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The Buffalo Bills are set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday afternoon after a one-day delay due to a major winter storm.
Whether fans will fit into the snow-stuffed stadium remains to be seen.
Viral images of Highmark Stadium, home of the Bills, showed that many sections of the stadium remained buried in several feet of snow just a few hours before the start of kickoff. The team put out an urgent notice for workers to shovel out, but insiders suggest that fans could still be in for a very difficult experience.
Impromptu Stadium Crews Worked Around the Clock
The game had originally been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but was moved after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in the Buffalo area. Local officials warned that it would not be safe to play the game when emergency response crews were needed throughout the region, and the league rescheduled the game for Monday at 4:30 p.m.
But images of the stadium that emerged on Monday morning showed that there might not be enough time to clear all parts of the stadium for fans.
Bills fans working around the clock this morning to get the stadium ready for today’s game
Bills report Matt Bove, sports director of WKBW in Buffalo, shared an image of the “absolutely insane” amount of snow still covering the stadium seats as of Monday morning.
this is absolutely insane
Former Bills lineman Eric Wood, who serves as a color commentator on the team’s radio broadcast, warned that fans would likely be sitting on snow at the game.
“Today is likely going to be an adventure from getting people to and from the stadium, into their seats, playing the game, etc,” Wood wrote on X. “Fans likely to have to sit on the snow because they can’t clear it out of the seats. Stay safe out there and let’s get this W!”
The team announced that they were still looking for help shoveling out the stadium, offering workers $20 per hour along with food for showing up at the stadium to help out. While the region remained under a travel advisory through Monday at 6 a.m., the Erie County government made an exception for individuals traveling to Highmark Stadium to help in snow removal.
Game Set for Monday Afternoon
Though some insiders speculated that the game time may need to be pushed back again as the region dug out from the more than two feet of snow that fell in some places, Gov. Hochul set the record straight and said they would not be delaying the game again.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be pleasant [on Monday], but it’s not going to be life-threatening, either,” Hochul said Sunday afternoon, via CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson.
If the Bills win, they will return the following week to host the Kansas City Chiefs in what would be Patrick Mahomes’ first trip to the stadium in front of fans. The Chiefs visited Buffalo in 2020, but the game was played in front of an empty stadium as COVID precautions remained in place at the time. If the Steelers win, they will travel to Baltimore to take on the No. 1-seed Ravens.
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