The Pittsburgh Steelers’ arrival in the city has been delayed due to severe weather, and workers have not been able to get Highmark Stadium ready for the rescheduled AFC wild-card game against the Bills on Monday.
The NFL Network stated that the Steelers would travel to Buffalo at 3 p.m. and hold a walkthrough before playing Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The majority of commercial flights had been canceled, but Buffalo Niagara International Airport remained open on Sunday morning, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
The game originally was set for 1 p.m. Sunday, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a travel ban in the area on Saturday along with the rescheduling of the contest with blizzard-like conditions expected.
The majority of Erie County, which includes the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, was still subject to the travel ban for passenger and commercial vehicles as of Sunday morning, according to the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services.
Orchard Park received a foot of snowfall on Sunday morning, according to meteorologist Jack Durkin of Syracuse. Despite the lack of official snow totals from the National Weather Service’s Buffalo office, the New York State Thruway Authority shared images of the storm’s whiteout conditions on social media.
“Unless it is absolutely necessary, avoid traveling. The agency stated that blizzard conditions are predicted for the entire day.
The travel ban has prevented employees from visiting Highmark Stadium. The Bills had asked temporary employees to bring shovels and come to the stadium to clear it for the game earlier this weekend.
The group requested that the work crew leave, at least temporarily, on Sunday morning.
According to a team statement, “Snow shovelers are being asked to abide by travel bans and not report to Highmark Stadium until further notice once the bans are lifted,” in light of the most recent weather forecast updates and travel restrictions.
“Once the weather clears and the bans are lifted, more details about report times will be shared.”