Wild Card Weekend - Wild Card Weather

[Pete]

5 minutes ago, Since1981 said:

I’m not coming to BUF as a WR. (We forced our QB1 here).  anyone who can’t see that as a business decision is delusional. Serious kudos to Diggs.  
 

It’s extremely windy in BUF. people just don’t get it. 

Playing WR with Josh at QB, with an amazing Bills culture, trumps windy days.  Any WR that turns down all of that because it gets windy, they are a fool, and very soft(unbecoming for a NFL player)

Edited January 11 by Pete

[Since1981]

When your literal occupation and industry is throwing/catching a ball, WIND is a legit occupational barrier, it’s nothing about “soft”. That’s a jackass take.

[Bob Jones]

4 hours ago, TrentEdwardsCheckDownOn4th said:

All the media is talking about is Kansas City and how cold it will be . But isn't the forecast for our game worse ? Sustained winds of 25 mph, gusts up to 50 mph and snow. I'd take the extreme cold over our mess.

Just checked the forecast for KC Sat night. Temps near 0 and winds 10-15mph. Both that game and the Bills game are gonna be affected by the weather, and IMO, that sucks.

 

Is it too late to add a dome to the Bills’ new crib? Half joking….

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Forecast improving some re wind speed. Looking like 20 mph, and gusts of 44. That is down from 25/60. 

 

https://www.windy.com/42.752/-78.746?2024011418,42.551,-78.746,9

 

[PromoTheRobot]

4 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Forecast improving some re wind speed. Looking like 20 mph, and gusts of 44. That is down from 25/60. 

 

https://www.windy.com/42.752/-78.746?2024011418,42.551,-78.746,9

 

 

I just want to know if I'm going to come out of the game and find my car buried.

[Back2Buff]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I just want to know if I'm going to come out of the game and find my car buried.

 

Snow will be a non-factor.  

[Drew21PA]

On 1/8/2024 at 1:47 AM, Big Turk said:

Early forecast is high of 24 degrees with chance of snow showers and winds 15-25 mph with higher gusts most likely.

 

Storm system coming thru Saturday looks like it could set up the lake snow machine with backing winds behind it if other conditions set up favorably.

 

 

From Forecaster Discussion on NOAA/NWS Buffalo:

 

"The next feature of interest is a potent shortwave trough and rapidly intensifying sfc low tracking into the mid-Mississippi River valley Friday night. However...there still remains timing issues as the low pressure system steams ENE towards the Great Lakes region. Even so...given it`s current advertised track at the moment it looks like we will initially see a mixed bag of precipitation, that then quickly transitions over to rain. Saturday...the sfc low passes by to our west with a `much` (-15C to -17C) colder air mass rapidly advecting into the Lower Lakes. We might be looking at some decent accumulating snows this time for the tail end of the weekend. This would be for Saturday night through Sunday but this is way too far out to have any confidence given the lack of model run to run consistency. Stay tuned."

 

Doesn’t seem all that bad?

Everyone talks about this for Josh as the bills

 

mason Rudolph - whose big plays to wr has really jump started free offense has to throw in it too?

 

pickens and Johnson have to run in it too and try to locate it?

 

still more in our favor - not gonna be close and I couldn’t be happier 

 

go bills 

[SEOhio Bills Fan]

How well do they take care of the roads for snow conditions for game days? Thinking of making the trip, but was trying to get as much info as possible. Weather channel app is saying 1-3 inches Saturday night, 1-3 inches Sunday day and 1-3 Sunday. I don’t want to be stranded after the game.

[Stroke 17]

14 hours ago, Aimee75 said:

You know, I am going to sound like a sore loser, but this is almost making me not want to watch the game. It's going to complete neuter both sides, but I can already sense a Najee Harris 60 yard run for a TD and that might be all it takes. Cook has been so on and off, and I worry about him fumbling, and I worry about Josh getting desperate and going into hero ball mode. Field goals are out of the question. This sucks. I know we have no control over it, and for that reason I should not let it bother me, but I could see The Steelers sneaking out a victory because it's equalizing both teams, and somehow I feel it will work to their advantage.

