Quote:
Originally Posted by Bugeater
You're wildly overestimating the effect of crowd noise on an NFL game.
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I disagree. There are plenty of other more important factors, obviously, but it's definitely a big help. It's not estimate. We've all seen it first hand.
The game is about moments. We've all seen those moments where a single bad play can drastically swing a game and the change the outcome. We saw it first hand many times through the 90s when our home field advantage was considered one of, if not the best in the league. Our crowd could help to cause confusion on the opposing sideline, in their huddle, at the line of scrimmage, and during the play itself. Those moments caused mistakes which led to even bigger moments like turnovers, sacks, etc.
Teams would come here worried about the crowd. They knew that if they let the Chiefs hit a big play or two early, or if they couldn't strike early to keep that crowd quiet, it was going to be a very rough afternoon for them. Then, when it actually starts to happen and they can't hear the guy next to them talk...that's a big advantage for the home team, and again, it leads to mistakes, which leads to home wins.
We all say it all the time...you gotta win your home games. If you can just win your home games you've got a shot because then you just have to win even 2 or 3 on the road to have a shot at the end. There's a reason the teams of the 90s went to the playoffs 7 times. They won their home games, and Arrowhead was a big part of that.