The defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, have been the Buffalo Bills’ playoff nemesis in two of the last three seasons. They fell to the Chiefs in the 2020 AFC Championship Game and the 2021 Divisional Round, wherein Kansas City forced overtime with 13 seconds left in regulation.
The third chapter of their ongoing postseason rivalry will be on Sunday, January 21. Though unlike the two previous editions, some changes might help Sean McDermott’s crew clinch a spot in the AFC Championship Game.
First, they will have home-field advantage against the Chiefs, and the game might be conducted under freezing weather conditions. Second, their beloved fans have credited an unusual and harrowing ritual for their spectacular turnaround.
USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall wrote that Buffalo’s winning run began manifesting when their loyal supporters allegedly started “feeding the pit.” For proper context, the pit is the site of the team’s new arena, which broke ground in June 2023.
While that stadium won’t open until 2026, there’s a claim that a fan who fell into the pit helped the Bills defeat the Chiefs in Week 14. Since then, fans have allegedly “fed” themselves into the pit. As a result, the Buffalo Bills finished the regular season with a five-game winning streak, earning the AFC’s second-seed with an 11-6 record.
More importantly, they claimed that feeding the pit assisted Buffalo’s dominating Wild Card Round victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s hard to verify the extent of this practice or if it is true. But there was a September 2023 report about a man who stripped off his clothes before entering the construction site. However, that man was high on illegal substances like cocaine and marijuana. The incident also occurred in September, which doesn’t coincide with the team’s winning streak.
Why the alleged “feeding the pit” ritual by Bills fans is a legal offense
Bills fans think that having more people fall or trip into the new stadium’s pit will bring good fortune against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, getting into the pit alone is challenging because of the security personnel and equipment that monitor the construction facility.
Therefore, only authorized personnel are allowed. Anyone who doesn’t have the clearance or work permit to be there can be charged for trespassing.
It’s a minor offense, but it still looks terrible on someone’s criminal record. Hence, Buffalo-based attorney William Mattar has a definitive suggestion to those contemplating to follow suit.
That’s what happened to two individuals who tried to enter the site during the Bills’ Week 15 game versus the Dallas Cowboys. Coincidentally, Buffalo defeated Dallas at home, improving to 8-6. The result has fans believing that more people must sacrifice their safety to keep their team’s winning ways going.
