It has become a tradition for Kansas City to play their divisional round game at Arrowhead, and when it matters most, fans always show up to support. A recent Twitter post captures the enthusiastic fan group doing just that, lining up in cars to enter the stadium as early as 5 A.M. before the Chiefs-Texans showdown.
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Jeff Darlington, an ESPN NFL reporter, posted the video of the wild scene. While Jeff has a free pass to the front of the stadium, the Chiefs fans are seen lined up in a long row of cars. Their excitement is entirely understandable, as this marks their ninth straight home divisional round game.
The obligatory video of Chiefs fans lined up outside the gates of Arrowhead 8.5 hours before the game to tailgate in 18-degree weather: pic.twitter.com/6j7BK0bdrE
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 18, 2025
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the video is the weather. Sure, it’s at the peak of dawn and hard to see anything. But it’s also a frigid 18 degrees with a 10 mph wind chill. By game time, it’s expected to rise to just 22 degrees, with a high of 25 by the end of the game.
The combination of the line and the cold naturally sparked reactions from the NFL world. Some Chiefs fans couldn’t make it and expressed their disappointment, while others, including a Bills fan, were simply general NFL fans impressed by the insane level of tailgating. One netizen even said, “No one can convince me tailgating is even close to better anywhere else.”
No one can convince me tailgating is even close to better anywhere else.
— Val Anthony (@ValAnthony23340) January 18, 2025
Bills fan here. Always respect these videos because I am out there just as long and just as cold for ours. But are there private lots around they can set up in? Bills lots open later so I go private and can fully set up 12hrs early.
— Mike Ciancio (@mikeciancio) January 18, 2025
They are better people than I am.
No way in hell am I tailgating in 18-degree weather
— Katherine R (@beachgalkar) January 18, 2025
One funny fan, however, had a cheeky point to make about the referees for the game today:
I bet the Zebras are in that line too….
— ScoopEditz (@ScoopEditz) January 18, 2025
We don’t often consider the commute players and refs have to make to games every weekend. They just magically appear on our TVs, and we get to enjoy the entertainment. While the comment is amusing to think about, it’s likely that the refs and players each have their own line to escort them to the front of the stadium. Kind of like the line Darlington is shown taking in the video.
Nevertheless, it’s still a funny image to imagine, as the comment could also imply that the referees are Chiefs fans too, showing up for tailgating.
The weather is certainly the talking point of today’s matchup, though. It’ll be the second below-freezing divisional round game at Arrowhead in two seasons. Although, last year’s was much worse.
Last season saw the field get to a glacial -4 degrees. Water bottles and beers were instantly freezing up as they were opened. The biggest issue when this happens isn’t the player’s safety; it’s the fans. Players will stay heated through exercise on the field and state-of-the-art blast heaters on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the fans are left to battle the elements on their own with layers and hand warmers, all the while standing or sitting still.
Last year in the -4 temps, a Chiefs fan suffered major frostbite and almost lost his hand because of it.
We’ll see if the cold becomes a concern again, but it seems unlikely this time around. On another note, on their quest for a three-peat, the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes need to battle through it and take down the Houston Texans and CJ Stroud—a team they handled back in December.
