The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills are set to play in a severe winter storm on Sunday afternoon. Bad weather is to be expected playing in Buffalo in January, but this particular storm could bring snow measured in feet, not inches. There will also be steady wind with wind gusts up to 46 mph, per the National Weather Service.
This has led to rumors of the kickoff time or even the location of the game being moved, though the location rumors were quickly shot down. Still, it was fair to wonder if the kickoff time could be adjusted to allow the worst of the storm to pass.
Per Adam Schefter on X, the NFL is monitoring the weather conditions, as it does for all games, but he said the “teams have been told it’s status quo for Sunday at 1:00 PM.”
Weather can be unpredictable, evidenced by the forecast changing hour to hour over the last few days, but the chance of snow is now 100 percent, up from just 60 percent earlier in the week.
The Steelers and Bills are on track to play in the inclement weather. Players on both teams have discussed the impact this could have on the game. For the Steelers, they appear to be preparing as if nothing is different. S Minkah Fitzpatrick, for example, said he still expects the Bills to throw deep in this game.
The snow will add an unknown variable into a game that many expect the Bills to win in a landslide. The oddsmakers have had the Bills as 10-point favorites for most of the week, but that has narrowed slightly to 9.5-point favorites. The over/under opened at 41.5 but has since been lowered all the way to 34. They clearly see the weather making a large impact.
One of the main stats to point to with the wind and snow is the fact that the Steelers have been one of the top rushing units over the back half of the season. RB Najee Harris is a big-bodied running back and has excellent ball security, so the Steelers will likely look to pound the run throughout the game. The Bills, on the other hand, allowed the fifth-highest yards per carry (4.6) to opposing running backs this season.
