Steelers-Bills game Monday won't be delayed again despite frigid temperatures, New York Gov. Hochul says
The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play their 2024 wild card round matchup on Monday without further delay, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday.
Hochul said temperatures are still expected to be in the teens on Monday, but without the high winds and blinding snow that would pose a threat to players and spectators alike.
"There's good karma playing in the bitter cold here in Buffalo, and that's what we're hoping for tomorrow. With that, go Bills," Hochul said.
The NFL wild card payoff tilt was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Sunday, but was postponed Saturday due to lake-effect snowfall and high winds. Hochul also announced a travel ban for Buffalo's Erie County.
The Bills' Highmark Stadium, located in Orchard Park, saw near-zero visibility Saturday as snow blanketed western New York. The team went so far as to recruit fans and locals to help shovel snow in the stadium for $20 an hour ahead of Monday's contest.
Current scene at Highmark Stadium.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 13, 2024
Stay safe tonight, Bills Mafia. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/FSJvNht1ri
"We all know as Western New Yorkers how dangerous the triple threat is — the triple threat of icy cold temperature, with high winds and the blowing snow," Hochul said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. "It's life-threatening weather. That's exactly what's going on now in the vicinity of where there would have been a football game playing today in Orchard Park."
Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz confirmed Sunday, "The game will be held.
If the Bills beat the Steelers, they'll next be visited by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Miami Dolphins in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history Saturday night.