Bills Central

J.J. Watt glows about Bills Mafia after CBS’ pre-game show: ‘I felt right at home’

Buffalo Bills fans delivered a memorable experience for CBS' The NFL Today crew in Week 11.

Kyle Silagyi

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The idea of watching the Buffalo Bills play a part in one of the NFL’s most revered and nationally sought-after rivalries, just a decade ago, was unfathomable. Then in the midst of a decade-plus playoff drought, whether Buffalo would ever drag itself from the depths of irrelevancy remained a great uncertainty, with the idea of the Bills one day being one of the league’s top draws being borderline comical.

Fast forward to Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season, and CBS sent The NFL Today crew to Orchard Park to broadcast live from Highmark Stadium and bask in the energy surrounding the latest iteration of Buffalo’s (recently) iconic rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the eighth time since the 2020 campaign that the Bills and Chiefs have faced off against each other, with otherworldly quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes routinely delivering matchups that are amongst the league’s best in whichever year they occur. As CBS’ “top [broadcasting] request” for the 2024 campaign, the station decided to send the panel of its weekly studio show to Western York York to further add to the excitement, and Bills Mafia delivered.

The Buffalo faithful served as an entertaining backdrop for the preview program, adding a palpable energy that the show’s crew demonstrably enjoyed. Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt was among the panelists, with the prolific pass-rusher reflecting on his experience in Orchard Park during Wednesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show.

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“It was awesome, man,” Watt said. “It was a really fun experience. Obviously, we’re normally in the studio every week, CBS sent us out to Buffalo for the big game. It was incredible. I see why [McAfee] love[s] [ESPN’s College] Gameday so much, that atmosphere. Gave a little shoutout to [McAfee], tried to get the Buffalo crowd going, and they delivered. I mean, we were chugging beers, we had people showing up at 6:00 a.m. It was electric. Electric. Buffalo fans [are] very, very similar to Wisconsin folks, and I felt right at home.”

Watt, at one point in the program, fed into the energy of the crowd, screaming the Bills’ iconic “Shout” song. He went on to talk about that experience, saying that he didn’t realize until after he started the exchange that it was… well, an exchange.

“I forgot I had to keep it going,” Watt said. “I thought my initial ‘Hey-ey-ey-ey,’ I thought they took it from there, and as they were responding, I reminded myself, ‘Oh s***, I’ve got a part in this. This is a back and forth.’ I didn’t know how many ‘Let’s go Buffalos,’ I didn’t know if there were other parts. I just got lucky.”

Buffalo and Kansas City delivered on the theatrics that CBS was hoping for, as Allen capped off the game with a heroic 26-yard touchdown run that gave the Bills a late two-score lead and cemented the Chiefs’ first loss of the season. Generally a studio show, Orchard Park made an impact on The NFL Today crew in one of their first excursions from the station’s broadcasting center in New York; the Buffalo faithful would certainly love to welcome them back, perhaps if and when their team hosts the AFC Championship game.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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