The Buffalo Bills home game against the New York Jets scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. is likely to be moved to a different time and potentially to a different location, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan:
The Bills’ home game against the Jets is not expected to be played Sunday afternoon, sources tell ESPN, as another storm brought the Buffalo area’s paralyzing three-day snowfall total Thursday to six feet or more.
The Bills “will be hard-pressed to get their stadium ready for their next home game,” a source told ESPN. That next home game is Nov. 30, against the Browns.
The question now is when and where Sunday’s fame will be played. The NFL will conduct a conference call with Bills and Jets officials Thursday afternoon to figure it out.
“Public safety is the first priority. We have been in discussions regarding potential alternatives. We will provide an update later today,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday.
Possible locations, according to sources, include Detroit, Pittsburgh and Washington. The Lions and Redskins are on the road this weekend; the Steelers have a bye.
The league has a decision to make Friday about the game, though the NFL statement of an update upcoming could mean an announcement is coming today. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Bills playing the game in Buffalo on Sunday is “impractical” (via ESPN’s Mike Rodak), and the team has said that it takes three days to remove a foot of snow from Ralph Wilson, Stadium so six feet by the end of today of snow with four feet there now and two feet of snow coming would mean about two and a half weeks until the stadium would be cleared.
While the home game for the Cleveland Browns may be in jeopardy of being moved as well, that won’t be determined until next week.
Update 4:40 p.m.:
The league is in the process of rescheduling and relocating the game, according to Jeff Russo of WKBW in Buffalo, Albert Breer of NFL Network, and Adam Benigni of WGRZ in Buffalo.
NFL statement on #Bills "We are in the process of rescheduling and relocating the game as part of Week 12."
— Jeff Russo (@JeffRussoWKBW) November 20, 2014
Per @NFLfootballinfo, the Bills-Jets game set for Sunday will not be played in Buffalo. The league working on a plan to move it.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 20, 2014
#NFL spokesperson Michael Signora: Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in Western New York…(cont)@wgrz
— Adam Benigni (@AdamBenigni) November 20, 2014
#NFL: Sunday’s Jets-Bills game will not be played in Buffalo.
— Adam Benigni (@AdamBenigni) November 20, 2014
Below is the full statement of Michael Signora, the NFL Vice President of Football Communications, via Jon Scott of Time Warner News Buffalo:
Full statement by @NFLfootballinfo #Bills #Jets @TWCNewsBuffalo @TWCNewsROC pic.twitter.com/1cit3tLxO7
— Jon Scott (@JonTWCNews) November 20, 2014
Update 11:oo p.m.:
Jets-Bills, Monday night, 7 pm, in Detroit, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 21, 2014
Update 12:45 a.m.:
Statement from NFL on relocation and rescheduling:
The Lions’ practice facility will be available to the Bills on Friday and moving the game to Monday night will enable the Bills to practice on Friday and Saturday and have their walk-through on Sunday. The Bills have been unable to practice this week in Buffalo.
