The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the road against the Buffalo Bills for the AFC Wild Card Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs. January football in Buffalo is almost a guarantee for cold weather or snow, and it looks like this weekend will be no different. The National Weather Service posted a hazardous weather outlook for this weekend, and it doesn’t look pretty. Here are some of the details in a screenshot of NWS posted by Mark Poloncarz on X.
There will be heavy winds to start the weekend, which could impact travel plans for anyone trying to get to the game. As the temperatures drop, there could be heavy rain and snow Friday night and Saturday. The NWS said, “several inches are possible,” in its report. Then there is a chance for lake-effect snow on Saturday night and moving into Sunday. The temperatures are forecast in the 20-degree range. The lake-effect snow has the highest likelihood of impacting areas south of Buffalo, but the report also noted areas east of Lake Erie will experience it as well.
The NWS website currently has wind projections through Saturday, and has not yet listed those figures for Sunday, but the hazardous weather outlook it issued said the winds will be present from Thursday to Tuesday. So the worst of it may be over by the time kickoff happens, but it will still be cold, windy, and more than likely snowy for the Steelers-Bills playoff game.
The Steelers just came off a game with inclement weather in Baltimore against the Ravens in Week 18. It was cold rain in that case, and the slick conditions produced eight total fumbles in the game. The Steelers’ game plan featured a healthy dose of RB Najee Harris as he rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks. Coach Mike Tomlin said in his Tuesday press conference that Harris’ skill set goes well with that type of weather. Cameron Heyward also said on his Not Just Football podcast on Wednesday morning that “we love crappy weather.”
The weather might act like a great equalizer in this game as the wind and precipitation could make it difficult to pass. For what it’s worth, the Steelers were one of the top rushing teams in the league over the second half of the season while the Bills allowed the fifth-most yards per carry (4.6) to opposing running backs this season.
