A loud chant of “M-V-P” broke out after Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen made an improbable passing touchdown in the third quarter vs. the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

The moment was an audible show of strength for Buffalo’s fan base, known as Bills Mafia, as it staged another takeover of a road stadium where majority of those in the stands wore blue and red. The Bills fans were also loud when the Raiders offense had third downs, something usually heard when opposing teams have the ball on the road.

Allen said he has been impressed with the fan turnout at the team’s last two away games at Los Angeles last week and Las Vegas on Sunday, noting it felt like a home game. The official attendance was 62,618.

“The last two weeks the amount of fans that we had at both stadium, it’s pretty remarkable,” Allen said postgame. “It really does, it feeds us and we play better when we can feel that energy coming.”

Weekend of events

Bills Mafia made the most of the first time the team has played in Las Vegas with fans allowed in the stadium, with a weekend worth of events lined up leading up to the game.

Country superstar Luke Combs’ new Category 10 bar and restaurant at the Flamingo saw a Bills event hosted by Fans of Buffalo, a Bills fan travel group, as part of its opening weekend. Las Vegas’ Bills bar, Naked City Pizza/Office Bar, hosted several days of events at the bar located near UNLV. There was a Bills Mafia welcome party on Friday and a pregame party Saturday that drew a few hundred and featured former Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Before Sunday’s game, a tailgate held just west of Allegiant Stadium put on by Fans of Buffalo sold out.

There were also different appearances by former Bills players and other meetups at different properties on the Strip.

Travel packages

Fans of Buffalo offered full travel packages that included flights, hotel accommodations, a stay at the Flamingo, tickets to the game and the private, all-inclusive tailgate. The group’s website called the Las Vegas trip its biggest of the year, with four-night packages ranging between $1,999 and $2,999, depending on room occupancy and if airfare was included.

‘Vibes are high’

Johnson said he wasn’t surprised by the large Bills fan turnout as the fan base is as dedicated as they come.

“The vibes are high and Bills Mafia always travel and there’s nothing personal and nothing to be disrespectful, but they just love their team,” Johnson said Saturday. “When you go to Buffalo, you get that sense of, although we have the Sabres, but The Mafia, the Buffalo Bills, is everything to that community. And they show it by representing by traveling with the team.”

Stadium journey fulfilled

Kristen Ruesch, from New York, fulfilled a 21-year journey to watch the Bills play in every NFL stadium Sunday, with her visit to Allegiant Stadium. Ruesch was supposed to check Allegiant off her list when the Bills played there in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans weren’t allowed in the building for that game.

Her journey started when she moved to New York City 21 years ago, and her best friend moved to Chicago. Instead of meeting each other in their respective home cities, they decided to travel and see the Bills play around the country.

“So, we started doing a few (trips)and then all of a sudden, it was I had 10 left to go and was like, ‘OK, let’s map it out,’” Ruesch said. “Some years it’s been one (trip), some years it’s been five. Everybody’s been awesome. Lots of Bills Mafia congratulating us, cheering us as we walk. So it’s been awesome.”

Tickets for the game were averaging around $635 on Ticketmaster, making it one of the most in-demand games of the season.

First time

Jimmy Reeves, who has been a Bills fans since the 1970s, traveled to Las Vegas from Los Angeles to take in a weekend of events with his fellow Bills fans. Reeves was at the Bills preseason game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he got to check out the team’s new $2 billion Highmark Stadium.

“So I’m going to compare what they’re like,” Reeves said. What the difference? Because I was just there.”

The visiting fan bases that are making Las Vegas the destination road game for their respective teams lead to money being spent and tax revenue being generated. It also helps pay down the $750 million in public funds used to build Allegiant Stadium, via a 0.88 percent tax on hotel rooms in Clark County.

The room tax generated $61.4 million in Fiscal Year 2026, which was a 3.2 percent dip from the $63.6 million generated in FY 2025, according to Las Vegas Stadium Authority data.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.