The NFL is moving the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns to Detroit on Sunday with projections of feet of snow set to blanket western New York in the coming days.
The league said the move was made due to “public safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution in light of the ongoing weather emergency” in the region.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning that runs from 7 p.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the Buffalo area, with up to 4 feet of snow expected. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the area in advance of the pending storm.
Now, the teams will play at Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions play their Week 11 game in East Rutherford, N.J., against the Giants, where cold but dry conditions are forecast for Sunday.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that the organization had multiple contingency plans in place to attempt to keep players and staff on schedule but safe. Some weather models showed historic levels of snow before Sunday that would complicate travel and potentially eliminate air travel into or out of Buffalo.
Moving a game to reduce risk of teams and fans in winter weather is not without precedent.
In 2014, the Bills and New York Jets had a scheduled Sunday afternoon game moved to Detroit as multiple feet of snow fell on Buffalo. The NFL moved the day of the game to Monday night to afford the teams time to practice.
It was not immediately clear when the Bills would depart for Detroit with the storm’s arrival imminent.
The Bills are scheduled to play on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit, as well, meaning they will play two games at Ford Field in five days.
–Field Level Media
