One of the NFL’s greatest rivalries in recent years – the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs – kicks off its latest chapter in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday in a highly anticipated matchup.
The Chiefs remain undefeated after blocking a game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos, while the Bills have ripped off five straight victories to come in at 8-2 on the year.
The team to beat in the NFL is the Chiefs, and though they have been in some close games, they have done whatever it takes to get the job done and make sure their loss column remains clean.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, #17, stiff-arms Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, #54, during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
So, what do the Bills need to do to get a win against their rival? NFL legend Rob Gronkowski knows it all comes to those final minutes in the fourth quarter, better known as “crunch time.”
“The Bills need to play a complete game. All four quarters, there’s no doubt about that,” Gronkowski told Fox News Digital at Great Wolf Lodge’s grand opening in Naples, Florida, on Thursday. “And when it comes to crunch time, they cannot make any mistakes because Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, they don’t make mistakes when it comes to crunch time. They know how to win, no matter what type of game it is.
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“Patrick Mahomes knows how to adjust to whatever situation is going on out on the field. Same with the whole entire organization of the Kansas City Chiefs. They’re so hard to beat because they know, no matter what the situation is, they know how to handle it. They know how to act, and they know how to overcome it.
“So, when it comes to the Bills beating them, we know it’s going to be a close game. It’s going to come down to the wire like every other game with the Chiefs this year. [Buffalo] gotta be able to be perfect in crunch time and not make those mistakes. Catch the ball, they can’t have a drop. They can’t have an interception, they can’t have a fumble when it comes down to the final minutes.”
Of course, what “Gronk” is saying is easier said than done, but it is the truth: The Chiefs know exactly what to do in crunch time, whether it is a major fourth-down stop against the Atlanta Falcons, driving down the field for a touchdown in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or blocking a game-winning field goal last week as time expired.
Say what you want about the Chiefs – they simply know how to win football games.
Rob Gronkowski at Fox Sports media day at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix on Feb. 7, 2023. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
However, Buffalo fans know that this rivalry has not been lopsided.
The Bills have won three of their last five meetings, though both of the losses in that span have come in the playoffs. One of them was an all-time NFL classic, as the Chiefs beat the Bills in overtime to advance after Mahomes infamously got downfield in 13 seconds to give Harrison Butker the chance at a field goal to send it to overtime.
Since the playoffs are what truly matters to both of these teams, Gronkowski knows what a win for Buffalo, his hometown team, could do for them when it comes time for the matchup everyone wants to see in the playoffs once again.
“The Bills need to win this game because they need that confidence of going into the playoffs to know they can beat the Chiefs,” he said. “They just gotta do it at least once. If they do that this weekend coming up, I feel like it will give the Bills confidence to beat anyone when it comes playoff time.”
Gronkowski was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame earlier this week, and all he heard was Bills-Chiefs talk with the area fully prepared to get rowdy on Sunday night.
“It’s probably going to be the best game of the weekend, which is great for the NFL and great for Buffalo,” Gronkowski said.
Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski looks on before Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
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Gronkowski was sitting by the pool in Naples, Florida, after a hard morning of running up and down stairs at the grand opening of the Great Wolf Lodge in the Sunshine State.
“I’ve been here at the Great Wolf Lodge since 7 a.m. this morning. I went down all 12 water slides,” he said with a big smile on his face. “The Great Wolf Lodge also teamed up with Make-A-Wish. There’s been 12 Make-A-Wish kids as well here. We all went down the water slides, had a good time, and I feel like a kid again. Everyone looks at me as a big kid because I am a big kid near and dear to my heart.”
While Gronkowski unlocked his inner child on the water slides, he also unlocked $60,000 — $5,000 for each slide – which will be donated to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
Rob Gronkowski poses at the Great Wolf Lodge in Florida. (Great Wolf Lodge)
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Great Wold Lodge is also offering a special grand opening discount of up to 40% off standard room rate, and with each booking, the company will be making a $10 donation to the American Red Cross to support hurricane relief efforts in the area.
As someone who is a Tampa resident, and whose mother lives just 30 minutes away in Fort Myers, the entire Gronkowski family is ready to take on the slides for years to come.
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