National Football League

Bills fans race clock to clear snow at Highmark Stadium ahead of playoff game

Updated Jan. 15, 2024 3:55 p.m. ET

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Bills fans worked overnight and throughout the morning to help clear snow at Highmark Stadium ahead of Monday's playoff game against the Steelers, which was postponed from Sunday due to the weather.

They also appeared to have some fun in the process. One viral clip on social media featured a young fan sliding down a chute full of snow while shirtless.

"We're going all the way this time!" another fan yelled as the fan slid down the chute, waving his shirt. 

Early Monday morning, another fan shared a clip showing several feet of snow in the nosebleed sections of the stadium, with fans shoveling to try to clear the seats and walking paths.

That led the Bills to send out a message shortly after 7 a.m. ET, about eight hours ahead of Monday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff, to ask for more help. The team guaranteed that the first 200 volunteers to show up would earn $20 per hour along with complimentary beverages and breakfast. 

As of noon ET, the field had been cleared, but there was still a considerable amount of snow in the stands at Highmark Stadium.

Fans were still clearing the seats in the stadium as recently as 2:50 p.m. ET. One fan showed that there was still a pile of snow on his ticketed seat for Monday's game just under two hours before kickoff.

In another video recorded by a reporter from TribLive.com, a trio of fans were seen walking through a pile of snow through the row that their seats were in. 

Just over two hours before Monday's game, the Bills shared images on social media depicting a snow-cleared field at Highmark Stadium though several sections in the stands were still covered in snow. 

As of late Monday morning, Orchard Park had 18 inches of snow on the ground from the weekend storm. That number pales in comparison to some other neighborhoods in Western New York, with two towns getting as much as 41.3 inches of snow, according to local reports. 

The wild-card game was originally scheduled to be played at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. But the NFL and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday that the game would be postponed until Monday due to travel concerns as the state declared a state of emergency and a travel ban. 

The skies are expected to be clear Monday afternoon, though temperatures will remain in the teens throughout the game, according to FOX Weather. 

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