A wild winter storm is proving to be too much for the NFL.
New York governor Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday [AEDT] that Monday’s Steelers-Bills will be rescheduled for 8.30am on Tuesday (4.30pm Monday, local time) with the possibility of seven or more inches of snow and heavy winds in Buffalo this weekend.
“I’ve been in communication with @NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” Hochul wrote on X.
“In consultation with our emergency response teams, @BuffaloBills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.”
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The game had originally been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
This was more a decision around fan safety than it was player safety.
The game likely could have been played in the elements, but the NFL and Hochel wanted to avoid fans travelling to and from the stadium during a winter storm.
“The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York Governor Kathy Hochul in the best interest of public safety, and with the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the region prepares for the storm,” the Bills wrote in a statement.
The team had implored fans to help get Highmark Stadium game ready with the storm looming in Western New York, offering $20 per hour to anyone over the age of 18.
It’s the first time in seven years the NFL has moved a playoff game due to weather.
In 2016, a divisional playoff game in Kansas City between the Steelers and Chiefs in KC was moved to a later start time because of an ice storm, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bills and Steelers aren’t the only teams this weekend anticipating turbulent conditions.
Temperatures during Sunday’s (AEDT) wild-card matchup between the Chiefs and Dolphins in Kansas City could dip as low as -8, with the windchill making it feel as low as -35.
The game is expected to be one of the coldest in NFL history.
– Part of this article was written by The New York Post and republished with permission
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