-season matchups throughout that point.
Whereas the Payments’ 2022 season did finish with a house playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, traditionally they’ve seen vital success in dwelling playoff video games with a 14-2 file since 1970, finest within the NFL amongst groups with at the very least 5 dwelling video games throughout that point.
The Payments are getting ready for this sport within the midst of a second lake impact snowstorm hitting the Buffalo space in per week, however they’ve maintained a standard apply schedule on a brief week after the wild-card spherical sport in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers was pushed again. The group is already asking followers to assist shovel snow out the stadium Friday for a second straight week.
“It is good to have the followers behind you. I believe little nuances, like not having to make use of silent cadences, is all the time a plus,” stated middle Mitch Morse, a former Chiefs participant. “I believe particularly with a brief week like we had, it is very nice to have this home-field benefit. However we additionally know that within the playoffs, these groups which have made it this far are used to adversity and hostile conditions.”
This sport will make Mahomes and Allen the fourth pair of quarterbacks to fulfill at the very least thrice within the playoffs inside their first seven seasons. As of Thursday, the Chiefs are a 3-point underdog, in keeping with ESPN BET, the second time in Mahomes’ postseason profession that he has been an underdog, becoming a member of final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl.
A win would mark Allen’s second AFC Championship Sport look and Mahomes’ sixth.
“They have been on the prime of the mountain. They know what it takes to get there. We have but to do this,” Allen stated. “Once more, as a competitor, as a participant to be in a state of affairs like that is one thing you dream about. I do know guys on this group have been ready for this second for a very long time. To consider how far we have come even from seven, eight weeks in the past to the place we at the moment are to have a possibility to host a sport in opposition to — they’ve received two championships within the final couple years — you may’t assist however be enthusiastic about that.”

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