This weekend, the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs will face the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs for a third time in the last four seasons. Unlike the first two of those matchups, though, this one will take place in Buffalo. And one person who seems very fired up about that is Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins.
"[Mahomes has] only been here once. So, he's never been here. Simple as that," Dawkins said, per ESPN.com. "Pat has never been to the Bills' stadium in full. ... The environment will be different and not to say it's in our favor, but stadium is our favor. Stadium is us. That helps us. I don't care what nobody says. This is the most dopest feeling I've ever had. We're having two back-to-back playoff games home. Come on now, like we get to leave and go eat wings. It's cool. So good luck."
The only time Mahomes has played a game in Buffalo was in 2020, when many games were played in stadiums without fans due to COVID-19. The Chiefs won that game 26-17, with Mahomes going 21 of 26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 10 times for 36 yards.
Bills center Mitch Morse, who spent the first four years of his career in Kansas City, also spoke about the advantages of having this game against the Chiefs take place in Buffalo.
"It's nice to have the fans behind you. I think little nuances, like not having to use silent cadences is always a plus," Morse said. "I think especially with a short week like we had, it's really nice to have this home field advantage. But we also know that in the playoffs, these teams that have made it this far are used to adversity and adverse situations."
The elements could once again play a role in this game, as Buffalo is expected to be hit with more snow this weekend. Both the Bills and Chiefs played in games that were dramatically affected by weather last week, but previous Chiefs-Bills postseason games have generally been played under something resembling normal conditions. It will be interesting to see how each team responds, and whether having to go on the road for the first time in his playoff career affects Mahomes' performance on Sunday.
