ESPN’s Pat McAfee led people praising the performance of the American national anthem prior to the AFC Championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills.

The anthem in Kansas City was sung by retired Navy petty officer first class Generald Wilson – who stunned the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium with his voice.

Those in attendance at the game let out loud cheers at the end of it and CBS cameras captured Chiefs veteran defensive tackle Chris Jones shedding tears after the song.

Fans instantly ran to social media to heap praise on the former Naval officer, with many enjoying the song before one of the biggest games of the season.

That included McAfee, who posted to X, formerly Twitter, saying, ‘Ol buddy just absolutely slaughtered the National Anthem.. thanks for your service and the golden pipes sir.’

Barstool Sports’ Jerry Thornton said, ‘This guy needs to be America’s official full time Anthem singer.’

Football fans heaped praise on the Naval officer for his performance of the anthem

Your browser does not support iframes.

‘This guy is maybe my favorite anthem singer. Unreal,’ said Seattle Seahawks writer Brian Nemhauser. 

Former New England Patriots тιԍнт end Ben Watson said, ‘My man SANG that anthem. Wow. In the cold too. That ain’t easy! 

‘Might have been the best National Anthem I’ve ever heard at the start of the @Chiefs @BuffaloBills Football Game. #Unbelievable,’ posted politician Jimmy Patronis.

‘That was a damn good anthem performance. Now it’s time for the big one,’ posted NFL writer Scott Kacsmar.

Podcaster Nick Kostos said, ‘That national anthem kicked ᴀss.’

The song set the tone for one of the most important games in the NFL – the fourth time in the last five seasons these two teams have met in the playoffs.

Buffalo has lost all four of those previous matchups – including in the 2020 AFC Championship game.