ORCHARD PARK - Common sense prevailed Saturday when the NFL, in discussion with officials from the Buffalo Bills, New York State and Eric County, made the decision to push the AFC wild-card game to Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced the news at a press conference in downtown Buffalo.

“I’ve been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” Hochul said. “In consultation with our emergency response teams, Buffalo Bills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.”

Kickoff against the Steelers was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, but the horrendous weather that is forecast to descend on the Buffalo region starting Saturday - with Highmark Stadium directly in the path - was clearly going to create a dangerous situation for anyone traveling to the game.

Never mind how ridiculous it would have been for the two teams to try to play in relentless snow and winds that are expected to blow steadily between 20 and 30 miles per hour with gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range. Putting 70,000 people on the roads leading to the stadium, and then trying to get them out after the game when the storm could still be raging, the NFL realized, would have been a colossal mistake.

“This is going to be a dangerous storm,” Hochul said. “The bull’s-eye of the storm is predicted to hit midday Sunday afternoon.”

Bills statement on postponing playoff game vs Steelers

The Bills, who curiously sent out a tweet advertising the game was being played Sunday just 15 minutes before Hochul’s news conference, issued the following statement:

“Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York, Sunday’s Steelers-Bills game has been rescheduled to Monday at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised by CBS. The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York Governor Kathy Hochul in the best interest of public safety, and with the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the region prepares for the storm.”

Given the unpredictability of these storms, particularly where the heaviest snow bands would be, there’s a slim chance that Sunday might not turn out to be terrible in Orchard Park.

Think back to last December when an epic storm was forecast to hit the night the Bills hosted the Dolphins for a key Week 15 game. As it turned out, the storm held off until the fourth quarter and the game was hardly affected, though the commute home for fans wasn’t great.

Monday's weather still shows snow for Bills vs Steelers game

Also, there’s no guarantee that the weather won’t be problematic on Monday. The forecast models are still showing that snow is probable in Orchard Park with persistent winds and bitter cold temperatures that aren’t expected to get out of the teens.

However, it does seem like the worst of the storm will have gone through the region by Monday morning, and with a 4:30 kickoff there is a far better chance that the stadium, and the roads and the parking lots, would be ready to host the game.

Buffalo is still reeling from the tragic Christmas 2022 blizzard that resulted in 47 deaths, so state and local officials are on alert to make sure there is not a repeat of the overwhelming trauma that storm left in its wake.

Hochul declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm on Friday which enables the New York State Department of Transportation, the Thruway Authority, and several other state agencies to begin preparations for the storm. Utility crews from other parts of the state are also either already in the region or are on their way to assist in what is expected to be widespread power outages due to the high winds and potential for downed trees and power lines.

Hochul also activated 100 members of the New York National Guard who were expected to be in western New York Saturday morning.

On the local level, Erie County executive Mark Polancarz put into place a travel advisory that was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. A travel ban will go into effect at 9 p.m. Saturday meaning no cars will be allowed on the road until further notice, but at least through 6 a.m. Sunday.

“We want our Bills to win, but we don’t want 60 to 70,000 people traveling to the football game in what is going to be horrible conditions,” said Poloncarz, who spoke after Hochul’s initial statement. He went on to add that the agencies required for the football game need to be deployed into the community in case of emergency, particularly all the police officers who are typically on hand for a home game.

“(They) need to be assisting in the middle of a snowstorm, helping those in need, not directing traffic at a football stadium,” Polancarz said. “This is something we all agreed on.”

As for the visiting Steelers, they had been preparing for this situation and were delaying their arrival in Buffalo until a decision was made. Hochul said she had been talking to the NFL as early as Thursday, and the Steelers were obviously in the loop. They are now traveling to Buffalo Sunday with revised hotel accommodations.

The Buffalo News reported that a source indicated one of the ideas on the table was moving the game to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This obviously had to be broached several days ago given the logistics of what that would have entailed, but it went nowhere. Hochul apparently pushed hard for the one-day delay and the NFL chose that option.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills game vs Steelers postponed, moved to Monday: Here's what to know