Arrowhead atmosphere

[beebe]

For those who attended last night, curious to hear about your experience at Arrowhead? Did Arrowhead meet/exceed expectations? How were you treated by fans? Where did the game rank on your list of those you've been to (outcome aside)? Overall just interested in hearing about everyone's time at the game. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

23 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

Honestly, who gives a *****...

 

What thread were you in when you chimed in thus?  Apparently, you?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Gene1973 said:

Hmm, I don't sit in a single thread, I read any and all that may be of interest to me. This one, this time of morning, after that loss, yeah...

 

The point is, if you don't give a *****, then presumably the thread is of no interest to you so you need not read it and comment.

[UKBillFan]

3 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

Hmm, I don't sit in a single thread, I read any and all that may be of interest to me. This one, this time of morning, after that loss, yeah...

Yeah, agreed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine for the OP to ask (and I presume is someone linked to the Chiefs looking for legitimate feedback?) but the atmosphere at Arrowhead is probably not high on our list of priories at the moment.

 

People are salty, tense and grouchy so letting off at something like this is always going to happen, even though the thread can just be ignored. But who knows, by responding it’ll keep the thread near the top and maybe someone will be in the mood to answer the questions.

Edited January 24, 2022 by UKBillFan

[beebe]

Now that some time has passed, am I allowed to re-ask this question? 😁

 

I'm mainly curious because I think (at least for some) that this loss was a bit easier to stomach in person than on TV. I ran into a Bills fan in the hotel elevator afterward, she said: "I have a 14 hour drive home, and after a loss I would never say this was worth it. But this game was something else. It was worth it." There were several times down the stretch, and especially as the game went to overtime, where I looked around my section and could sense that everyone knew this game was special and that they were seeing an instant classic and maybe one of the best ever. I was honestly at peace with whatever happened in OT because the game gave me everything I could ask for, and both teams equally deserved to win. You can't say that very often. No turnovers, no crazy flukes, the refs largely stayed out of it (only four penalties all game), and QB play was at an all time level. I think it will go down as the greatest game in Arrowhead Stadium's 50-plus year history.

 

[Dan]

I was fortunate enough to get last minute feee tickets, bought a plane ticket and was there with my sister.   It was absolutely worth every penny spent and every ounce of heartache endured.  
 

Outside the stadium, the tailgate lots were packed!  I’ve never seen a game in Buffalo, my sister has. But I imagine the Bills tailgate scene being similar.  Everyone we saw was friendly and good natured. We talked to quite a few chiefs fans... and Bills fans .  It was fun.  People willingly shared brats and hamburgers with us, I think I bought 1 beer the entire day, everyone I met offered a beer. 
 

inside the stadium it was off the chain!!  I honestly don’t know how the players can hear anything.  I couldn’t!  We didn’t sit for a single minute... other than for Nelly.   Pregame we walked down by the field and watched Diggs play catch with the kids... one kid he threw the ball to about 4 times till he caught it.  It was so nice.  Talked to his dad after... he said Diggs gave his kid a once in a lifetime memory that made the long drive worth it.  All the KC fans around us loved seeing it and wished they had a player like that.  
 

During the game, we had good natured back and forth with the ups and downs of the game. It was fun. The crowd was absolutely crazy loud and into it.  Again more free beer.  The final couple minutes are honestly a blur for me.   I was literally in shock after the 2pt conversion.  I just couldn’t believe Josh did that.   All the KC fans were congratulating me with fist bumps. Thanking me for one of the best games they’ve seen.  Telling me Bills will win the Super Bowl. 
 

Then ...we lost.    
 

I retuned the fist bumps and congratulations.  But I was still in shock to be honest.  I saw Josh do something I didn’t think a Bills QB could do.. then I saw the defense just choke it away.  Maybe they were in shock too?    At any rate, walking out of the stadium was the first time I heard a few “Bills Suck” shouted by some random drunk ass.  But that was easily the few. Most everyone saw my Bills gear and said something nice along the lines of... this is going to be a fun rivalry for years..Josh Allen is a stud.  
 

It was an amazing experience.  One that I’d do again and recommend anyone do. Arrowhead and the KC fans treated us well.  I’m just sick and damn tired of adding the ...but we lost at then end.  It still hurts. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Dan

[AdrianW]

I was at the game, 3 of us drove 4 hours to KC saturday afternoon. There were Bills fans everywhere including at our hotel which was, cheap and clean. We went to two Bills backers bars, one close to our hotel and the other downtown called Taps, both had Labatt blue and were standing room only singing the shout song all night.

Sunday morning we went back downtown to Taps wearing our Bills gear and was approached by the bar owners father who happened to be from the Buffalo area, he asked us where we were from and was curious how we became Bills fans but that's another story. We were checking for tickets and parking passes all morning and found one in the red section for cheap and headed over still without tickets. Chiefs fans were overall great with alot wishing us a good game and saying if we win they'll be cheering for us the rest of the way. I was wearing my #12 blue jersey so i got razzed for 4 superbowls, no biggie.

