In the frostbitten climes of Buffalo, a maelstrom of snow and ice has thrown plans into disarray for the much-anticipated AFC wild-card clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bills, necessitating a shift in the gridiron ballet to Monday’s stage at Highmark Stadium.
A meticulously choreographed routine saw the Steelers set to perform a preparatory walk-through at the stroke of noon, before taking to the skies for Buffalo at the echo of 3 p.m. Their arrival, scripted for the eve of a 4:30 p.m. ET showdown as the NFL Network’s whispers intoned, has been thwarted by Winter’s capricious hand.
Buffalo’s Mayor Byron Brown took to the podium, declaring the local airport a bastion of operation amidst the Sunday morning tumult. Yet, the chorus of departing flights failed to reverberate through the halls, their cancellations a somber note in this storm-tossed symphony.
Originally cast for a Sunday 1 p.m. curtain, the icy grip of the elements coaxed forth a decree from New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul – a ban on travel woven into the fabric of Saturday, synchronizing with the rescheduled pageant amidst forecasts of a blizzard’s fury.
As the day broke, the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services held firm the cordon of restraint around Erie County’s byways, where Orchard Park nestles and Highmark Stadium waits, shrouded by the storm.
Jack Durkin, a weather conjurer from Syracuse, decreed a foot of snow had laid siege to Orchard Park as of Sunday’s dawning light. The National Weather Service in Buffalo, custodians of the tempest’s tale, remained silent on their official scrolls of snowfall. However, the New York State Thruway Authority painted a scene of whiteout wraiths on the canvas of social media for all to witness.
An admonition like an ancient portent rose from the agency, “Do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Blizzard conditions are expected through the day.”
The Highmark’s sentinels, the stewards of the stadium, found themselves exiled by the tempest’s decree. In earlier times this weekend, a herald’s call from the Bills pleaded for shovel-wielding volunteers to break the siege of snow and reclaim the coliseum’s stands.
But as Sunday’s light crested the horizon, the crew was bid to hold, to remain as specters in the wings until the travel ban should lift its leaden veil.
An echo from the team resonated through the blizzard’s howl, a statement unfolding thusly: “With the weather forecast updates and the travel bans that are now in place, snow shovelers are being asked to abide by travel bans and not report to Highmark Stadium until further notice once the bans are lifted.”
“More information will be shared regarding report times once the weather improves and bans are lifted,” the missive concluded, a promise of clarity amidst the storm’s dance of confusion and delay.
