Chiefs' Travis Kelce heaps rare praise on Bills Mafia and Highmark Stadium

Yeah, yeah, we know. It was only the regular season and there maybe, probably will be a rematch come January. But the Buffalo Bills' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend was/is just too good not to squeeze every drop out of it.

The 28-21 victory improved the Bills to 6-2, strengthened their position for a run at the AFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs and, in the process, quieted the skeptics who thought they were a flawed team in a downward spiral. Who knows, the game might also have been the last one played at Highmark Stadium for Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce.

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In his 13th season at age 36, and with Taylor Swift waiting in the wings, there are rumblings that this could be Kelce's final season in the NFL. The Chiefs could, of course, return to Buffalo for a playoff game in January. But if not, last Sunday could have been his final contest in the old joint that next season will be replaced by new Highmark Stadium.

Travis Kelce | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

If so, it was quite the send-off. Just before halftime Kelce leaped for a Patrick Mahomes pass in the end zone and took a vicious shot to the ribs from Bills' safety Cole Bishop. He had the wind knocked out of him and went to the medical tent before gingerly walking to the locker room. On the way, he exchanged gestures and words from Bills fans in the stands.

Kelce has been critical of Bills fans in recent memory, saying after the playoff game in January 2024 that they were "disrespectful" and "full of hate." But on this week's episode of his New Heights podcast with brother Jason, he was much more accepting of their passion.

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"That was a tough one. Going up to Buffalo is not an easy thing," Kelce said on the show.

"That stadium was rockin'. The place was electric. Shout out to the Bills Mafia that was talking all the (bleep) 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 (bleep) sucks up there when you don't come away with a victory, because they let you have it. "

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