JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jags and the Bills are facing off in the playoffs at home here in Duval for the first time since the 2017 season, and fans are coming in from far and wide for the showdown.
If you’re heading out to the tailgate, expect to see a lot of body slams into foldable tables.
Local Bills super fan Neil Krause, also known as “Blain Rage”, explained the story behind the tradition.
“The significance of breaking the table is that the four legs of the table represent the four Super Bowl losses that we endured in the early 90’s. So, when we break through them, we as fans break through that negative stigma that’s just overshadowed our fandom for so many years,” said Krause. ”I’m just kidding, it’s public intoxication.”
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For the Jags it’s been a record-setting year.
Jags Super Fan Jon Fichter argued hype around the team hasn’t been this intense since 1999.
“Everybody always wants this so bad and the city wants it, we want it, but we’ve never got it. We’ve got bits and pieces of it, but we’ve never seen it dominating since back in 1999. So, yeah. I think the energy is gonna be crazy,” said Fichter. ”People who were never fans are fans and I’m like, oh, you’re a fan? Oh, you have a shirt? Oh, yeah, I just bought it last week at Walmart, you know?”
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The turnout battle is going to be as competitive as the game.
The Bills famously travel strong.
We caught up with Bills fan Darren Quinn, just before he hit the road to drive more than 20 hours from Ontario Canada down to Duval.
“Last time I went, kind of coming into the stadium from the main road there and I was like, oh wow, I wonder where all the Bills fans are,” said Quinn. “And then I looked to my right in the parking lot kind of across looked like the apocalypse. And it was all Bills fans. And I’m like, oh there they are! Things are on fire, you know it’s just like chaos.”
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Fans on both sides we spoke with say the two teams have deep respect for one another this year.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Bills fan Erika Romanos said she hopes win or lose, the fans keep that respect.
“I think the majority of people are there for a good time. It’s a really exciting weekend, but I can definitely smell the fist fights in the air,” said Romanos.
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