Would the Bills still have a home-field advantage without fans?
The NFL has some truly remarkable atmosphere when it comes to games. There is the earth-shaking noise of Seattle and Kansas City to the emptiness of Los Angeles Chargers games. (Chargers fans relax, It was the Chargers that picked off Nathan Peterman five times, let us have this jab) and many more.
Buffalo presents itself as one of the places that players really do not enjoy coming to. It’s cold, it’s windy, and it’s loud. But if fans aren’t allowed into New Era Field due to COVID-19s grip on the world, does Buffalo still have themselves an advantage?
Buffalo, New York has a reputation for being cold. And that is true. With bone-chilling winters and winds that could make a car flip, New Era Field is not a cakewalk to play in. Compare that to the sunny skies of the west coast and Buffalo still has a very real home-field advantage. The advantage comes in the form of climatization. This is where people become accustomed to their surroundings. For a player in Buffalo, taking a tackle in frigid temperatures is just another day at New Era Field, but for a player coming from the west coast, that tackle could rattle them making them more susceptible to fumbles or drops.
Though the real advantage of New Era Field is the screaming, passionate fans, the Bills may have to rely on being really good at football and leave the rest to mother nature.