(Reuters) – Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs have donated nearly $200,000 to a children’s hospital in Buffalo this week as a show of respect after their team eliminated the Bills from the playoffs in one of the greatest NFL games ever played.
With 13 seconds left in regulation during Sunday’s game, Kansas City went 44 yards down the field to kick a field goal that forced overtime where the Chiefs prevailed to move one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.
To commemorate the time of the game-tying drive, Chiefs fans have since been sending donations of $13 to Oishei Children’s Hospital, a regional center for specialized pediatric, perinatal and obstetrical services in Western New York.
“An incredible $178,000 from over 9800 donors has been donated in just over 24 hours from #ChiefsKingdom Thank you all!,” the hospital wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “These donations help the ongoing need and ensure our team has the tools, training and programs to care for the kids in WNY.”
Kansas City’s 42-36 win over the Bills was a back-and-forth thriller that featured a duel for the ages between quarterbacks Josh Allen (Bills) and Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and included three lead changes in the final two minutes of regulation.
After the game, a fundraising push created by the Facebook account “Chiefs Kingdom Memes” called on fans to donate to a hospital fund named after Allen’s grandmother.
“Out of HUGE respect for Josh Allen, I’m donating $13 to his foundation which supports the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. Hope some of y’all join this too,” the post read.
According to the hospital’s website, the fund was started in late 2020 after Bills fans learned Allen played a game just after losing his grandmother. Fans donated to the hospital in $17 increments – matching Allen’s jersey number – and by the end of that year had raised more than $1 million.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
