Weather in Orchard Park, New York, has loomed large as the Bills and Steelers have prepared to square off in their wild-card matchup. On Saturday, New York’s governor stepped in to push the game back.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday the Bills-Steelers playoff game would be postponed to Monday as snow and cold have forced the state to put the safety of anyone traveling in the area ahead of the league’s playoff schedule.
The two teams were originally scheduled to play their game at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The only game on Monday was going to be the Eagles and Buccaneers, which would kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
MORE: Buffalo weather updates
Here’s what you need to know about the Bills-Steelers game.
Why was the Bills-Steelers game postponed?
Hochul announced on Saturday the state and league had agreed to postpone the game until Monday.
In posts on X (formerly Twitter), Hochul said she had been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the conditions in Buffalo, and said that after talking with emergency response teams, the Bills and the NFL, the decision was made to push the game back.
That is not the only thing the weather will be impacting. Hochul also instated a full travel ban in Erie County, which starts at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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When will the Bills-Steelers game be played?
- Date: Monday, Jan. 15
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream: Fubo (free trial)
The game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh will now be pushed back to 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday. Despite a report suggesting the game might be moved to Cleveland, there has been no indication from the league it will be played outside Buffalo.
CBS was originally scheduled to carry the Sunday afternoon game, and that will not change now that the game has been moved to Monday. You can also stream the game on Fubo, which has a free 7-day trial.
This is the first time an NFL playoff game has been postponed since 2017, when the divisional round matchup between Pittsburgh and Kansas City was bumped from 1:05 p.m. ET to 8:20 p.m. ET because of a storm.
Buffalo weather forecast
The National Weather Service has not had a promising outlook for Orchard Park, the home town of Highmark Stadium. As of Saturday afternoon, the Sunday forecast showed snow shows nearly all day and a possible accumulation of up to 9 inches, which already follows snow on Saturday.
In addition to the snow, the high is listed as 24 degrees and the low is at 13 degrees. There are also winds between 26 and 29 mph with gusts listed as high as 45 mph. The is a winter storm warning for the entire weekend.
Now, the focus shifts to the forecast on Monday, which appears to be more promising. There is not a winter storm warning for Monday, and while snow is likely before 11 a.m. ET, there is a window where the forecast appears clear until after 8 p.m. ET. It will still be cold, with a high of only 19 degrees and low of 14 degrees, but the winds are only expected to reach 20 mph.
Who is Kathy Hochul?
Hochul has been the governor of New York since Aug. 24, 2021, when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned following allegations of sexual harassment. She then defeated Lee Zeldin in the 2022 New York gubernatorial election.
Prior to being governor, Hochul served as the lieutenant governor with Cuomo starting in 2015. She was also a member of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.
Hochul is a Buffalo, N.Y., native, and attended Syracuse for her undergraduate education.
