The Bills Mafia is ready to be a big factor next weekend. On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Bills Stadium would be open to a limited number of fans for the playoffs. This will be the first time the Buffalo Bills have fans at their home stadium all season due to the state’s COVID-19 protocols.
The plan allows the Bills to have 6,722 fans, with attendees needing to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the stadium. Fans will be socially distanced throughout the stadium, and everyone will be required to wear a mask at all times. If fans don’t comply with the rules, they will be asked to leave. Fans must pay for their COVID-19 testing, which will be administered at Bills Stadium for $63. The cost of the test will be included in the ticket price.
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“For all the Bills fans, please, everyone take these measures seriously,” Cuomo said, as ESPN reported. “We have made progress on the COVID virus over the past few weeks. The numbers are down — we want to keep them down.” The stadium will open two hours before kickoff with staggered entrance time. And as for tailgating, that will remain banned despite the game being the first home playoff contest for the Bills since 1995.
The next question is, who will the Bills play in the first round? If the playoffs were to start today, the Bills would play the Cleveland Browns, a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2002. It’s also possible Buffalo could face the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, or Baltimore Ravens, depending on how everything plays out on Sunday.
“I feel like we’re somewhat scratching the surface on the potential that we have … I don’t know the old Josh (Allen); I keep saying that I don’t know the past stuff I just know Josh right now,” Bills wide receiver Stephon Diggs said on the team’s official website when talking about his relationship with Allen and the team’s ability going forward. “He’s been playing some high-level football, so as a receiver and him being my guy as well, I just want to give it all I got for him. Make the plays for him, make the hard ones, and there’s a couple of plays I want back that I wish I could have made for him. But we are just scratching the surface on trying to be great and chasing greatness daily.”
