The Bills were able to snap their two-game losing streak with a 31-23 win over the Browns in Week 11, and they are taking nothing about the victory for granted.
That’s especially true regarding how they got to the Week 11 matchup, which was moved from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., to Detroit because of a massive snowstorm in the Buffalo area.
MORE: Why Bills vs. Browns was played in Detroit, explained
Quarterback Josh Allen made it a point after the game to credit Bills fans for the work they did to help the team make it to the Motor City. He implored his teammates to show appreciation in his postgame locker room speech.
When you get home, pay those fans some f—ing respect. Get ’em something nice. Treat ’em well, because that was f—ing awesome to see. It took a lot of s— to get us here. That could have drained us, but it didn’t.
This win is for Bills Mafia. 🙌@FDSportsbook | #CLEvsBUF pic.twitter.com/oNMQ5iIAZT
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 20, 2022
Bills fans were eager to assist team members in their quest to reach the airport Saturday after the city and its suburbs had been pounded by 77 inches of snow. They helped to clear players’ driveways with snowblowers and shovels to ensure that each member of the team would make it to Detroit.
Mafia, you never fail to amaze me! 💙 pic.twitter.com/qcCAgRsR82
— Reggie Gilliam (@_1Sledge) November 19, 2022
Buffalo living up to it’s title as the City of Good Neighbors with #BillsMafia out there snow blowing player’s driveways so they can catch their flight to Detroit
📸 @TooTallo_o insta pic.twitter.com/K611sbmZEy
— Erin Perrine (@ErinMPerrine) November 19, 2022
To whoever cleared my driveway goat! #BillsMafia something special ❤️
— Quintin Morris (@QuintinMorris_) November 19, 2022
Thus Allen’s belief that the fans deserve recognition for their role in the victory. Without their help, the team would have had much more trouble getting to the airport.
The Bills also relied on staffers, from COO Ron Raccuia to coach Sean McDermott, to help pick up players Saturday. As Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network detailed, as many as 10 staffers carpooled players to the airport.
MORE: Where Bills fall in updated NFL playoff picture after Week 11
Allen gave Raccuia and the other staffers a shout out during his locker room speech, as well. And in his postgame news conference, he praised the Bills fans who traveled to Detroit’s Ford Field on short notice to support the team.
“Bills Mafia — for what they were going through, they were probably digging themselves out of snow so they could drive four and a half hours to get here,” Allen told reporters. “I really appreciate our fan base.”
“I can also say we couldn’t have done it without them this week,” he added. “It took a lot of moving hands and moving parts.”
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