After a stretch of wild weather, Buffalo and Pittsburgh meet to open an unexpected Monday doubleheader on the last day of Wild Card Weekend.
For the second time in 14 months, inclement weather forced the Bills to change their arrangements for an NFL game.
In November 2022, the Bills needed to temporarily relocate to Detroit for their Week 11 contest against Cleveland after a historic lake-effect storm. Once again, snow and wind have necessitated a change in the circumstances of a game at their stadium, this one being their postseason opener. Originally scheduled for the 1 p.m. Sunday slot, these teams will now play at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, assuming conditions stabilize by then.
The last time these teams met in the postseason was during the Bills’ heyday in the 1990s. Buffalo lost to Pittsburgh in the Divisional Round of the 1995 playoffs, 40-21. Pittsburgh would carry on to Super Bowl XXX, where they lost to the Cowboys. For this, their first playoff matchup in 28 years, it will be the first time these teams meet in Buffalo during the postseason.
There remains plenty of discourse surrounding the Steelers and their offensive woes of this season, as well as how much of a surprise many would say it has been for this team to have found its way to the postseason. Even after the firing of Matt Canada, Pittsburgh’s offensive output still struggled through the final weeks, mostly due to the three-game losing streak they suffered from Weeks 13 to 15. Those very struggles returned in a playoff-clinching victory over the Ravens, not at all helped by the driving rains in Baltimore.
Buffalo enters after a wild finish to their season. Five wins to end the year, coupled with the Dolphins faltering through that same stretch, secured Buffalo its fourth consecutive AFC East crown. If this is finally Buffalo’s season to make a real run to a Lombardi Trophy, it begins here against the Steelers. As has been noted previously, Buffalo’s chief AFC competition in Kansas City lost out on home-field advantage, necessitating at least one road game for Andy Reid’s unit. With a win, Buffalo could finally get the opportunity to square off against the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium as opposed to the two previous postseason games (2020 AFC Championship, 2021 Divisional) between the teams in Kansas City. Of course, matchups won’t be set until the Dolphins-Chiefs and Steelers-Bills games go final.
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Game Info
Date: Monday, Jan. 15, 2024
Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Buffalo, NY
Stadium: Lincoln-Financial Field
TV Info: CBS, NFL+, Sunday Ticket
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Point Spread: PIT +10 (-110), BUF -10 (-110)
Moneyline: PIT (+410), BUF (-550)
Over/Under: O/U 37 (-110)
Buffalo opens as a massive home favorite.
What To Watch For
One would assume Buffalo will have a massive advantage in this matchup, given their 38-3 win over Pittsburgh in 2022 and their revived offensive output over the final five weeks of this season, but the remnant snow and windy conditions may offer something of a neutralizing factor. This contest may end up as low-scoring as Buffalo’s “Snow Bowl” contest against the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. On n that day, the Bills won 13-7 as eight to nine inches of snow fell during the game. What does this mean? Expect the running games of both teams to see heavy workloads.
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