 

This is what keeps me up at night. There is no doubt the Bills should roll this team but the weather will have an impact on the passing game.  One run, one fumble, one punt drop is all it would take to lose this game.

 

All that said,( like a true Bills fan) it could also work to our favor and they will make the mistake....

 

Go BILLS!

[RiotAct]

11 minutes ago, SEOhio Bills Fan said:

How well do they take care of the roads for snow conditions for game days? Thinking of making the trip, but was trying to get as much info as possible. Weather channel app is saying 1-3 inches Saturday night, 1-3 inches Sunday day and 1-3 Sunday. I don’t want to be stranded after the game.

Main roads should be fine (watch out for snowdrifts if there are really high winds), side roads and rural routes might be a bit of a mess though.

[JohnNord]

On 1/8/2024 at 12:15 AM, WEATHER DOT COM said:

It's going to be very windy.

 

It might be pretty snowy. Will know more by the middle of this week.

It only there was a strong armed QB who could throw the ball in all types of weather 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

14 hours ago, Aimee75 said:

You know, I am going to sound like a sore loser, but this is almost making me not want to watch the game. It's going to complete neuter both sides, but I can already sense a Najee Harris 60 yard run for a TD and that might be all it takes. Cook has been so on and off, and I worry about him fumbling, and I worry about Josh getting desperate and going into hero ball mode. Field goals are out of the question. This sucks. I know we have no control over it, and for that reason I should not let it bother me, but I could see The Steelers sneaking out a victory because it's equalizing both teams, and somehow I feel it will work to their advantage.

That really depends on what the weather ends up being.  A foot of snow could equalize both sides …moderate wind does not equalize both sides though and idk where people are getting this idea that it does 

 

we don’t even attempt long field goals anymore, Najee Harris has as many lost fumbles as cook does and is even more off and on, the entire pit offense has been jump started by mason Rudolph deep balls when we haven’t been hitting deep shots as consistently. Our qb can run like a fullback and has the stronger arm.  Assuming it’s just 20-30 mph wind with some light snow I think the weather tilts the game in our direction even more.  If it’s hurricane winds or snow like that colts game a couple years back then we can talk about ‘equalizers’.  Sounds like the forecasts are all over the place though. 
 

Steelers ain’t a team that can run it every down and have success…they were getting stymied on offense until Rudolph could lighten the boxes by hitting some downfield throws. If the weather prevents them from doing so I don’t think they’re getting in the end zone 

8 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

It only there was a strong armed QB who could throw the ball in all types of weather 

The NE game has scarred people too much I’m afraid lol.  It’s a shame too because it was an absolute fluke that they won that one especially in that weather and belichick knew it and celebrated like he won the Super Bowl afterwards 🤣

Edited January 11 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[Ga boy]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Forecast improving some re wind speed. Looking like 20 mph, and gusts of 44. That is down from 25/60. 

 

https://www.windy.com/42.752/-78.746?2024011418,42.551,-78.746,9

 

Don’t forget the new place will have wind confusion technology.  Is it better to confuse the wind!?!!

[Rich Stadium Original]

1 hour ago, SEOhio Bills Fan said:

How well do they take care of the roads for snow conditions for game days? Thinking of making the trip, but was trying to get as much info as possible. Weather channel app is saying 1-3 inches Saturday night, 1-3 inches Sunday day and 1-3 Sunday. I don’t want to be stranded after the game.

As a resident of Orchard Park, the answer is it depends. Right now, the forecast is for localized heavy bands of lake effect snow, blowing and drifting due to winds.

Lake effect bands are very narrow..5-10 miles wide with intense snowfall rates. It may be snowing heavy where you are, and blue skies just a few miles to the north or south of you.

So whether one of those bands sets up over Orchard Park and doesn't drift north or south will depend on specific wind direction on Sunday. It's in the forecast because you can't tell EXACTLY where they are going to set up.

That being said, snow removal crews in Orchard Park, Erie County and New York State are the best in the country...but if one of those lake effect snow bands sets up over the same area and doesn't drift North and South, it can be tough to keep up with.

Edited January 11 by Rich Stadium Original

[Gary Marangi]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Forecast improving some re wind speed. Looking like 20 mph, and gusts of 44. That is down from 25/60. 

