The Wild Card Weekend NFL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills has been heavily impacted by the recent weather in Western New York. The game had to be moved back 27.5 hours from a Sunday 1 p.m. ET kickoff to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
As we head towards kickoff, what is Buffalo’s current weather forecast for Monday afternoon, and what could be the fantasy football and betting impact of that forecast?
What Is the Buffalo Weather Forecast for the Steelers vs. Bills Game?
- Temperature: 15-18 degrees
- Precipitation: <15% chance of precipitation during the game
- Wind: 10-14 mph sustained southwesterly winds
The weather forecast is from the National Weather Service and correct as of 7 a.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 15.
The good news for the game itself is that the 4-8 p.m. ET window may be the best of the Buffalo weather forecast in the 72-96 hour window of this current weather pattern. During the game itself, there is expected to be little to no snow or rain, and the winds will be dying down to almost negligible from an NFL perspective.
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It’s still going to be very cold in Highmark Stadium during the game, with kickoff temperatures sitting around 18 degrees and dropping to the 14-15 region before the end of the fourth quarter. However, given the high winds and heavy snowfall over the previous 48 hours, that cold weather will be the least of the problems for the players and fans.
A picture from Lauren Hall — a reporter for WGRZ-TV — on Monday morning showed just how much snow has fallen in the area around the stadium this weekend. The Bills’ staff and people from the local area have been clearing snow from the stadium throughout the week.
Further updates from Hall showed that the parking lots are being cleared as the snowfall reduces. However, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN tweeted that the Bills still need help shoveling this morning indicating there is still somewhat of a race against time to get the stadium ready for game time.
The good news is that the local authorities have lifted the travel ban, indicating they believe the worst of the weather to have passed. The current forecast calls for around another inch of snow before game time, but there should be little to no precipitation during the game itself.
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The problem for the NFL is that if the stadium is not cleared in time for kickoff, then they may have to consider moving the game. The Buffalo weather forecast as of Monday morning shows the snow set to return around 8-9 p.m. ET on Monday with at least a further 10-12 inches of snow projected to fall across Tuesday, Wednesday, and into Thursday.
Based on the current forecast, it would seem that the game itself should go ahead this afternoon, in relatively fine conditions. Yes, it will be cold, but nowhere near the sub-zero temperatures of Kansas City on Saturday night. That is also good news from a fantasy and betting perspective.
Neither passing game should be overly impacted by the weather on Monday afternoon. We may see some of the struggles that QBs, kickers, and punters had on Saturday in terms of the impact of the cold weather on the ball, but not to the same extent as Kansas City.
Therefore, if you were looking to utilize the likes of Stefon Diggs, George Pickens, Mason Rudolph, Josh Allen, James Cook, Najee Harris, and Jaylen Warren in your lineups, you should be good to proceed as planned. Even the likes of Tyler Bass and Chris Boswell could have solid fantasy value this week with the winds dying down throughout the game.
In terms of the betting line, we’ve seen the total for this game increase a little with the forgiving weather forecast. At 38.5 total points, the sportsbooks are not expecting a lot of scoring, but it’s better than the 36 or 36.5 spots the line had dropped to.
Buffalo remains 10-point favorites, and the clearer weather should suit their more dynamic pass-heavy offense better than the snowy forecast of Sunday would have.
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