The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff game has been postponed until Monday afternoon as the area prepares for heavy snow and high winds, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday.
The game was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
“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,” she said in a post on the social media platform X.
The NFL and the Bills said in a statement that the postponement was in the “best interest of public safety.”
Western New York is expected to be hit with a winter storm beginning around 6 p.m. Saturday. Hochul said it would be intense and could be the most “dangerous weather conditions in this area since the catastrophic blizzard of one year ago.”
Forecasters said the storm will be at its “fiercest” Sunday afternoon, the governor told reporters at a news briefing. The National Weather Service in Buffalo warned that heavy lake-effect snow bands will bring gusty winds, and travel in the area “will be difficult to near impossible within snow bands.”
“And that is why I am pleased to announce that in the interest of keeping both Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh fans safe … the NFL has agreed with our assessment that we need to postpone tomorrow’s playoff game,” Hochul said.
“It’s all a part of our critical effort to keep New Yorkers, motorists and fans safe from this widely unpredictable storm,” she added.
In a post on X, the governor warned that travel will be “extremely dangerous” and a full travel ban was implemented in Erie County, where Buffalo is located, starting at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The game marks the first round of the NFL playoffs and is the biggest game of the season for both teams, with the winner being one step closer to playing in the Super Bowl.
The storm has not affected the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins. The Super Wild Card Weekend matchup is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday in Kansas City, where temperatures will drop to negative 5 degrees in the evening.