 

https://www.windy.com/42.752/-78.746?2024011418,42.551,-78.746,9

 

Thanks I was looking for a wind app just downloaded it

[JohnNord]

20 hours ago, PBF81 said:

 

We seem to be  hit-n-miss.  

 

We've played against almost none of the league's top-10 RBs.  Swift (5th) posted his fourth best game of the season against us.  Mixon (8th) we shut down.  Mostert (10th) we shut down in the one game early in the season, but Achane had a great game in his place. 

 

Etienne (11th) had his best game of the season against us as did Jax otherwise.  Barkley (16th) had his second best yardage game of the season against us.  

 

Harris is 7th and the Steelers rank 13th in Rushing.  The only teams we've played among the top-12 in rushing are Miami (6th) and the Eagles (8th).   

 

10 of the 17 games we've played have been against teams ranking 22nd or worse in rushing including the three worst.  (30th, 31st, and 32nd)  

 

7 of 17 are among teams ranking in the bottom quartile.  

 

FWIW 

 

Without running an analysis, we seem to give up big plays rushing.  We seem to be focused on our pass rush and TFLs, so once a play breaks down defensively, we seem to be exposed at the second level so to speak.  If true, that's why much of this game rests upon McD's shoulders.  

 

 

Achane had a big game?  He rushed 10 times for 56 yards which was boosted by a 21 yard TD.  They held him in check the rest of the time.  

The whining about the weather is one of the most annoying parts about Bills fans.  

[zow2]

The weather is all good.  Alot of these Bills have played in cold, snow flakes and high winds in Highmark Stadium.  They know the deal.  Pittsburgh will be in a hostile environment and having to deal with elements against a better team.  So the Steelers are screwed.

[Billsfan1972]

I turn on the National Championship on Monday and that is the conditions I want to see when I watch a game.

 

No sport is more affected by weather then Football.  Soccer can be minimally, but nothing like football.

 

It much more effects the skilled/better team and is an equalizer.

 

I hate it.

[PBF81]

58 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Achane had a big game?  He rushed 10 times for 56 yards which was boosted by a 21 yard TD.  They held him in check the rest of the time.  

The whining about the weather is one of the most annoying parts about Bills fans.  

 

First game, no?

[zow2]

1 minute ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I turn on the National Championship on Monday and that is the conditions I want to see when I watch a game.

 

No sport is more affected by weather then Football.  Soccer can be minimally, but nothing like football.

 

It much more effects the skilled/better team and is an equalizer.

 

I hate it.

 

The Buffalo Bills are purposely leaving a roof off the new stadium, in part because of money...but a huge part is that they want outdoor football to continue.  They feel like it's an advantage to have teams come up here and wilt in this weather and crazy environment. 

 

That being said, they better not lose the Steelers in our damn weather.  They did a poor job of preparing for Cincinnati last January.

[Process]

1 minute ago, zow2 said:

 

The Buffalo Bills are purposely leaving a roof off the new stadium, in part because of money...but a huge part is that they want outdoor football to continue.  They feel like it's an advantage to have teams come up here and wilt in this weather and crazy environment. 

 

That being said, they better not lose the Steelers in our damn weather.  They did a poor job of preparing for Cincinnati last January.

It's 100% money

[MikePJ76]

The Dallas Green Bay game could be affected by the weather also.

 

It is supposed to be 20 degrees ish with a chance of snow here in DFW.  When this happens this whole place shuts down.  Most of the people who own tickets to the cowboys live outside of Tarrant County where they play...(If I remember correct)....So people driving to the game are going to have to leave early or they might get stuck somewhere in traffic because of the weather.

 

The irony of the potential half empty building at kickoff if the weather actually gets bad here is kind of funny since they have a dome.

[BrettFavre]

14 hours ago, RunTheBall said:

Oh, we are worrying about the weather again. Second only to the lame nick-name threads for the latest UDFA who does something in camp.

 

The only effect the wind will have is on deep throws, as we already know Josh can cut through the wind on the short/intermediate routes. His deep balls have sucked this year, so I’m not too worried about not being able to over/underthrow Diggs by 3 yards a couple times a game.

 

Wind/snow or not, we know Pitt is going to try and run the ball so we have to have a plan for that no matter what. 

