As you may expect, the always rowdy Buffalo Bills crowd came with a ton of energy ahead of perhaps their biggest game of the season in Week 11 against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Ahead of the game, a number of members on The NFL Today cast got a taste of exactly what it means to be a Bills fan.
For the first time this season, CBS decided to send The NFL Today to Orchard Park, New York for an on-site edition of the show in anticipation of the Bills-Chiefs game.
If any fanbase in the NFL deserves this kind of network coverage, it would be Bills fans, who have collectively been coined “Bills Mafia” due to their incredibly loyal support year in and year out.
If you pay attention to Bills Mafia whatsoever, you know that their weekly tailgate tradition consists of amazing chicken wings, a good amount of alcohol consumption, and jumping through tables. And Nate Burleson, J.J. Watt, Matt Ryan, and even 67-year-old Bil Cowher blended right in with the crowd by jumping through numerous tables on the show Sunday.
Nate Burleson looks like he was born to jump through tables. pic.twitter.com/oMYYgwIZTN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2024
James Brown opted not to jump through a table, which certainly makes sense considering he is 73 years old. But regardless, this kind of moment makes on-site pregame shows like this feel special.
CBS play-by-play voice Jim Nantz, who is on the call for Chiefs-Bills alongside Tony Romo, shared his opinion that The NFL Today should go on location more often moving forward.
“First off, I’ve been watching the show from the top,” said Nantz. “You gotta do this more often. This is the best. We’ve been doing this show for a long time. But this is new ground. I will say, you guys have been in the studio too long. You’re all bundled up. It’s balmy for Buffalo man. You guys gotta get a little toughened up here.”
Jim Nantz joins “The NFL Today” on-site in Orchard Park, NY
“You gotta do this more often. This is the best.” pic.twitter.com/PAgQSbVIMV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2024
One way The NFL Today cast could “toughen up” is by jumping through a table… So perhaps we may see the show go to more on-site locations moving forward, outside of the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl when CBS is hosting the game, which has already featured on-site pregame shows for years.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.