(CNN) —The Pittsburgh Steelers were defeated 31–17 by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, but Highmark Stadium is still very much in the grip of winter.
In an effort to “provide a safe venue” for Sunday’s game, Buffalo has requested additional volunteers to assist in clearing the stadium of snow ahead of the Bills’ divisional round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In addition to receiving $20 per hour, volunteers will have access to “a comfortable warm break area.”
A snow storm that swept through western New York over the weekend prompted the Bills to post a need for shovelers on their website and social media accounts prior to their first-round playoff game against the Steelers.
Sunday’s game was originally slated to happen, but the NFL declared a “ongoing weather emergency” that caused a one-day postponement.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York made the announcement and shared a video of the storm’s devastation to Orchard Park on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Bills asked for fan assistance overnight and into the next day to help remove the snow once the storm passed, paying volunteers an hourly rate plus meals and refreshments. After the field was cleared, the game was played on Monday. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called the players’ outstanding effort “admirable.”
The majority of the stadium’s seating was still covered in snow despite the efforts, thus spectators had to navigate the conditions before kickoff. To get to his seat in the snow, one Steelers supporter was observed using his body like a plow.
Despite the cold, Buffalo persevered and won thanks to a four-touchdown effort from standout quarterback Josh Allen. This sets up a Sunday game with the Chiefs, who are currently the defending Super Bowl champions.
Every scoring play was followed by the image of fans tossing snow into the air as the home club, which was vying for its first Vince Lombardi Trophy, controlled the game against Pittsburgh.
Following the game, McDermott stated, “Bills Mafia showed up.” “I applaud them because, although I know that there weren’t always clean seats to sit on, it didn’t seem to matter to them.”
When the Chiefs and Bills met in December, Buffalo emerged victorious after a costly offsides penalty negated a possibly game-winning score from Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney. The Chiefs were seeded No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
The two-time MVP quarterback for Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes, will play in his first-ever road playoff game. Previously, he has only played in postseason games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City or at a neutral location for the Super Bowl.
