Those who were complaining about the postponement of the Steelers-Bills game from Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET got real quiet real fast when video emerged of the Ice Station Zebra conditions at the stadium on Saturday night.
As of Sunday morning, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said a travel ban remains in place for Erie County and surrounding areas, until further notice.
“My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and this winter storm continues to pose a life and safety risk,” she said, via WGRZ.com. “While there are some areas that are no longer experiencing whiteout conditions, much of Erie County remains unsafe for motorists. Please take precautions, monitor local forecasts and take steps to keep you and your family safe.”
The issue isn’t whether it’s safe to play in the elements. The issue is whether it’s safe for people to travel to and from the game. And whether it’s sensible to have resources devoted to rescuing those who attempt and fail to get there. And whether it makes sense to unnecessarily imperil first responders who would be trying to help those who end up in a jam from which they’d need to be saved.
Even if the Bills were building a domed stadium, this would still be a possibility. During the 2022 season, a game was moved to Detroit due to the snow. It’s an inherent risk, and periodic reality, of having an NFL team in Buffalo.
In this case, the risk is exacerbated by the fact that people will be tempted to drive from Pittsburgh to Buffalo to attend the game. Although conditions are expected to improve by Monday, it will still likely be a mess.
Hopefully, conditions will sufficiently improve to allow the game to be played. If the Bills win, the Chiefs will have the benefit of two extra days to prepare for a divisional round matchup that will undoubtedly be played on Sunday, not Saturday. If the Steelers win, the gap between games for Pittsburgh would be six days — and for Baltimore it would be 14 days.