Getty Crews clear snow from Soldier Field before a Chicago Bears game.
The Buffalo Bills are getting an early start to their holiday weekend plans and trying to avoid a major winter snowstorm.
The team announced on Wednesday that they would be departing a day early for their Saturday game in Chicago, leaving just ahead of what is predicted to be one of the strongest storms to hit the region in at least a decade. The Bills have already seen one game moved due to weather this year, and the December 24 matchup against the Bears could see a major impact from the weather as well.
Bills Get Early Start
The team had originally planned to depart for Chicago on Friday, in line with their normal schedule for traveling to away games, but announced they will be leaving on Thursday instead in the hopes of beating the weather. A potential blizzard will be moving through the upper Midwest on Friday and Saturday, bringing heavy snow along with fierce winds and some drastically changing temperatures.
As NBC Chicago reported, the storm was initially projected to hit the Windy City on Thursday evening, but new forecasts call for it to arrive in the morning instead. Conditions are expected to rapidly worsen throughout the day on Thursday, with the system bringing heavy snowfall.
That could leave a short window for the Bills to safely travel from Buffalo to Chicago.
“The intense winter storm is expected to be widespread by the evening hours,” the report noted. “This marks the time when it could generate blizzard conditions and is expected to ‘severely’ impact travel.”
“Major impacts are expected from the snowstorm throughout the day Friday.”
It could be even more difficult for fans traveling to the game from Buffalo, and some members of the media have already decided not to attend. Reporter Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle said and other media members will not be making the trip, and the Bills are planning to provide postgame interviews via Zoom, as they did during the 2020 season when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
The Bills already had a home game moved earlier this season when a snowstorm dumped more than seven feet of snow in Orchard Park. The November 20 game against the Cleveland Browns was moved to Ford Field in Detroit, with the Bills winning 31-23.
Teams Could Face Extreme Conditions
The storm will be the strongest on Thursday and Friday, but could still pack enough punch on Saturday afternoon to affect the 1 p.m. ET game. As NFL.com’s Kevin Patra reported, the Windy City will be living up to its name.
“Heavy snowfall is expected Thursday into Friday. Even if it dissipates before Saturday’s Bills-Bears game, conditions are expected to be ruthless,” Patra reported. “Current forecasts call for a high in the single digits with winds between 20 to 30 mph and gusts reaching over 40 mph.”
Bills on the field surrounded by snow. It’s fairly cold, but nothing like Chicago will be on Saturday.
The conditions could neutralize Buffalo’s passing attack, but Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said the team is already prepared and has a plan in place.
“It’ll be kind of similar to this week. We’ll do the same thing just so we’re not putting ourselves in tough situations,” Dorsey said, via the team’s official website. “We always try and make sure we’ve got those contingency plans.”
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Bills Announce Change in Plans for Saturday’s Game After Dire Warning