The lots were packed with competing fans singing "Let's go Buffalo" next to groups doing the tomahawk chop chant. An on the spot tv crew were fliming Bills fans for a segment and  caught a table smash from a soaked Bills fan right before the game. We had been checking the secondary market for tickets pretty much all day and tried to buy some multiple times to find them sold when the browser finally caught up. I found mine about 45 minutes before gametime and got in the stadium just as the anthem was ending. I ended up sitting next to the guy who sold them and he said that he wanted to specify that the tickets only go to Chiefs fans but has just kidding and hoped for a good game. Helluva guy! Thank you sir!  I was about 1/3 they way up in section 136, behind Bills defensive players at about the 30 yard line.

 

The crowd was loud overall but was deafening during the Bills offensive drives and don't know how the Bills players could even hear each other in the huddle between plays. It was that loud. The whole game i was wishing it was in Orchard Park instead of Arrowhead. Stood the whole game. The Chiefs fans around me thought they were on their way to winning until Gabe Davis caught that 75 yard bomb and the crowd was in disbelief.

On that punt we had to redo the whole crowd started chanting "TyREEK" and it felt ominous and my heart sank as Tyreek Hill almost joysticked his way to a TD. I will give Haack credit for that tackle. I thought the game was over at the 4th down and 14 and was not prepared for Gabe to make the DB trip. I thought they would go for 2 at the 2 minutes left TD and the Diggs catch took wind out of the sails of the whole stadium. The Hill 64 yard TD electrified the crowd and you could tell they thought that was the final nail on our season but Josh had other ideas. 1:02 was plenty but like we know already we should have taken more.

Not gonna beat that horse. On the last throw by Josh in the game you could tell the crowd was ramping up anticipating a pass breakup or incompletion but it was a masterful throw and the sounds went from "YEAHHHH" to "AAAWWWW" and it was great. We all know what happened next but i will say that the crowd knew that the coin toss was huge and they roared as if they scored again when they won it and selected the ball.

 

I loved the experience, Chiefs fans were amazing (most), the stadium atmosphere was great (my 1st time there) and would go again even to a non Bills game.  I hope at some point the whole tv broadcast is posted by the NFL on youtube like the Dallas thanksgiving game so i can watch it in its entirety, but not right away. I need some time and we need a rematch in Orchard Park. GO BILLS!    sorry about the big block of text

  

Edited January 25, 2022 by AdrianW

[Success]

I always hear that Chiefs fans are really great people - kind of like us, in person.

 

It's really inexplicable to me that their board is so toxic.  

 

[StHustle]

Loudest stadium experience I ever had. I was 50 yard line but row 37 like 3 rows from the box. So I was underneath the 200 deck. It’s was absolutely deafening.

[muppy]

I wasnt in the building and you could tell it was Loud, loved when the crowd quieted after a great Bills play. silence is golden haha

Edited January 25, 2022 by muppy

[K-9]

I’m guessing 14.7 psi at ground level outside the stadium, a tad more at field level, and a tad less in the upper level. 

[beebe]

12 minutes ago, StHustle said:

Loudest stadium experience I ever had. I was 50 yard line but row 37 like 3 rows from the box. So I was underneath the 200 deck. It’s was absolutely deafening.

 

Was the Wild Card game vs Pats the loudest in Bills history? Or were the 90s better? 

25 minutes ago, AdrianW said:

I was at the game, 3 of us drove 4 hours to KC saturday afternoon. There were Bills fans everywhere including at our hotel which was, cheap and clean. We went to two Bills backers bars, one close to our hotel and the other downtown called Taps, both had Labatt blue and were standing room only singing the shout song all night.

Sunday morning we went back downtown to Taps wearing our Bills gear and was approached by the bar owners father who happened to be from the Buffalo area, he asked us where we were from and was curious how we became Bills fans but that's another story. We were checking for tickets and parking passes all morning and found one in the red section for cheap and headed over still without tickets. Chiefs fans were overall great with alot wishing us a good game and saying if we win they'll be cheering for us the rest of the way. I was wearing my #12 blue jersey so i got razzed for 4 superbowls, no biggie.

The lots were packed with competing fans singing "Let's go Buffalo" next to groups doing the tomahawk chop chant. An on the spot tv crew were fliming Bills fans for a segment and  caught a table smash from a soaked Bills fan right before the game. We had been checking the secondary market for tickets pretty much all day and tried to buy some multiple times to find them sold when the browser finally caught up. I found mine about 45 minutes before gametime and got in the stadium just as the anthem was ending. I ended up sitting next to the guy who sold them and he said that he wanted to specify that the tickets only go to Chiefs fans but has just kidding and hoped for a good game. Helluva guy! Thank you sir!  I was about 1/3 they way up in section 136, behind Bills defensive players at about the 30 yard line.

 

The crowd was loud overall but was deafening during the Bills offensive drives and don't know how the Bills players could even hear each other in the huddle between plays. It was that loud. The whole game i was wishing it was in Orchard Park instead of Arrowhead. Stood the whole game. The Chiefs fans around me thought they were on their way to winning until Gabe Davis caught that 75 yard bomb and the crowd was in disbelief.

