Despite the current weather situation in Buffalo, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday that the Bills-Steelers Super Wild Card Weekend playoff game will be played Monday at 4:30 p.m. and “will not be pushed back again.” The game was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. but was postponed to Monday due to weather.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be pleasant, but it’s not going to be life-threatening either,” Hochul said, via CBS Sports Lead NFL Reporter Tracy Wolfson.
Hochul added that she spoke to both NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Bills owner Terry Pegula about the situation Sunday.
The Steelers landed in Buffalo Sunday afternoon. CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathon Jones reports that Monday temperatures in Buffalo are expected to be in the teens, with a wind chill in the single digits. The Bills are asking fans to carpool, as not all of the parking areas may be clear.
A travel ban in Orchard Park is in effect until 7 p.m. ET Sunday and Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz said that it likely won’t be lifted until daylight Monday, Jones added. That means that volunteer shovelers and others working to clear the stadium may not begin before that.
Heavy wind and snowfall caused the initial postponement. Continued weather issues in Buffalo caused some to wonder whether the game would be moved again to Tuesday.
How each team adjusts to the weather will ultimately help determine who wins this game. The Steelers’ last game in conditions similar to the one they will face on Sunday occurred on Dec. 24, 2022, when they recorded a 13-10 win over the Raiders. Pittsburgh prevailed on a night where the game temperature was 9 degrees with 21-mph wind.
“That was terrible,” Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. said of the weather that night, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It was actually colder that day than it was that night. … With the wind chill, I think it was negative single digits. You get into a different mode. You try to block it out as much as you can.”
One would think that the adverse weather would benefit the Steelers, who have two quality running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Buffalo also has a talented back, though, in James Cook, who was named to his first Pro Bowl this season.
Taking care of the ball will also be paramount. Again, one would think this is a benefit to the Steelers given Josh Allen’s penchant for…
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