New York governor says Bills game won't be postponed again; Steelers en route to Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills' wild card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be rescheduled a second time, New York governor Kathy Hochul said in a news conference on Sunday.
Hochul said that she is in contact with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Bills owner Terry Pegula. She is confident that Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park will be ready for teams and fans come Monday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff time.
The game was already postponed from its original Sunday afternoon kickoff due to a snowstorm that walloped the area this weekend. On Sunday morning, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning with a forecast for up to three feet of lake effect snow and winds up to 50 miles per hour. Monday's forecast is a high of 17 degrees with a 46 percent chance of morning precipitation and winds of 15 miles per hour.
"The game will not be pushed back again," Hochul told reporters. "... We have up until the fans start coming to the stadium later in the afternoon. If it was a morning game, it would be a little tougher, but a 4:30 game gives us that time. Again, the weather's not gonna be perfect. It'll not be a sunny, warm day with no snow, but it's nothing we can't deal with."
On Friday, the Bills put out a call for Bills Mafia to help shovel Highmark Stadium. The team said they would pay $20 an hour and offered free food. Fans answered and even had some fun with it.
The Steelers were waiting to travel to Buffalo and reportedly flew and landed safely on Sunday afternoon, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
"I feel very confident the opposing team will get here, they'll get here safely, they'll be ready to play," Hochul said, "and absolutely the Bills will be ready to play as well."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills vs Steelers playoff game on tap for Monday, NY governor says