Updated Jan. 13: New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Bills-Steelers game will be postponed to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
“I’ve been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” Gov. Hochul wrote in a post on X. “In consultation with our emergency response teams, Buffalo Bills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.”
Due to the weather, New York State will institute a full travel ban for Erie County at 9 p.m. tonight. Buffalo is expected to get at least two feet of snow between Saturday and Monday.
The NFL has denied that it is trying to relocate Sunday’s AFC Wild Card blizzard bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have a massive snowstorm inbound to Orchard Park, NY, potentially creating hazardous conditions for Sunday’s game. Despite the precedent for it in the past, the league has denied reports that it is moving the game to Cleveland.
“We are monitoring conditions as we do for every game, but there have been no discussions about making a change to the game’s status,” NFL Vice President of Communications Brian McCarthy said, per WGRZ sports director Adam Benigni.
KDKA Pittsburgh host Marty Griffith had reported in a since-deleted tweet that the Cleveland Browns stadium officials were approached by the league about the possibility of playing the game there, adding that fans should “be ready” to relocate. Griffin then deleted the post and added a clarification on Thursday morning.
“So my friends that are electricians in Cleveland work each game setting up production,” Griffin wrote in an X post. “They were asked if they could work this weekend in the event of the Bill’s [sic] Steeler game being moved. Thats [sic] all I know. Maybe it was Cleveland offering up the facility to the NFL.”
The United States National Weather Service has a winter storm watch in effect for most of western New York from Saturday afternoon through Monday morning. The lake effect snow has forecasters predicting anywhere from 1-3 feet of snow in Orchard Park Sunday.
Buffalo has had a game moved for snow as recently as last year when the Bills’ Week 11 game against the Cleveland Browns was moved to Detroit. However, that move was announced the Thursday before. Moving a game – let alone a playoff matchup – in under 48 hours would be a logistical nightmare for all involved.
