Arrowhead Stadium has stood for five decades, but in recent years the Chiefs’ home has taken center stage. The venue has hosted each of the last four AFC championship games while housing one of the NFL’s most dominant teams.
With Patrick Mahomes under center, Arrowhead has become one of the most daunting road trips for the other 31 NFL teams. The building has history and the fans are louder than just about anywhere else (they broke sound records in 2014, in fact). A talented Chiefs team thrives on the energy that resonates through the stadium.
Opponents prepare accordingly. Ahead the 2021 AFC championship game, the visiting Bengals blasted artificial crowd noise at their practices to prepare for the raucous environment. Cincinnati won the game, proving that Arrowhead can still be conquered.
The Sporting News looks inside one of the NFL’s most storied venues.
MORE: Explaining the midfield logo at Arrowhead Field
Arrowhead Stadium capacity
Arrowhead Stadium is the fifth-largest NFL stadium by capacity, capable of seating 76,416 fans. Of the four stadiums with a larger capacity, only Lambeau Field was built before Arrowhead.
What year was Arrowhead Stadium built?
Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972, four years after construction began. The first regular-season game there was a 20-10 Chiefs loss to the Dolphins on Sept. 17, 1972. Miami would go undefeated that year.
What does GEHA stand for?
Arrowhead Stadium was officially renamed GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in March 2021, when the Chiefs agreed to a naming rights deal with GEHA. GEHA is a nonprofit health insurance provider that was founded in Kansas City in 1937.
GEHA is an acronym for Government Employees Health Association. It is pronounced G-E-H-A by letter. Coincidentally, Highmark Stadium, home of the Bills, is also named after a nonprofit health insurance company.
How loud is Arrowhead Stadium?
Arrowhead Stadium has developed a reputation as one of the loudest stadiums in American sports. According to the Guinness World Records, Chiefs fans set a record with 142.2 dbA (decibels A) during the team’s 2014 win over the Patriots — the game that led to Bill Belichick’s “We’re onto Cincinnati” press conference.
For comparison, a jet engine registers between 120 and 140 decibels from 100 feet away.
The crowd noise at Arrowhead isn’t just a product of the Chiefs’ recent success. In 1990, during a game against John Elway and the Broncos, officials threatened to take away a Chiefs timeout if the crowd didn’t quiet down. The same scenario played out against the Raiders two years later.
What is the Chiefs’ recent record at Arrowhead Stadium?
The Chiefs are 56-19 (.747) at home since Andy Reid took over in 2013. Interestingly, Kansas City’s regular-season home and away records are identical since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018. The Chiefs 27-8 at home and on the road in that span. They’re 7-2 at home in the playoffs.
The Bills came up just short at Arrowhead in the divisional round a season ago, but they went into Kansas City and won convincingly last October. Another win Sunday would go a long way toward them avoiding a return to Arrowhead Stadium for this season’s playoffs.
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