Even in Buffalo, no stranger to dealing with severe winter weather, there are some storms that are ominous enough to disrupt everything.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday that the AFC Wild Card game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium has been moved to Monday at 4:30 p.m.
The Buffalo area is under a winter storm warning from late Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday, with the area’s infamous lake-effect snow expected to bring accumulations up to 3 feet.
Buffalo has dealt with worse storms, to be sure, but it’s asking a lot to bring in tens of thousands of fans for the game and get them all home safely. There had even been speculation the game might be moved to Cleveland Browns Stadium, since the Browns are on the road this weekend.
The Bills had already sent out a request to fans for help shoveling snow at Highmark, offering $20 per hour.
Hochul had even trolled Steelers fans Friday, warning them about dangerous travel conditions in Buffalo.
We think it would be better if you just stay home and tune in on television,” Hochul said. “It’ll be safer for all of us. It’s gonna be a rough game for you anyhow.”
Fans generally thought the postponement was a good idea, although some had been looking forward to a “Blizzard Bowl.”
Both teams should be eliminated. We want the blizzard bowl
— MSU Chief of Propaganda (@OdellBretthamJr) January 13, 2024
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1746222594682954169/quotes
With flights getting canceled due to high winds, I think the NFL made the right call to move the Steelers at Bills game to Monday.
I also feel really bad for all the fans that made travel arrangements to get there and will miss the game.
— Melanie Friedlander (@Girlsurgeon) January 13, 2024
Travel and safety for WHO ! the fans ?? This benefits the bills nobody else and that’s why this decision was made football doesn’t get canceled bc of snow https://t.co/j13tKHfGRz
— AntonioGatto5 (@ToeGatto) January 13, 2024
The lack of understanding about why the #Bills and #Steelers game was canceled is astounding. Do we know how bad the storm will be? No. But after living through the blizzard last year I would rather us be safe and overreact than underestimate the storm and have people hurt.
— Mariah Mann⚓️ (@Mariah_Love95) January 13, 2024
The Gov is a Bills fan from Buffalo. It’s a known fact that the Steelers had a better chance in bad conditions. She moved it back to help her team. It’s alright to admit it. It’s Twitter, you’re not gonna get canceled
— Jimmy (@J_Bell38) January 13, 2024
[Jonathan Jones, NFL on CBS; Photo Credit: News 4 Buffalo]
