Steelers fans have mixed reactions to shifting playoff game to Monday but express confidence in team's chances

For Rick Porrado of Murrysville, the Steelers playoff game shifting to Monday afternoon means a lot more than just a change in his viewing schedule.

Porrado owns Rick’s Sports Bar in Murrysville — and he usually isn’t even open on Monday nights. By early Saturday afternoon, he was beginning to shift schedules around for most of his staff.

“I’m going to open,” he said. “I knew they were going to move it.”

With borderline-apocalyptic amounts of lake-effect snow forecast for a band containing the Bills’ Highmark Stadium, NFL officials decided to shift Sunday’s playoff game to 4:30 p.m. Monday, where it will serve as a lead-in to the Eagles-Buccaneers NFC wild-card matchup later that night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who were scheduled to play the Seattle Kraken at 6 p.m. Monday at PPG Paints Arena, moved their game to 1 p.m. so it wouldn’t conflict with the Steelers new game time.

Nick Ramsey of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood is making the trek to Buffalo to be at the game in person. Moving the game to Monday threw “some monkey wrenches” into the travel plans he and some friends had made, but Ramsey said he’s supportive of the decision.

“If it’s for safety concerns, obviously you can’t be too mad at it,” he said. “We were going to go regardless. But Monday, I’ve heard it’s going to be a lot better with the roads. That gives them more time to clear the roads off getting into Buffalo. I’m sure it’ll be safer all around.”

Monday will mark Ramsey’s first time seeing the Steelers play an away game, and his first time watching the team in the playoffs.

Even when Sunday’s weather had been a concern — Ramsey had been preparing snow gear and planning to leave by 5 a.m. to allow plenty of travel time if roads were bad — he had no intentions of missing the game.

“You really don’t know how many opportunities you have to go to playoff games,” he said. “You don’t pass up those opportunities. Ever since we brought up the idea, it was 100% and no turning back.”

Ramsey said he’s anticipating a big turnout from Steelers Nation in Buffalo.

“Fingers crossed that we’re surrounded by Terrible Towels at the game,” he said.

He said he was optimistic that the Steelers would have a successful playoff run this year.

“All you have to do is get to the playoffs and you have a chance,” he said.

William Kofalt of Wilkinsburg also is planning to travel to Buffalo for the game.

“I think it’s the right call for them to delay it for the fans,” he said, adding that the change of dates didn’t really impact his plans much.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “This is the very first away game I’ve been to. I got really good seats, too.”

Kofalt, a lifelong Steelers fan, said he’s planning to dress warm underneath a lion mascot costume that he believes has brought luck to the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins.

“It’s really lucky,” he said. “It doesn’t always work, but most of the time, it does.”

Kofalt said he doesn’t have any doubts the Steelers will win Monday’s game.

“I really think since we have Mason Rudolph and all the defense ready to step it up, we’re going to win,” he said.

Tim Feerst of Plum, who was shopping Saturday afternoon at the Blue Spruce Shoppes in Murrysville, didn’t mind the change.

“We’re still going to go down to the North Shore to watch it,” Feerst said. He didn’t think the shift to Monday would favor either team.

“The Steelers need to play as a team to win,” he said.

The tolerance for mediocrity among Steelers fans is low, given the franchise’s storied history: tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins in league history, a 36-27 record in the playoffs and a quarterback in Terry Bradshaw who never left the Big Game without a trophy.

Under Coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have never posted a losing season. That has done little, however, to temper criticism of the team’s 8-9 record in 10 playoff appearances during Tomlin’s 17 years at the helm.

For Robert Keel of Savannah, Ga., the game’s change in time means very little. He’s not a Steelers fan. He was just in town with his friends, Jude Bisceglia of Plum and Tim Kear of Murrysville, having lunch at the North Park Lounge as they got ready to do their NFL playoff fantasy draft.

That didn’t stop Keel from having an opinion, though.

“The Steelers had a better chance of winning in the snow on Sunday, with the run game,” he said.

Jude Bisceglia of Plum said with a lot of people off from work because of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, the game is still fairly convenient to watch.

“The Steelers need to run the ball effectively, and they need to limit big plays,” Bisceglia said.

Jay Yarris of Tarentum said he felt the Steelers would have had a competitive edge playing in the poor weather forecast for Sunday.

“They’re doing it because they’re afraid to lose,” he said of the delay. “We have a better run game than they do.”

Yarris said he’s not a fan of pushing the game back a day. Many people who work Monday — including Yarris, who typically works till 6 p.m. — may have a hard time catching the 4:30 kickoff.

“It’s going to be tough for us to watch it,” he said.

Plus, Yarris said, he feels bad for people who bought tickets to go Sunday but aren’t able to move around their schedules to attend Monday.

“People spent all that money to go to the game,” he said. “… When they postpone, what if they can’t make it?”

Yarris said it seems that there have been more delays in recent years than in the past.

Regardless, Yarris said, “We’re still going to win.”

Michael Moltz of Pittsburgh said he didn’t understand all the “uproar” that led to the postponement.

“I think it’s just an excuse because we’re going to win,” Moltz said.

Marley King of New Kensington said she thought the delay was a good thing for the sake of the fans who would be traveling on snowy roads and sitting in a freezing cold stadium.

“It’s too cold,” she said. “I think it makes sense.”

“Luckily, most kids are off Monday,” Josh Brikis of Plum said as he had lunch with his son, Brayden, at North Park Lounge. “We’ll be watching it for sure.”

“They’re going to have to work on their defense because T.J. Watt is out,” Brayden said.

Porrado, the Murrysville sports bar owner, is excited at the prospect of watching quarterback Mason Rudolph in the playoffs.

“He couldn’t have played better on (his) three games,” Porrado said. “Kenny Pickett’s got a run for his money.”

Porrado is less excited about the shift to Monday, even though he was expecting it. Part of the reason Rick’s isn’t open Mondays is because it’s not a big night for going out, he said.

“A lot of people won’t come out, even though it’s a Steeler game,” he said. “Honestly, with all that snow, they may not be able to pull it off by Monday afternoon.”