Hundreds of Bills fans welcome home AFC East champs at Buffalo airport

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A thunderous crowd of hundreds of fans welcomed home the newly crowned AFC East Division Champion Buffalo Bills early Sunday morning at the Buffalo Niagara airport.

Loud cheers, along with the 'Shout' song, filled the air as wide-eyed player after player walked past enthusiastic fans - many of whom waited in the cold for hours to give the team a taste of what the pandemic has taken away this season.

"The best fans ever... that's love," Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs tweeted.

"What we just walked off the plane too was absolutely INSANE!! Finally got to meet #BillsMafia ain't NOTHING LIKE IT!!" tweeted linebacker Tyler Matekevich.

The Bills (11-3) clinched the division title for the first time since 1995 with a crushing 48-19 win over the Denver Broncos. The win means Buffalo will host at least one playoff game at Bills Stadium in January, something that hasn't happened since 1996 - the same year quarterback Josh Allen was born.

"Wild. Is. An. Understatement," Allen wrote in a video he posted to social media, which showed fans chanting "MVP" as he drove past them, soaking in the spirit of a fan base that's been awaiting his arrival since the retirement of Jim Kelly.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday the state is "looking at" the possibility of allowing fans in the stadium for the playoffs, if the region's hospitalization numbers and positivity rate are low enough.