Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes shed light on the hostile atmosphere that 'Bills Mafia' creates before and after the Chiefs' 28-21 loss to Buffalo at Highmark Stadium
17:11 ET, 07 Nov 2025
Travis Kelce holds his hand over his ear while standing on the sideline
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Travis Kelce shed light on what it's like to play against the Bills at Highmark Stadium(Image: Getty Images)
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes both relished the opportunity to play at the “sacred” and “historic” Highmark Stadium — even if they weren’t exactly treated kindly by members of the Bills Mafia in attendance.
In Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a gut-wrenching 28-21 defeat to the Buffalo Bills — prompting Mahomes to acknowledge that the team as a whole must “be more consistent.”
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Kelce endured an especially brutal night in Buffalo, as the star tight end took a bone-crushing hit to the ribs from safety Cole Bishop while attempting to reel in an errant pass in the end zone.
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He subsequently went into the medical tent before limping towards the locker room, but later returned to the contest having only gotten the wind knocked out of him.
Despite coming out on the losing end and suffering an injury scare, Kelce still looked back fondly on what could be the final game of his decorated career at Highmark Stadium. "That was a tough one. Going up to Buffalo is not an easy thing," he said on the latest episode of the ‘New Heights’ podcast.
"That stadium was rockin'. The place was electric. Shout out to the Bills Mafia that was talking all the s--- in the world. I love it. That's a sacred place to play a football game and I cherish every opportunity I get to go up there.
“That ------- sucks up there when you don't come away with a victory, because they let you have it."
Patrick Mahomes gets tackled by an oncoming Bills defender
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Patrick Mahomes conceded that Bills fans do not like the Chiefs(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking to reporters ahead of the pivotal AFC clash, Mahomes similarly credited Bills Mafia for creating a hostile environment. "I mean, they don't like us. I mean, that's pretty — they do not like the Chiefs," he said earlier in the week.
"But I mean, it is a cool environment. I love playing in historic stadiums. And that stadium has had so many great players play in it. And who knows, it might be the last time that we get the opportunity to play there. And it'll be a great challenge for us.
"And they're loud. And that's what you want. You want to go and go in and be in a hostile environment. That's what football when you watch on TV as a kid growing up is the environments you want to play in.
“And so obviously, they're not rooting for us. But you get to bond together as a team and get to go into a historic stadium and play in a great environment."
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It appears as though Kelce has experienced a change of heart when it comes to Bills fans, who he publicly called out for being disrespectful during Chiefs’ 27-24 win over the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round last January.
In an attempt to counteract the hate, the 10-time Pro Bowler made a heart using his hands while trotting off the field. “Had to spread the love, baby, always gotta spread that love,” he explained.
“There was a lot of hate pulling up to that stadium, man, understandable it’s a football game, the Bills, coming into their house, they want to make it rowdy. Did it get a little disrespectful? One thousand percent. Did it get a little extra? One thousand percent.
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“Some things were said about the families, some pretty inappropriate things were said about Pat Mahomes, it was pretty whack. I get it, coming into a hostile environment, I respect it, but I just wanted to make sure [they] knew it wasn’t mutual. I don’t hate you guys like you hate us, it’s all love, baby."