HOUSTON — Ahead of the game inside NRG Stadium, Bills Mafia had to do a little partying here in Houston.
And yes, they did it Buffalo-style.
It looked a lot like Orchard Park hours before the game. In fact, shortly after the sun rose, cars were already lining up for a game-day tailgate that began some seven hours before kickoff.
Chants of "let's go Buffalo!" and "Go Bills!" resonated across the tailgate.
Cathie Smith lives in New Orleans, but her husband's a Buffalo native, so as long as the Saints aren't on the field, she cheers on the Bills.
"We do it together. We tailgate, we have a great time. It's all fun. Crazy, crazy fun," she said.
There was this "tailgate" within the "tailgate," organized on Facebook for people who were mostly solo but wanted that big-group experience.
Many fans flew in from far-off places. Others packed up the car and drove. And then you have Derrick Counts, who made this a work trip. Sort of. He showed up in a big rig.
"Just find a load coming this way, and I follow the team," he said.
Chris and Emily Kayne have been following the team to every away game since they got married in September.
"We decided to go to all the Bills away games for our honeymoon, so now that we made the playoffs, here we are," Emily said.
Added Chris: "It's been an amazing experience."
