NFL Refutes Report That Steelers-Bills Game Could Be Moved to Cleveland Due to Weather.
The NFL has rejected a suggestion that Sunday’s AFC wild-card game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills at Orchard Park, N.Y., could be moved to Cleveland due to weather.
The Buffalo area is likely to be flattened with a winter storm that could force a state of emergency to be proclaimed for western New York. Despite this likelihood, the league claimed there is no validity to the news that circulated on Thursday that the game could be moved to Ohio. Marty Griffin of KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh reported on X, formerly Twitter, that Cleveland Browns Stadium executives were questioned by the NFL about the potential of scheduling the game there.
He also suggested that fans should “be ready” for the venue relocation. “We are monitoring conditions as we do for every game, but there have been no discussions about making a change to the game’s status,” NFL vice president of communications Brian McCarthy said, per WGRZ-TV in Buffalo. Griffin removed his initial tweet, but he offered a clarification on Thursday morning.
“So my friends that are electricians in Cleveland work each game setting up production,” Griffin posted on X. “They were asked if they could work this weekend in the event of the Bill’s [sic] Steeler game being moved. Thats [sic] all I know. Maybe it was Cleveland offering up the facility to the NFL.” The U.S. National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Buffalo area from 1 a.m. ET Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday.
Accuweather anticipates one to two feet of snow in Orchard Park from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. Despite the poor travel conditions that are forecast in the Buffalo area, changing the game within two days of kickoff would be a logistical problem for the NFL. So don’t expect the game to be played anyplace else than in Orchard Park this Sunday.
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