On Friday, the NFL made a contentious decision regarding the venue for the Buffalo Bills’ Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The scheduled game for early Sunday afternoon in Buffalo is anticipated to face severe winter storm conditions. Earlier reports on Thursday suggested the league was considering relocating the game to Cleveland, but the NFL denied this speculation.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday morning that the NFL was closely monitoring the weather situation following updates from the National Weather Service about the expected conditions around Highmark Stadium. The concern is that heavy lake-effect snow bands, accompanied by gusty winds, are forecasted east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario from Saturday through Sunday night.
Heavy lake effect snow bands with gusty winds will occur east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario Saturday through Sunday night. The snow bands will oscillate north to south, impacting the Buffalo and Watertown Metros. Travel will be difficult to near impossible within snow bands. pic.twitter.com/nwgMRaNH9P
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) January 12, 2024
These snow bands are expected to move north to south, affecting the Buffalo and Watertown Metros. The travel within these snow bands may range from difficult to nearly impossible, particularly posing challenges for fans attending the game.
The NFL announces decision on Bills game
Teams have been told it’s status quo for Sunday at 1:00 pm…. https://t.co/wYaBahpndT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2024
Despite the bleak prognosis, Schefter reported Friday afternoon that the Steelers and Bills were told the game would still take place in Buffalo on Sunday.
The league is not concerned about the safety of the teams or fans traveling to the game on Sunday. The league apparently made the same decision to play the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins Wild Card games in “dangerously cold” circumstances on Saturday rather than during the warmest time of day.