COVID has created a ton of uncertainty within the NFL. Cam Newton tested positive and was held out of the game against the Chiefs. Multiple Titans players tested positive for the coronavirus, which resulted in the Titans and Steelers game being postponed. But amid all that uncertainty, some teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, have been successfully able to host fans in their stadiums.
Obligatory Week 4 pregame photo. Welcome to Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs will host the Patriots.
This is the third primetime matchup for the Chiefs in the first quarter of the season. Well, tonight couldn’t be helped because of COVID.
Bring on Monday Night Football. pic.twitter.com/1kYGQPJO3l
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) October 5, 2020
The Chiefs home fans have managed to make an impact in multiple games, as the crowd noise remains a factor despite the lower number of fans.
That's something the Buffalo coaches and players both want to see in the upcoming weeks.
Fans in the stands in Buffalo?
Right now, no fans are allowed to attend NFL games in the state of New York. The person responsible for making that choice is Governor Cuomo, who has not issued guidance on whether or not the Bills Mafia will be able to return this year. Multiple players, including Harrison Phillips and Reid Ferguson, have both appealed to the governor in an effort to get Bills fans back to the games.
Bills players Harrison Phillips and Reid Ferguson tweeting directly at Governor Cuomo pleading him to help come up with a solution to get fans at Bills home games. The Bills are next scheduled to play at home in Week 6 against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. pic.twitter.com/StQMkkOrJ5
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) October 5, 2020
Sean McDermott also knows how big of an impact that fans can have on the game.
Last season, Bills fans invaded several road games and were louder than the home fans. In a Jets road game last season, Bills players suggested that the game felt like playing at home. That kind of impact can only be felt with fans actually in the games, something Sean McDermott misses.
"I miss our fans."
-Sean McDermott#BillsMafia
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) September 28, 2020
The next Bills game is on the road at Tennessee, so there will be no policy impact there.
However, Buffalo has a huge week 6 "Thursday Night Football" game against the Kansas City Chiefs at home. The fan edge could provide the advantage the Bills need over Patrick Mahomes and the insanely good Chiefs offense. But for now, it doesn't look like any progress will be made in New York.
Cuomo concerned about New York COVID-19 cases
Governor Cuomo has taken the pandemic very seriously following a March disaster across the country. Since locking down the state, the number of COVID-19 cases steadily went down as people remained at home. But now, those numbers are slowly starting to creep back up again, as New York starts closing businesses to crack down on hotspots, per NBC. The cases aren't great in Western New York either, where Cuomo had the following to say about the numbers:
"Western New York is a hot spot," @NYGovCuomo says.
Says WNY's positive rate for Sunday's tests was 1.2% https://t.co/Sl6BUnWhu3
— Keith McShea (@ByKeithMcShea) October 5, 2020
Unfortunately, that positivity rate does not help the Buffalo cause.
There's no doubt that fans in the stands make an impact and Sean McDermott and the rest of the Bills players are proof of that. If Cuomo can figure out some way to allow fans in the stands safely, it would be a tremendous help to a Bills team that has already started the season 4-0. For now, Bills fans, players, and coaches will just have to wait until the governor decides it's safe for fans to attend games again.