Winter storm forces postponement of Steelers-Bills playoff game

With a winter storm expected to hit the Buffalo area Saturday and Sunday, New York officials and the NFL decided to move the Steelers-Bills AFC wild-card game to 4:30 p.m. Monday.

The game was scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.

Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York, Sunday's Steelers-Bills game has been rescheduled to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by CBS.

The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York…

— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2024

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on social media site X (formerly Twitter) that she has been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in regard to dangerous conditions in Buffalo. She consulted with emergency response teams and Bills management and announced at a noon news conference that the game would be moved to Monday.

The NFL said in a statement that in the “best interests of public safety,” it made the decision to switch the date after consulting with Hochul, the Steelers and the Bills.

Hochul also said there would be a travel ban in Erie County starting at 9 p.m. Saturday. On Friday, Hochul had declared a state of emergency for western New York.

“We want our Bills to win,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference in suburban Buffalo, “but we don’t want 60,000 to 70,000 people traveling to the football game in what’s going to be horrible conditions.”

Forecasts are calling for between 1 and 2 feet of snow in Orchard Park with wind chills approaching zero degrees. The area could see wind gusts of 65 mph.

According to the Associated Press, much of the storm was expected to be concentrated in a narrow band of lake-effect snow hovering over Buffalo’s southern suburbs, which includes the Bills’ home in Orchard Park.

The AP also reported that postponing the game frees up sheriff’s deputies, who are usually assigned to Bills game-related duties, to deal with storm-related emergencies, Poloncarz said. Officials were concerned about Steelers fans making the trip to Buffalo through treacherous conditions.

I’ve been in communication with @NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend.

In consultation with our emergency response teams, @BuffaloBills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) January 13, 2024

It is the first time in NFL history that a postseason game has been moved from its original date because of weather.

The Steelers (10-7) hold the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Bills (11-6) won the AFC East, are the No. 2 seed and take a five-game winning streak into the matchup.

The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since after the 2016 season when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 18-16. That game also was moved from its original time because of a projected ice storm in the Kansas City region. Instead of a 1 p.m. Sunday kickoff, the game was switched to a prime-time start but remained on the same date.

Related:

• Mark Madden's Hot Take: Extreme conditions get romanticized, but indoor stadiums a better option for NFL
• Tim Benz: Words matter when discussing the 'Mason-Andre Rudolph' story
• Steelers 4 Downs: 7th place in conference standings is familiar territory

Weathering the storm, the Steelers got six field goals from Chris Boswell to advance to the AFC championship game in New England.

On Friday, the Bills asked fans for assistance in shoveling snow in order to get Highmark Stadium ready to host the playoff game. Fans would be compensated $20 per hour for shoveling snow beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday.

The Steelers were scheduled to fly to Buffalo on Saturday, but all flights into Buffalo Airport were grounded. The team expects to instead fly into Buffalo on Sunday afternoon or in the evening.

After learning of the change with the Steelers-Bills game, the Penguins announced that the time of their home game against the Kraken on Monday was changed from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. to allow fans to view both games.

“When you play Pittsburgh, you play the whole city,” Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin said. “The Penguins are proud to adjust our puck drop to 1 p.m. on Monday against the Kraken to allow our fans time to get back home and watch our beloved Steelers win over the Bills.”