BREAKING: Bills vs. Steelers Game Postponed Due to Weather
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers will no doubt need to bundle up for their Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium in what will likely be a winter wonderland.
But harsh weather is now forcing the game to be moved out of its 1 p.m. ET Sunday time slot.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the game will be postponed to Monday due to the harsh winter conditions in Buffalo.
“NY Gov. Kathy Hochul has just announced at a news conference that the Bills vs. Steelers game is postponed to Monday at 4:30 PM,” Rapoport tweeted on Saturday.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul released a statement on the decision:
“I’ve been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” she tweeted. “In consultation with our emergency response teams, BuffaloBills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.”
There were rumors that the game would be moved to Cleveland due to the weather.
The extent of the impact that the expected snowy weather will have on the game's location and start time seemed to be blown a bit out of proportion on Thursday, though in hindsight it might’ve been justified.
Per reports from CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones, there was "no truth" to the game location being moved, though there was no mention of the game date being altered.
"Multiple sources tell me there's no truth to rumor the Steelers-Bills wild-card playoff game could be moved to Cleveland due to weather concerns in Western New York," Jones tweeted.
The Buffalo area is expected to be 70 percent covered in snow on Sunday with a high of 29 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, rumors started swirling online that the game could be moved to Cleveland to avoid overly-inclement weather.
One article started making the rounds and suggested that bad weather could "prompt a state of emergency" in Western New York much like it did last season when the Bills played the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field in Detroit in late November.
With the Browns playing at the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions hosting the Los Angeles Rams for the Wild Card this weekend, moving the game to Cleveland could make some sense under extreme circumstances since Cleveland Browns stadium will be empty.
While the rumor felt notable, it didn't come from a known, reliable source. Reputable league sources quickly caught wind of the speculation and put it to rest.
But now, rumors have become reality, and the Bills will now have an extra day to prepare for Pittsburgh.