 

We need to emphasize the quick short passing game, try to run the ball ourselves and play action the ***** out of them. 

 

W.

 

 

???

 

This has the potential to be like the Colts snow game from 6 years ago. Aka not at all a normal game, little to no passing possible.

[Royale with Cheese]

According to Accuweather....snow accumulation expected.  I set the bar at 5:00 pm on Sunday which is that black line.

 

Edited January 11 by Royale with Cheese

[Big Turk]

8 hours ago, TrentEdwardsCheckDownOn4th said:

All the media is talking about is Kansas City and how cold it will be . But isn't the forecast for our game worse ? Sustained winds of 25 mph, gusts up to 50 mph and snow. I'd take the extreme cold over our mess.

 

Fins are playing their coldest game in Franchise History. They will have lost the game before even getting on the field.

7 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

According to Accuweather....snow accumulation expected.  I set the bar at 5:00 pm on Sunday which is that black line.

 

 

AccuWeather is not very accurate in localized scenarios

[Process]

21 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

According to Accuweather....snow accumulation expected.  I set the bar at 5:00 pm on Sunday which is that black line.

 

Pretty sure AccuWeather/weather channel etc are useless when it comes to lake effect snow

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

 

The Buffalo Bills are purposely leaving a roof off the new stadium, in part because of money...but a huge part is that they want outdoor football to continue.  They feel like it's an advantage to have teams come up here and wilt in this weather and crazy environment. 

 

That being said, they better not lose the Steelers in our damn weather.  They did a poor job of preparing for Cincinnati last January.

I agree.  Out of all the teams in the playoffs, Pittsburgh is probably the one you want to draw.  You can’t make any excuses - certainly not weather.  
 

As far as the roof - you are correct.  In fact, I believe the data in the stadium survey supported a majority who preferred outdoor football conditions.   But I believe this information was just shared to highlight the real reason which is the cost associated with the roof.
 

I don’t think the additional cost would justify creating a new roof on the stadium.  Maybe a few more concerts or shows during the winter but overall Buffalo is still too small of a market to support the major events large cities bid on - certainly not the Super Bowl.

So with NYS looking the spend the lowest amount of state aid and Terry wanting to spent the lowest of amount of non-state aid, the left a roof off of the proposal

 

29 minutes ago, Process said:

Pretty sure AccuWeather/weather channel etc are useless when it comes to lake effect snow

At lot of these forecasts are… I remember the Miami game last season was supposed to snowy and very cold.  It snowed a little bit overall the temps were in the 30’s.  
 

Weather changes fast

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

12 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

I agree.  Out of all the teams in the playoffs, Pittsburgh is probably the one you want to draw.  You can’t make any excuses - certainly not weather.  
 

As far as the roof - you are correct.  In fact, I believe the data in the stadium survey supported a majority who preferred outdoor football conditions.   But I believe this information was just shared to highlight the real reason which is the cost associated with the roof.
 

I don’t think the additional cost would justify creating a new roof on the stadium.  Maybe a few more concerts or shows during the winter but overall Buffalo is still too small of a market to support the major events large cities bid on - certainly not the Super Bowl.

So with NYS looking the spend the lowest amount of state aid and Terry wanting to spent the lowest of amount of non-state aid, the left a roof off of the proposal

 

At lot of these forecasts are… I remember the Miami game last season was supposed to snowy and very cold.  It snowed a little bit overall the temps were in the 30’s.  
 

Weather changes fast

I don’t want to derail this thread, but not putting a roof on the stadium is dumb. I looked at the costs. It will be a lot more— but how can they not get a much better rate of return with all the events they can hold in an enclosed stadium? Short-sighted.

 

they could do a much more affordable design like Lucas Oil too, and it wouldn’t break the bank. 
 

 

[Billsfan1972]

7 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I don’t want to derail this thread, but not putting a roof on the stadium is dumb. I looked at the costs. It will be a lot more— but how can they not get a much better rate of return with all the events they can hold in an enclosed stadium? Short-sighted.

 

they could do a much more affordable design like Lucas Oil too, and it wouldn’t break the bank. 
 

