Travis Kelce has issued a rallying cry to his Chiefs teammates ahead of Sunday’s AFC Divisional round matchup, as he insisted that playing in front of Bills fans in freezing Buffalo ‘doesn’t get any better,’ nor does it intimidate him, whatsoever.
The 34-year-old tight end, who warned Sunday’s opponents that they face a ‘very different’ Kansas City team than the one they beat at Arrowhead Stadium in Dec., also denied reports that his older brother and Eagles center, Jason, told teammates of his decision to retire after Philadelphia’s wild-card loss to Tampa Bay on Monday.
When asked if he is ready to play in a potentially hostile atmosphere this weekend at Highmark Stadium, which is covered in several feet of snow, Kelce said on Friday: ‘It’s Bills Mafia, man. That’s their home-field advantage. I’m sure the guys love playing for that fan base.
‘I grew up in Cleveland man,’ he added, referring to the minor rivalry between the Browns – his hometown team – and the Bills due to both cities’ location on the Great Lakes, with Buffalo going 9-12 all-time in the regular season against the AFC North club. ‘They were throwing beer bottles at people, so…
When asked about the possibility of a sold-out crowd in Buffalo in less than 48 hours, the two-time Super Bowl champion replied: ‘That’s a hostile environment, innit?
Travis Kelce has praised Bills fans ahead of Sunday’s game as he described them as the team’s ‘home field advantage,’ adding that he’s sure the players ‘love playing for that fan base’
Bills fans showed up in masses for their wild-card win vs. the Steelers despite cold conditions
‘Ready to get after it, man, ready to get after it,’ he later said about his feelings and physical preparation for the Chiefs’ second-round playoff game this season. ‘Buffalo, cold, playoff game, doesn’t get any better baby.’
As confident as he may have seemed, two days ahead of Kansas City’s third playoff matchup against Buffalo in the last four years, Kelce stressed the importance of remaining concentrated as long as the Chiefs are still in the postseason race to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11.
Kelce and his teammates started the Chiefs’ playoff campaign as the No. 3 seed in AFC standings – an unusual position for a team that is used to dominating the league and has won two Super Bowls titles since 2019 – as they ended the regular season behind the Bills (No. 2) and Baltimore Ravens (No. 1).
‘Instead of it being a road game, because everybody’s played on the road, I think that it’s more so in the playoffs just we just take it up a notch from the wild card weekend last weekend,’ Kelce said.
‘It speeds up as you go along the playoffs and that I think is more important to stay focused, understand your assignments a little bit more, so you can go out there and play as fast as you possibly can.’
Kelce and Co. have faced Buffalo in the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons
Although both teams had the same record in the regular season, Buffalo won the tiebreaker – and the right to host – with its 20-17 win at Kansas City last month. That was the first of six straight victories for the Bills, including Monday’s wild-card round victory over Pittsburgh.
Snow isn’t in the forecast, though cold temperatures are, which shouldn’t affect either team. The Bills are accustomed to the cold, while the Chiefs beat visiting Miami last weekend with a game-time temperature of minus-4 Fahrenheit (minus-20 Celsius) and wind chills that made it feel 20 degrees colder.
‘They’re at the top of the mountain. They know what it takes to get there. We’ve yet to do that,’ said Bills quarterback Josh Allen, whose lone AFC championship game appearance ended in a 38-24 loss at Kansas City, about the Chiefs.
‘As a competitor, to be in a situation like this is something you dream about.’