Steelers vs. Bills AFC wild-card game in Buffalo postponed to Monday due to weather

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Saturday that the AFC Pittsburgh Steelers-Buffalo Bills wild-card game would be moved to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET due to severe weather in Western New State. York.

The match was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. It will still air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

Hochul’s official social media account said she had been in contact with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “regarding the unsafe conditions in Buffalo this weekend.” Western New York is in a state of emergency, the governor said.

The main concern is that the storm is expected to start around 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, just as the game would end and everyone would leave the stadium.

“The focal point of this storm is expected to hit the Southtowns — likely Orchard Park — where, at that time, 60,000 people would be traveling,” Hochul said at a news conference.

Starting at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, a travel ban will be in effect “until further notice” in Erie County, where the Bills play. AccuWeather forecasts called for winds reaching nearly 50 miles per hour and potentially seven inches or more of snow.

Lake-effect snow, which can drop feet of snow in a short period of time, has led to logistical issues for Bills games in the past. Last year, the Bills played a home game against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, due to heavy snowfall in the area.

The main concern, officials say, is not whether the game can be played. Traveling for fans would be dangerous. And plows and law enforcement must dedicate themselves to storm response.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said if weather conditions deteriorate, officials could ask the NFL to postpone the game again.

WEATHER GAMES: Saturday’s AFC playoffs could be one of the coldest playoff games

“If we see a change in weather conditions, we will take action and request that this game be postponed,” Brown said. “That’s not the plan.”

The last time a game was changed during the playoffs, it also involved Pittsburgh. The 2016 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Steelers and Chiefs in Kansas City was moved from 1:05 p.m. ET to 8:20 p.m. ET due to an ice storm.

NHL adjusts game times in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

The NHL moved up the start of two of the league’s games Monday so fans could watch the Steelers-Bills game.

The San Jose Sharks-Sabres game in Buffalo was moved from 1 p.m. ET to noon, and the Seattle Kraken-Penguins game in Pittsburgh was moved from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m.

Contributor: Jordan Mendoza, Mike Brehm

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is Steelers vs. Bills? NFL playoff game postponed due to weather