 

Very few I believe wanted an outdoor stadium.  Buffalo is lucky if there are 4-5 games where the weather is good-very good.  By October fans are hoping for temps in the low 50's.  

 

Went to the NE game New Years eve and were thrilled with temps in the 30's, but still bundled up and not sure what to expect.

 

Sure tailgate in those temps, but once playing the game, want to see the best from both teams.

 

If the Bills lose I promise you weather will be the talking point afterwards regardless.

[WotAGuy]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

 

This looks remarkably like my response to a little blue pill. 

[mannc]

2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I turn on the National Championship on Monday and that is the conditions I want to see when I watch a game.

 

No sport is more affected by weather then Football.  Soccer can be minimally, but nothing like football.

 

It much more effects the skilled/better team and is an equalizer.

 

I hate it.

I agree.  In the playoffs, I want to see great football, where the best team wins.  We have the best quarterback in the league and the conditions on Sunday could very well neutralize that advantage.  That Ravens Steelers game last week was a disgusting slop-fest that's not good for the fans or the players.  If we end up with something like that, I'll be pissed.  We are supposed to enjoy a homefield advantage as a result of winning our division but instead, we're probably going to be stuck with conditions that swing the advantage to the inferior visiting team--a team that is at least as accustomed to playing in winter conditions as we are.   

[WotAGuy]

6 minutes ago, mannc said:

I agree.  In the playoffs, I want to see great football, where the best team wins.  We have the best quarterback in the league and the conditions on Sunday could very well neutralize that advantage.  That Ravens Steelers game last week was a disgusting slop-fest that's not good for the fans or the players.  If we end up with something like that, I'll be pissed.  We are supposed to enjoy a homefield advantage as a result of winning our division but instead, we're probably going to be stuck with conditions that swing the advantage to the inferior visiting team--a team that is at least as accustomed to playing in winter conditions as we are.   

The Bills got a break playing Pittsburgh. I don’t care if it’s a friggin hurricane, if they can’t beat the Steelers, they would have never won the Super Bowl anyway. Just beat them. 

[Process]

20 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I don’t want to derail this thread, but not putting a roof on the stadium is dumb. I looked at the costs. It will be a lot more— but how can they not get a much better rate of return with all the events they can hold in an enclosed stadium? Short-sighted.

 

they could do a much more affordable design like Lucas Oil too, and it wouldn’t break the bank. 
 

 

What events though? Buffalo is a small city. And the stadium is being built in the middle of nowhere. 

 

Even with a dome Buffalo is not getting national events/conventions/big concerts etc.

[BrettFavre]

Football is an outdoor sport. Adaptability to conditions is a skill and a quality to be rewarded just as any other. Bring on the weather, it's fun and it's who we are. The Colts snow game six years ago is still one of the most incredible days of my life.

[ricojes]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

Fins are playing their coldest game in Franchise History. They will have lost the game before even getting on the field.

 

AccuWeather is not very accurate in localized scenarios

No doubt.  Andy Parker said it's too early to tell where exactly the concentration of snow will be due to the high winds.  What they do know is it will be south of the city, so OP is definitely a possibility, but far from a definite hit at this point and time.

Edited January 11 by ricojes

[nucci]

5 minutes ago, BrettFavre said:

Football is an outdoor sport. Adaptability to conditions is a skill and a quality to be rewarded just as any other. Bring on the weather, it's fun and it's who we are. The Colts snow game six years ago is still one of the most incredible days of my life.

the weather is who we are?

[Einstein]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

According to Accuweather....snow accumulation expected.  I set the bar at 5:00 pm on Sunday which is that black line.

 

 

 

Posted this in the game thread, but "whiteout conditions" are what some are suggesting.
 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

6 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

 

Posted this in the game thread, but "whiteout conditions" are what some are suggesting.
 

 

 

I will trust the local weather guys more than the national so this probably seems more likely.

[Putin]

On 1/8/2024 at 12:54 AM, Riverboat Ritchie said:

I actually think the high wind could hurt us.  Pitt looked pretty good running the ball and with high winds we will need to also. Get it done. Go Bills. 

Good thing will be playing in a dome in couple of years and won’t have to worry about weather anymore 

[realtruelove]

Move the game to Miami.

 

 

 

Doubleheader with KC/Miami