Browns vs. Bills game moved from Buffalo to Detroit due to historic snowstorm
After the forecast called for Buffalo to get several feet of snow, this Sunday's Browns-Bills game will officially be played in Detroit with a 1 p.m. kickoff. This is the second time in the last 10 years that a Bills game had to be moved to Detroit's Ford Field.
NFL games altered by snow
The Buffalo Bills chose to move Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit, but this isn’t the first time the team had to move a game to Ford Field due to snow.
After the forecast called for Buffalo to get several feet of snow, officials have moved Sunday's Browns vs. Bills game to Detroit.
This Sunday's Browns-Bills NFL game will officially be played at Detroit's Ford Field with a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Due to Highmark Stadium being an open-air stadium, crews were worried about the amount of snow needing to be cleared, as the city could pick up several feet of snow by Sunday.
And as you can see in photos shared by the Bills on Twitter, there is indeed multiple feet of snow that needs to be cleared from Highmark Stadium.
"The decision to move the game from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, was done in consultation with the Buffalo Bills and local and state authorities as the region prepares for the storm," the Bills said.
And this isn't the first time a Bills game was moved to Detroit.
In 2014, the Jets vs. Bills Week 12 matchup was moved from Sunday to Monday at Ford Field. Heavy snow in the Buffalo area moved the game to Detroit.
‘CRIPPLING’ LAKE-EFFECT SNOWSTORM EXPECTED TO BURY BUFFALO, NEW YORK, IN UP TO 4 FEET OF SNOW
Upward of 4 feet of snow possible around the Buffalo area
The FOX Forecast Center said a "potentially historic" lake-effect snow event is setting its sights on the eastern shores of lakes Erie and Ontario.
An initial round of snow began Wednesday with more than a foot of snowfall piling up along areas off central Lake Erie, including 17.2 inches in Monroe Center, Ohio, and 16.1 inches in Edgewood, Ohio. But the event's peak will set up from Thursday into Saturday morning as nearly stationary bands of extraordinarily heavy snow set up off lakes Erie and Ontario.
Stadium workers use equipment to remove snow from the yard lines on the field during the game.
(Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)
These snow bands will produce whiteout conditions as snowfall rates top 2 to 3 inches per hour. Thundersnow is likely, and travel will be nearly impossible.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the Buffalo and Watertown areas because of the expected feet of snow. At 4 p.m. EST Thursday, all commercial traffic will be banned along a 132-mile stretch of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) from Rochester, New York, to the Pennsylvania border.
By the time this lake-effect snow event winds down on Sunday, areas that spend the most time under the intense bands will be looking at 2 to 4 feet of accumulation.
The Browns were blown out by Miami last week 39-17, while the Bills were on the short end of a wild 33-30 overtime loss against the Minnesota Vikings.
Is Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium field heated?
Snow covers the stadium and seats at Buffalo Bills stadium on December 10, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)
It would be a whole lot easier if the Buffalo Bills' Highmark Stadium field was heated, but unfortunately, it's not.
ARTIFICIAL TURF VS. REAL GRASS: NFL'S ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PLAYING SURFACES
Unlike Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the Bills stadium has A-Turf Titan, a product made by a western New York company.
The Buffalo Bills are the only team in the NFL to have this type of turf.
Being that Buffalo is the 4th snowiest city in the U.S. and receives just shy of 8 feet of snow per year, it would be a wise investment for their new projected stadium.