On that punt we had to redo the whole crowd started chanting "TyREEK" and it felt ominous and my heart sank as Tyreek Hill almost joysticked his way to a TD. I will give Haack credit for that tackle. I thought the game was over at the 4th down and 14 and was not prepared for Gabe to make the DB trip. I thought they would go for 2 at the 2 minutes left TD and the Diggs catch took wind out of the sails of the whole stadium. The Hill 64 yard TD electrified the crowd and you could tell they thought that was the final nail on our season but Josh had other ideas. 1:02 was plenty but like we know already we should have taken more.

Not gonna beat that horse. On the last throw by Josh in the game you could tell the crowd was ramping up anticipating a pass breakup or incompletion but it was a masterful throw and the sounds went from "YEAHHHH" to "AAAWWWW" and it was great. We all know what happened next but i will say that the crowd knew that the coin toss was huge and they roared as if they scored again when they won it and selected the ball.

 

I loved the experience, Chiefs fans were amazing (most), the stadium atmosphere was great (my 1st time there) and would go again even to a non Bills game.  I hope at some point the whole tv broadcast is posted by the NFL on youtube like the Dallas thanksgiving game so i can watch it in its entirety, but not right away. I need some time and we need a rematch in Orchard Park. GO BILLS!    sorry about the big block of text

  

Great summary, thanks for sharing. 

[Chandler#81]

There were 10,000 more seats back then. 

[Motorin']

6 minutes ago, beebe said:

 

Was the Wild Card game vs Pats the loudest in Bills history? Or were the 90s better? 

Great summary, thanks for sharing. 

 

I think the loudest it ever got at the stadium was during the Denver game against Elway when we scored 3 TD's in 77 seconds. It was the only time I ever heard the crowd inside the house. We lived almost 2 miles from the stadium. 

[krf139]

We need to start playing them in Orchard Park. Something tells me the outcome would be different 

[beebe]

Wow, never knew Elway did this in Buffalo too! (Skips to clip of Elway wanting crowd noise lowered.)

 

 

 

Elway did the same thing to KC in Arrowhead, same year: 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by beebe
edit

[Logic]

Just wanted to say it was obvious from the broadcast what a loud and imposing atmosphere it was.

Makes Josh's performance all the more legendary.

This whole season was about gaining home field in the playoffs against the Chiefs, and the Bills couldn't get it done. I agree that going forward, the goal every year needs to be to ensure that our playoff matchup against the Chiefs is played in Buffalo.

[beebe]

6 minutes ago, Logic said:

Just wanted to say it was obvious from the broadcast what a loud and imposing atmosphere it was.

Makes Josh's performance all the more legendary.

This whole season was about gaining home field in the playoffs against the Chiefs, and the Bills couldn't get it done. I agree that going forward, the goal every year needs to be to ensure that our playoff matchup against the Chiefs is played in Buffalo.

 

I'm guessing if there are future playoff rematches between these teams over the next 2-3 years, they'll be played in Buffalo rather than KC. I think the AFC West is on the verge of becoming the premier division if a few of the possibilities shake out. The Broncos are desperate to land a marquee QB, and if the Raiders make a splash and hire a coach like Jim Harbaugh, they could be looking to do the same. Denver and Vegas aren't stupid. They see Mahomes and Herbert in this division and know it's an arms race at QB. One of the two is highly likely to add Watson, Rodgers or Wilson. If that happens — if KC/Mahomes must play four of their 17 games vs Herbert or Rodgers/Mahomes/Wilson — the Chiefs are screwed for the foreseeable future. 

 

Look at their 2022 schedule. It's brutal. 

 

at Cardinals

at Colts (potential big-time QB landing spot)

at 49ers

at Bucs

at Bengals

vs Bills

vs Rams

vs Titans

 

All of these games with the exception of Titans as of right now would be no higher than KC -4. And then the Chiefs will still have the aforementioned division games. The only true layups on the schedule will be Texans and Jags, and perhaps the Broncos if they don't land an impact QB. 

[Nextmanup]

47 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

I think the loudest it ever got at the stadium was during the Denver game against Elway when we scored 3 TD's in 77 seconds. It was the only time I ever heard the crowd inside the house. We lived almost 2 miles from the stadium. 

GREAT STORY---THANKS FOR THIS.

 

I've never heard something like that before.

 

Ironically, I was just thinking about that game like 5 days ago---I was now somewhat fuzzy on the details (watched it live at the time of course) and re-watched a video of all the excitement on youtube to refresh my memory of events.

So that is very fresh in my mind.

 

That's cool that you heard a roaring crowd 2 miles away in your home.

 

 

[Motorin']

3 minutes ago, BUFFALOBART said:

For me, that Denver game was the loudest ever, although games of that era, were generally not too far below that. A sellout crowd back then, was 80,240. We'll never see that sound pressure level ever again, in Orchard Park.

 

The noise was so loud inside our house, I had to walk out into the driveway and revel in it. True story, a buddy that lived down the street was walking past had left the game about 30 mins earlier. He's like "what happened? What happened?" And I was like "you ***** left early, that's what happened!" And we both ran back in our house to watch the rest of the game.