Winter weather continues to impact western New York as Steelers head to Buffalo for wild-card game

That hole the Pittsburgh Steelers figuratively dug themselves out of to qualify for the playoffs? That’s nothing compared to the literal shoveling necessary to facilitate playable enough conditions for the team to take part in their playoff opener in Orchard Park, N.Y.

There was more than a foot of snow on the ground — and counting — around Highmark Stadium in western New York by the time the wild-card round playoff game between the Steelers and Buffalo Bills was intended to start at 1 p.m. Sunday. Another foot or two was expected to fall before the rescheduled 4:30 p.m. kickoff time Monday.

The Steelers boarded their chartered plane just after 3 p.m. Sunday and arrived in Buffalo about 80 minutes later. They landed with a travel ban remaining in effect for Erie County, N.Y. (where both Buffalo and Orchard Park reside), despite New York Gov. Kathy Hochul lifting her order for selected other areas across her blizzard-afflicted state.

At the moment the Steelers-Bills game was supposed to start, CBS cameras at Highmark Stadium showed whiteout snow and swirling wind that made it almost impossible to see the playing field.

AccuWeather forecasts listed early Sunday evening predicted that snow would continue to fall overnight and through Monday — albeit, at intervals instead of the heavy, sustained lake-effect showers that pelted the area Saturday night into Sunday.

Hochul, who has remained in contact with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Bills officials, said during a news conference Sunday that “the game will not be pushed back again.”

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said parking will be limited in some areas because of the snowfall and removal. He said he expects the travel ban to be lifted in Orchard Park on Monday morning.

New York State governor Kathy Hochul: "The game will not be pushed back again."

Said she's been in conversation with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Bills co-owner Terry Pegula.

— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) January 14, 2024

The forecasted temperature for 4 p.m. Monday is 17 degrees — 2 degrees colder than the recorded temperature at the original 1 p.m. Sunday kickoff — with a wind-chill factor of minus-2.

“They are saying it’s supposed to be cold, they’re saying it’s supposed to be windy,” said Steelers co-captain Miles Killebrew, who was named the AP’s NFL All Pro special-teamer last week. “And that’s something that we have to be ready for — but so do (the Bills).

“And I like our approach to it, and I am excited to see how we go out there and handle it.”

The 27½-hour postponement allowed for some symmetry for Steelers fans smarting at their team’s playoff drought.

Now, when the Steelers take the field they will be doing so as a franchise that most recently won a playoff game seven years prior to the day — 18-16 at the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 season’s divisional round.

The Steelers (10-7) have lost four consecutive playoff games since, giving up an average of 42.8 points in those defeats. This season’s Steelers needed a three-game winning streak — and some help from other teams across the league — to grab the seventh and final playoff spot from the AFC. After a disheartening three-game losing streak to open December, coach Mike Tomlin turned to former third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph. They haven’t lost since.

The Bills (11-6), meanwhile, last week wrapped up their regular season on a five-game winning streak and have won four postseason games over the past five seasons.

Snow will likely blanket Orchard Park for several more weeks. The Steelers, though, have an opportunity to melt away seven years of postseason futility with an upset over the favored Bills.

Otherwise, the only thing more miserable than the weather will be the Steelers’ stretch without a playoff win extending at least another year.

“You can build in some excuses,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said this week, “(but) there are no excuses. The bottom line is we line up and we line up to play. When we line up on that field, we line up to win. Doesn’t matter whether it’s rain, sleet, snow, doesn’t matter.”

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