Image courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Bills Mafia.
Two words every football fan knows quite well.
It’s not just a fan base, it’s like a 2000’s version of the old NWO from the WCW days. They just keep growing and growing and chaos always follows.
Buffalo Bills fans have developed quite the reputation and love them or hate them, there’s no denying the passion they have for their routinely failing franchise. The love/hate dynamic they share with the team is eerily similar to the relationship fans around here had with the Red Sox for 86 years until that final breakthrough in 2004.
The Patriots may not have much to play for on New Years Eve, but getting to face a hated divisional rival in front of the most rabid, ruthless fan base in the league with a chance to potentially do serious damage to the Bills’ playoff hopes while ruining the end of 2023 and start of 2024 for Bills Mafia offers plenty of motivation.
“Oh, it’s cool, it’s cool, but you know…we have a goal and our goal is to go into enemy territory and do our best and keep them quiet,” Jahlani Tavai said on Wednesday. We’re going to do our best on our side and I don’t know…just thinking about it, thinking about a lot of things and trying to imagine that and make it a reality. It’s a cool atmosphere, but we want to do something about that.”
One guy who’s been plenty of wars at Ralph Wilson Stadium (I refuse to call it Highmark yet) is David Andrews, who has a true appreciation for the atmosphere up in Buffalo and the rivalry in general.
“It’s a great place to play,” added David Andrews. “I’ve always told people when they ask, you know…so many favorite places to play and that’s always at the top of the list. Obviously, rivalry game within the AFC East. We play them twice a year. It’s such a great environment, great sports town, great fan base that doesn’t really like us.
“That’s always a fun place to go. As a competitor you love going into an environment like that and competing against good football teams, which will be this Sunday.”
Bailey Zappe has adjusted nicely to his new starting quarterback role, but he’ll be heading into the lion’s den with that role for the first time. He too is looking forward to what lies ahead from Bills Mafia, burning tables and all.
“It’s going to be exciting. These two teams, these two organizations have been going at it for a long time. I don’t think there’s any – I don’t think either one like each other very well. So, it’s going to be fun to get out there and play against that great team and that great organization,” he said. “It’s going to be fun. That’s what football is all about.
“I mean, they get after it. They love football. They love their Bills. So, it’s going to be loud. It’s going to come down to communication for us. So, that’s going to be a big part and a big emphasis for us throughout this week.”