Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills are known as some of the most passionate in the NFL, and they had to work hard to see their teams on Monday.
A heavy snowstorm hit the Buffalo area over the weekend with falls of several feet, forcing the teams to move their wildcard playoff game from Sunday to Monday. While the snow had been cleared from the field and the parking lots by early afternoon on Monday, most of the seats in the stadium were still buried by the time gates opened two hours before kickoff.
Seats intro for Steelers fans pic.twitter.com/R3K76zTP6C
— Bo Marchionte (@BoMarchionte) January 15, 2024
Walkways were soon cleared but fans had to use pieces of cardboard, shovels provided by guest services and their hands to dig out their seats. The temperature at kickoff was 17F (-8C).
Not their first rodeo pic.twitter.com/EClntCtIxc
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 15, 2024
The Bills told fans to “please dress appropriately for the cold weather including waterproof boots and pants.”
Buffalo won Monday’s game 31-17 to set up a clash with the Kansas City Chiefs. The shovels may come out again: the Bills will be the hosts.
The Bills recently broke ground on new stadium but, like Highmark, it will not have a roof despite the heavy snowfall the area experiences most winters.
