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Steelers-Bills playoff game moved to Monday afternoon, New York governor announces

The Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers wild-card playoff game will now be played Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Saturday afternoon.

With 2-3 inches of snow expected to fall at the peak of the storm, Erie County issued a full travel ban beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday, Hochul said.

Forecasters were anticipating 24-degree weather, heavy snow and 40-50 mph winds for the game's originally scheduled start time at 1 p.m. on Sunday. On Friday, the Bills sent out a message to fans and citizens offering to pay those willing to come out and help shovel for the game.

AccuWeather predicted seven inches of snow for Highmark Stadium at game time, if it was still being played Sunday. Two years ago, the Buffalo lost 14-10 to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football in freezing and snowy conditions that saw neither offense ever gain serious traction during the 60 minutes. On that night, the teams played in swirling, 55 mph winds.

General view of the snow-covered field at Highmark Stadium before an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
A record storm was forecasted to impact the Buffalo Bills' playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

The Bills (11-6) clinched the AFC East with a 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins in the regular-season finale. They enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and the Steelers — the seventh seed — also made the dance with 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the final game of the regular season.

This is the fourth playoff game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh (10-7), although it's first time that the Steelers are playing at the Bills. According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, the winner of this game will now play next Sunday, as opposed to Saturday, due to the schedule change.