NEW YORK, BUFFALO (AP) — The NFL decided to postpone the Bills’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Sunday to Monday due to a potentially severe snowstorm that made landfall in the Buffalo area on Saturday.
Given that up to two feet of snow are expected to fall in the area over the course of more than twenty-four hours, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the NFL justified the postponement by citing public safety concerns. By Saturday afternoon, there was a lot of snow falling and a lot of wind. The Bills shared a video of the whiteout conditions at Highmark Stadium on social media.
The NFL and the Buffalo Bills released a joint statement saying, “The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the best interest of public safety, as well as with the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the region prepares for the storm.”
Due to what Hochul described as a “dangerous storm,” she said she began speaking with the NFL on Thursday about the potential of rescheduling the game. “Go Bills,” Hochul, a native of a small town outside of Buffalo, said as she concluded her press conference.
“We hope for a Bills victory, but we do not want 60,000 to 70,000 fans to travel to the football game in what will be appalling weather,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz stated during a suburban Buffalo press conference.
Authorities issued a driving ban advisory at 9 p.m., advising locals to avoid the roads beginning at dusk. The new time for the game is 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
The Buffalo region was expected to have significant snowfall on Saturday, with wind gusting as high as 65 mph (105 kph) and accumulations of 1 to 2 feet (.03 to 0.6 meters) or more. A winter storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service and was in effect until 7 a.m. on Monday.
The majority of the storm was predicted to be centered over the southern suburbs of Buffalo, which include the Bills’ Orchard Park residence, in a thin belt of lake-effect snow.
It was anticipated that the storm’s intensity will lessen until Sunday night. Monday’s weather was predicted to be mostly cloudy with a risk of snow showers during the day and increasing in the evening. The high temperature would be 19 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 7) with wind gusts as high as 29 mph (47 kph).
Because the game was postponed, sheriff’s deputies—who are typically assigned to Bills game-related duties—were able to handle storm-related issues, according to Poloncarz. Authorities were worried about Steelers supporters traveling to Buffalo in hazardous weather.
The Steelers will now visit Buffalo on Sunday after delaying their original itinerary.
The Associated Press was briefed on the conversations between the NFL and state representatives, and they revealed that the organization had considered relocating the game to Atlanta before ultimately deciding against it. The individual talked to The AP under the condition of anonymity because the discussions were meant to remain confidential.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated it’s usual practice for the league to have backup locations ready for every game in case one needs to be moved, without mentioning Atlanta.
He declared, “The NFL’s top priority is always to protect public safety and refrain from taking resources away from law enforcement that might have a detrimental effect on local efforts in the impacted areas.”
In order to avoid conflicting with the Bills-Steelers game, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins moved the start time of their home game against the Seattle Kraken from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST following the NFL’s decision. Monday’s Sabres home game against the San Jose Sharks in Buffalo will now start at noon instead of 1 p.m.
Changes in schedule due to inclement weather are nothing new to the Bills. A lake effect storm in 2022 caused Buffalo’s home game versus Cleveland to be rescheduled for November to Detroit. A month later, the Bills had to spend Christmas Eve night in Chicago after a blizzard postponed their journey home.