‘No way anybody can play in a game like this’: Blizzard could impact Steelers-Bills

Some in Pittsburgh might feel as if waking up on the day of a Steelers playoff game is their own personal Christmas morning.

This past Dec. 25 was no White Christmas. So maybe for die-hard Steelers fans, their personal holiday will be coated in white.

In Orchard Park, N.Y., at least, it almost certainly will be. Lots of white, in fact.

The Buffalo suburb could be in line for multiple feet of snowfall Sunday, the day the Steelers open their postseason there with a wild-card game at the Buffalo Bills.

“There’s going to be a very narrow band of lake-effect snow,” AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. “I think we have a real opportunity that this can come right into Orchard Park (on) Sunday, and if it does, you’re going to be looking at about 1-3 feet of snow (with) considerable blowing and drifting of snow. In fact, it would be a blizzard.”

Rayno went so far as to say the NFL might want to consider moving the gametime from its scheduled 1 p.m. kickoff.

“No way anybody can play in a game like this,” Rayno said, before relenting. “(But) I’m not the commissioner of the NFL.”

Razor close call for the Steelers @ Buffalo Sunday afternoon. Looks like a foot of snow Sat nt into Sun am in orchard then single LES band probably moves just to the south. This band will have 2-3"/hr rates, whiteouts a true blizzard and road closures.tough decision coming

— Bernie Rayno (@AccuRayno) January 11, 2024

The league reportedly has said there are no plans to move the game’s time or place. Steelers officials have not been told to plan on any possible contingencies. An NFL spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the situation.

AccuWeather was predicting temperatures in the 20s with winds in the 30 mph range for the Orchard Park area, making for wild-chill factors below zero at Highmark Stadium.

State College-based AccuWeather also issued what sounded like something between an advisory and warning for Pittsburghers planning the 220-mile trip to the Buffalo area for the game. A drive that typically can take less than 3 1/2 hours in good conditions might take much longer this weekend.

“Give yourself an abundance of time to get from home to the stadium, and expect very slow-moving traffic as well as near zero visibility underneath the strongest lake-effect bands,” AccuWeather meteorologist Mike Youman said, according to a statement from the organization. “Have an emergency kit with you in case roads close and you’re stuck in your car.”

And the Steelers-Bills game might not even have the most adverse conditions of any of the six postseason games scheduled for the weekend. The forecast for Saturday night in Kansas City — when the Chiefs will host the Miami Dolphins — is calling for below-zero temperatures with wind chills in the negative teens.

“There is going to be some of the worst weather we’ve ever seen on the opening weekend of playoffs,” Rayno said.

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