With the Buffalo Bills winning against the New England Patriots in Week 18, the chance for a neutral-site AFC Championship Game between the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs still remains. The league has yet to announce the location of a potential matchup and games still have to be played until we even get to that point.
Still, with the possibility of a neutral-site game, Chiefs players were asked their thoughts about the situation on Monday. Patrick Mahomes was asked whether he thought that NFL owners arrived at an equitable solution.
“Nothing was going to be fair for anybody, I don’t think,” Mahomes said. “It’s a situation that we never have encountered before, but at the end of the day, man, I was so happy that (Bills S) Damar (Hamlin) was doing better and that’s the most important stuff. And so him doing better and him being in a better spot (health-wise) we were ready to do whatever scenario was going to happen. So, if that was neutral site, if that was going there (to Buffalo), whatever it was, we were just ready to go out there and play, but we have to win that first game first so let’s worry about whoever we (will) play in that first round, or that first round for us.”
This feels like a fair response from the top team leader in Kansas City. Bills S Damar Hamlin’s health has been the first thing on everyone’s mind throughout this entire ordeal. Wherever they’re playing comes secondary to that. It also isn’t really on their minds with games left to be played in the wild-card round and the divisional round of the playoffs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Justin Reid echoed similar sentiments to Mahomes, saying the only things they can control as players are how they prepare and play.
“Yeah, actually for me, it’s pretty simple, we can’t control any of those extenuating circumstances,” Reid said. “We can’t control when we play, where we play. The only thing we can control is how we play and to be ready for that moment whenever that happens. So, however the cards are folded on the table, we’re going to be prepared for it. It’s fortunate for us that we were able to get the number one seed. That’s something that we aimed for at the beginning of the season, so congratulations to our team on being able to do that. And wherever we end up playing next, however these scenarios play out, wherever that location and time is, we’re going to be ready to play and we’re going to play it.”
Taking things one game at a time and ensuring that the team is best prepared under whatever circumstance will always yield the best results.
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