Bills vs. Steelers Postponement Causing Ripple Effect on NFL Playoffs
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card playoff game has officially been moved to Monday at Highmark Stadium at 4:30 p.m. due to inclement winter weather, the league and team announced on Saturday.
The game was first scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Both teams' ability to play in the heavy snow and winds isn't in question, as the postponement came down to public safety and travel issues. Inclement weather has caused New York Governor Kathy Hochul to enforce a travel ban that begins at 9 p.m. on Saturday in Erie County, the one Buffalo is located in.
Snow-filled seats at Highmark Stadium.
While public safety is undoubtedly the priority in any situation, the No. 2 Bills vs. No. 7 Steelers being pushed back a day will put the winner at a disadvantage heading into the next round, which was noted by media executive Joe Ferreira.
The other two AFC Wild Card playoff games each take place on Saturday, with the No. 4 Houston Texans playing the No. 5 Cleveland Browns at 4:30 p.m. at NRG Stadium and the No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 6 Miami Dolphins playing at 8:10 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium.
Regardless of who wins on Saturday, Buffalo or Pittsburgh will be at a significant disadvantage heading into the divisional round. For Buffalo, it faces the higher seed remaining if it wins, meaning its opponent will have two more days of rest. If the Steelers win, they'll face a Baltimore Ravens team that already had a week off because they're the No. 1 seed.
The other ripple effect of having the No. 2 and No. 7 seed play on a Monday is no one in the AFC will know who they're playing until after Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh concludes. That won't be the case in the NFC, as the teams in that conference will know who they're playing before the No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles play on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.
The other two NFC Wild Card games take place on Sunday, with the No. 2 Dallas Cowboys vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers taking place at 4:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium and the No. 3 Detroit Lions facing the No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. ET at Ford Field.
Ferreira also noted that the NFL likely scheduled two of its three AFC games in the Wild Card round on Saturday in hopes of its Divisional Round being played on Jan. 20. With Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, that likely puts that plan in doubt.
Given the weather Buffalo is expecting, pushing the game back a day was best for all parties involved for everyone's safety. The ripple effect, however, will make what has already been a brutal path to playoffs that much tougher for Buffalo.
