The Buffalo Bills got an unexpected day off on Sunday, but two offensive linemen went to work helping one resident stuck in the region’s fierce winter storm.
The playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers originally scheduled for January 14 at 1 p.m. was pushed back to Monday afternoon as a dangerous storm dumped close to two feet of snow and brought dangerous winds. The region was under a travel ban as many roads became impassable.
#Bills OL Ryan Van Demark shares a video of fellow OL Alec Anderson appearing to help a driver on Southwestern in OP.
Two Bills linemen came across a stranded motorist and pitched in to help, with Van Denmark sharing a video of Alec Anderson helping pull out a car that had become stuck in the deep snow. The video got a big reaction from fans, who shared some love for the good deed.
“Alec is an angel,” one fan wrote on X.
Bills, Local Residents Help Each Other Out
Other Bills players have been known to help out local residents in times of need. During a 2014 storm that forced the Bills to relocate a game to Detroit, pass rusher Mario Williams helped plow the driveway for his neighbor — who happened to be Bills legend Jim Kelly.
As SI.com noted, other Bills players and coaches joined in helping out their neighbors during that storm.
“Kicker Dan Carpenter helped shovel out his 88-year-old neighbor, and coach Doug Marrone helped a driver who had gotten their car stuck on the road,” the report noted.
Fans often return the favor. When Bills players needed to reach the airport to fly out to Detroit for another game that was relocated in November 2022, Josh Allen found himself stuck with a driveway that had three to four feet of snow.
His neighbor, Dave “Squirrel” Winter, joined two others in helping to plow him out. Winter got a shout-out during the broadcast of that week’s game, and said afterward that he was happy to help out.
“It was enjoyable that I was able to be a part to help one of them team members, it doesn’t matter which one, be on that field today,” Winter said, via The Sporting News.
The Bills were looking for more help this weekend, putting out a message asking for local residents to help shovel out the stadium.
“Be part of the team to get the venue ready for the hometown Bills Wildcard Playoff game vs. the Steelers!” the team wrote on Friday. “Shovelers can shovel snow throughout the night on Saturday into Sunday morning if needed.”
Region Battered by Winter Storm
The storm hit the region by mid-day on Saturday and continued to dump snow through Sunday afternoon, with the stadium in Orchard Park in near whiteout conditions for much of the time. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported, there is still a chance that the game may need to be pushed back again if the conditions haven’t improved enough.
“As it stood Saturday early evening, the NFL felt confident the game would be able to be played as scheduled Monday, according to league sources,” Jones wrote. “But if weather issues persist into Sunday evening, a potential second postponement until Tuesday may be in the cards for the NFL.”
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Viral Video Shows Bills OL Saving Stranded Motorist During Blizzard