The Buffalo Bills’ NFL team’s Highmark Stadium is covered in snow after a recent storm in Orchard Park, New York, on Nov. 21, 2022.
Drone Base | Reuters
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game has been postponed until Monday afternoon due to winter weather, 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 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 said it 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.
“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.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
