The Steelers-Bills wild-card game scheduled for Sunday afternoon has been postponed until Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET after the New York governor's office consulted with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday.
But obstacles still need to be overcome for the game to be played on that day, at that time, in that stadium and with fans in the stands, according to a source familiar with the Buffalo Bills.
“Everywhere you go there’s a trap door,” the source said, explaining all the unique problems that come with playing this game during a Western New York snowstorm at Highmark Stadium.
As it appeared early Saturday evening, the NFL was confident the game could be played as scheduled on Monday, league sources said. However, if the weather problems continue into Sunday evening, the NFL could consider a second postponement to Tuesday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency and issued a travel ban for Erie County starting Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Depending on the forecast, the ban will be reassessed at 6 a.m. on Sunday. In her press conference on Saturday, Hochul urged travelers to get to Buffalo as quickly as possible.
“Now is especially the time for these truckers,” said Governor Hochul, “whether they are coming over the Peace Bridge, from Pennsylvania or from the East, make sure they are monitoring the conditions now. Travel now, not later.”
According to sources, the Steelers plan to travel to Buffalo on Sunday at 3 p.m. The team had originally planned to travel at the same time on Saturday before adjusting a day later and opting to keep the same schedule.
However, 2 to 3 inches of snow fell in Orchard Park late Sunday morning and another 2 to 3 inches is expected during the afternoon hours. The travel ban remains in effect and the snow continues to fluctuate. The latest forecast is that it will remain where the stadium is until Sunday night.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the area will experience “blizzard-like” conditions and that some areas of the county “will likely receive more than two feet of snow in a period of virtually 36 hours.”
The bills have offered volunteers $20 an hour to shovel snow, but because of the ban there is no ETA for when they can begin work.
When this was the case in the past, snow shovels usually started at the top of the stadium and removed the snow down slides down to field level. This snow is loaded into trucks and transported out of the stadium via the one tunnel at Highmark Stadium. The shovel blades would work from top to bottom and then clear the field, which is currently covered with a tarp.
If there is light snowfall, the stands could be cleared in time for Monday's game, according to a source. However, if the lake effect snow is heavy, it can cause problems clearing both the stands and the field.
“The stadium now doesn’t have to be evacuated until Monday,” said Governor Hochul. “This gives us a lot more scope to control the conditions and see if the bands are OK and if they have dropped as much snow as expected. Hopefully the winds have died down significantly. So we expect very different weather dynamics Monday based on today’s modeling.”
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Then there is the question of the safety of the playing surface if the game is to take place on Monday afternoon. The field is covered, but temperatures have been below freezing since Saturday afternoon, and forecasts show temperatures will remain below freezing until Monday's scheduled game.
The NFL uses a Clegg Impact Tester at various points on a field to determine the hardness of the surface. According to the NFL Players Association, to pass the test a field must measure less than 100 units of weight. At a 2022 game between the Lions and Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina, the field was tested to a maximum of 150 g and players from both teams complained about the hardness of the field.
Highmark Stadium's field would likely need to be warmed by heaters – there is no complex and expensive underground heating system in the 50-year-old stadium – to be playable. And players will undoubtedly need to adapt their cleats to the hardness of the pitch.
Then there is the question of the distribution of public funds. Governor Hochul and District Executive Poloncarz noted that police officers should be on duty to help snowstormers on Sunday and not direct traffic at the stadium.
If the weather is bad in Southtowns, where the stadium is located, it would be difficult to allocate resources specifically for the game, according to a source. And if the weather is bad in the northern cities, resources would likely have to be redirected there.
There is obviously a strong hope – and an even stronger desire – that this game can be played as planned on Monday. If the forecast changes in Western New York's favor, then it will just be another playoff game in Buffalo.