Current:Home > StocksMother Nature proves no match for Bills fans attending Buffalo’s playoff game vs. Steelers -Elevate Capital Network
Mother Nature proves no match for Bills fans attending Buffalo’s playoff game vs. Steelers
View
Date:2025-04-27 23:44:26
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In the end, Mother Nature was no match for Bills Mafia.
With the remnants of a lake-effect snowstorm moving north on Monday, the Bills’ hearty fanbase took over, helping dig out Highmark Stadium while finding new ways to tailgate before Buffalo hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a weather-delayed AFC wild-card playoff game.
“Nothing was going to stop us,” said Ryan Stang, who organizes a tailgate event for each home game at a bar near the stadium. “It doesn’t matter if it’s snow, rain, sleet. We are playing this game ... We’re used to it. This is nothing new to us.”
The game initially was supposed to be played at 1 p.m. Sunday but was pushed back to 4:30 p.m. Monday. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the NFL cited public safety concerns for the delay even before the 24-plus-hour storm dumped more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow on the Buffalo region, with much of it concentrated on the Bills’ home in Orchard Park through Sunday night.
Monday began with the hum of plows clearing snow from concourses and the scrape of shovels digging out seats. The sun that shone at noon gave way to a gray sky, but no more snow, as a small army of stadium employees and volunteers being paid $20 an hour raced to clear the 70,000-seat facility ahead of kickoff.
Crews had been working since Sunday, when snow fell at a rate of more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) per hour. They worked overnight, with the Bills making a plea for more volunteers early Monday.
The task proved too daunting, and a majority of the seats were still blanketed in snow when the gates opened. Fans borrowed shovels from guest services and used their hands or pieces of cardboard to clear the snow.
The Bills also sent out an alert suggesting fans wear snow pants to stay dry. Temperatures were expected to dip to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 Celsius), with winds ranging from 8 to 16 mph (13-26 kph).
A Pittsburgh Steelers fan clears snow from his row of seats before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Major roadways leading to the stadium were cleared, with 5-foot snowdrifts lining the roads after they were plowed. Snowfall limited parking around the stadium, which contributed to a slow-arriving crowd.
At kickoff, a majority of fans were standing. And the few pockets of empty seats were mostly in the third deck, where conditions were the coldest because it is open to the wind.
Otherwise, it appeared to be business as usual for two teams that had to wait an extra day to play. With the field cleared of snow, the Bills were cheered when taking the field for pregame warmups, while the Steelers were mostly booed, except for a group of Terrible Towel-waving fans behind Pittsburgh’s bench.
Bills fans found a way to use all that extra snow collected around them by throwing it like confetti to celebrate Buffalo’s game-opening touchdown.
A stadium worker clears snow from seats before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
The lack of wind and the occasional hint of a blue sky provided relief for the shovelers earlier Monday.
“It lightens the mood,” said Bob Isaacs, catching a glimpse of a blue sky south of the stadium.
As for how daunting the task at hand was, Isaacs said: “For 2 seconds. Then you got to remember you’re a Bills fan. It’s all part of the deal.”
This is the fourth year the 62-year-old Isaacs has volunteered to shovel snow at the stadium, which he considers his way of supporting his hometown team.
Stadium seats sit covered with snow before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
In the parking lots surrounding the stadium, fans improvised their tailgating amid the 10-foot mountains of plowed snow. In one lot, some snowboarded down the hills on pieces of cardboard. At another lot, three fans stood atop a hill chanting, “Let’s go, Buffalo,” before they jumped down onto a burning folding table.
“We are built for this, it’s Buffalo,” Stang said.
Some Steelers fans were impressed at how much snow had been cleared at the stadium in such a short time.
“It was better than we expected, given all the horror stories we were seeing on the news,” T.J. Wesling said before being hit in the back by a snowball thrown by a Bills fan. “Everybody has been super hospitable. All the Buffalo fans are really cool. It’s not like going to Philadelphia.”
___
AP freelance writer Jonah Bronstein contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (62)
Related
- $1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Ranking
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Police remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers