Buffalo Bills Approved for Fans at Home Playoff Games

Get ready, Bills Mafia: Your time has come.

A week ahead of the wild card round, New York state has approved a capacity of 6,772 fans for the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Wednesday. The Bills currently hold the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and will host a playoff game for at least the first round.

The wild card round will mark the first time in 25 years that Buffalo has hosted a playoff game. All fans who attend the game will be required to receive a negative COVID-19 test through the league's testing partner, Bioreference Laboratories, in order to be admitted into the game.

Tickets will be made available to season ticket holders who opted into buying tickets earlier this year. Fans will also be required to pay for their own COVID-19 test, which costs $63.

The Bills have thrived at home this season despite the absence of their rowdy fans, with a 6-1 home record. They are one of five teams with just one home loss on the year.

The last home playoff game in Bills history came in the wild card round on Dec. 28, 1996, when Buffalo lost to the Jaguars, 30-27. The Bills led, 27-20, in the fourth quarter before Jacksonville ran off 10 unanswered points, taking the lead on a field goal with just over three minutes to play.

That game marked Buffalo's first home playoff loss since the 1966 AFL Championship Game, which the Bills lost, 31-7, at War Memorial Stadium on New Year's Day 1967 to deny Buffalo a third consecutive AFL title.