The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up to take on the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs and are expecting detrimental weather. The Steelers most recently took down the Baltimore Ravens on the road, where the weather was rainy and frigid. They should be expecting even worse weather in Western New York. The weather is expected to be so bad that officials are preparing for the possibility of the game being relocated.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph (2) overcame sloppy weather conditions and poor officiating to deliver 17-10 victory in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Steelers' Playoff Game Could Be Relocated
The weather in Buffalo for the Steelers' game on Sunday is expected to be atrocious, with temperatures being in the mid 20s, with 20-30 mile per hour winds. There is a possibility of lake effect snow, which occurs when a cold air mass moves over a lake with warmer water, creating snow fall. Officials are preparing for this instance by making plans to relocate the game to Cleveland, if the weather is too poor.
AP Photo
Steelers' first round matchup could be moved to Cleveland Browns Stadium.
KDKA Radio host, Marty Griffin, originally reported this, stating that if Western New York calls a state of emergency, the game will be moving to Cleveland. Andrew Fillipponi reported this on X, and this would obviously be a huge change for Pittsburgh. Instead of traveling to New York, they would go to their rival's stadium in Ohio.
"Sources tell him Steelers-Bills could get moved to Cleveland if lake effect weather and state of emergency is declared in Western New York on Sunday. He says that Browns' stadium officials have been told to 'be ready.'"
This season has been weird for the Steelers, but it could get even weirder. There is now the possibility of traveling to Cleveland Browns Stadium, but to take on the Bills. The Steelers obviously have a lot of experience in this venue, as they play there once a season since the Browns are one of their rivals in the AFC North.
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Steelers defenders Elandon Roberts (50), Mark Robinson (93) and Miles Killebrew (28) come together to make a tackle on Browns return man James Proche II (11) during Week 11 in 2023.
The Steelers are huge underdogs to the Bills heading into their first round matchup, but moving the game to Cleveland could benefit Pittsburgh. Cleveland is closer to Pittsburgh, which may allow more fans to travel to the game and turn this matchup into a near home game for the Steelers. Steelers fans always pack the house when Pittsburgh travels to Cleveland, so that should be expected if the game does get relocated.
There was almost an instance in 2022 where a playoff game would have been played at a neutral site, had the Kansas City Chiefs and Bills met in the AFC Championship Game. This was because of the AFC seeding getting messed up when the Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular season was cancelled mid-game because of Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field. Ultimately, the Bills were eliminated in the Divisional round, so the relocation wasn't needed.
According to DK Pittsburgh Sports, per a Steelers spokesperson, the Steelers have not been informed of this plan and they are preparing as if the game will be taking place in Buffalo, but there is a strong case for it to be relocated to Cleveland.
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