If an AFC Championship between the Bills and Chiefs had been held in Buffalo or Kansas City, it would have been played outdoors, with weather a factor.
Now? Not.
The NFL has selected Atlanta — yes, Atlanta — as the neutral site for a conference championship game between the Bills and Chiefs, if both qualify.
Weather won’t be a factor. And the game won’t be played on grass, the preferred surface of the NFL’s players.
But it could be conducive to a pinball machine of scoring, with offenses unimpeded by cold or wind or rain or snow.
There’s another factor to consider. By picking one of the various Super Bowl host cities for the AFC Championship, the NFL could be viewing this as a test run for possibly making future conference championships neutral-site games.
Regardless, this one should have been outside. In the elements.
At least the hot dogs and beer will be cheap.