National Football League

Bills enlist help of fans to shovel snow at stadium ahead of Steelers game

Published Jan. 12, 2024 7:29 p.m. ET

A severe winter storm warning is in effect for the area surrounding Highmark Stadium ahead of Sunday's AFC wild-card round bout between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET), which could end up setting a new NFL record.

A high of 24 degrees is expected Sunday, according to the latest AccuWeather forecast, with snow projected anywhere from one to three feet and winds up to 65 mph, which would be some of the highest winds ever recorded in an NFL game.

Sunday's game between the 2-seed Bills (11-6) and the 7-seed Steelers (10-7) is the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams but just the first to be played at Buffalo, which has a history of harsh conditions come playoff time.

That said, the Bills are enlisting the help of their fanbase to get the stadium ready for action. The team posted Friday that fans can get paid to shovel snow inside the stadium starting at 10:00 p.m. Saturday evening and throughout the night into Sunday morning, if needed. While fans have to bring their own attire, they'll be treated to food and beverages in a warm room — whatever that means in Buffalo.

Sunday would be the first snow game of the 2023-24 season for Buffalo, with the Bills' last playoff game taking place in the snow being a double-digit loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC divisional round last season.

Both teams are on a hot streak headed into Sunday's tilt. The Bills finished the regular season on a 5-0 run to win the AFC East, while the Steelers won their last three games with QB Mason Rudolph to clinch the No. 3 AFC wild-card seed.

The non-stop snow could make this contest one that'll be decided on the ground, which could work to Buffalo's advantage with QB Josh Allen — who rushed for 524 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season — and running back James Cook, who ran for a career-high 1,122 yards.

On the whole, Buffalo ran for 130.1 yards per game (seventh in the NFL) in the regular season, while Pittsburgh registered 118.2 rushing yards (13th), powered by running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

Elsewhere, Saturday's wild-card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins could set records as one of the coldest NFL playoff games in history, with temperatures projected to be in the single digits.

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