Tag: AFC Wild Card
Travel in Buffalo still treacherous; Steelers yet to arrive for playoff game
Treacherous weather conditions in the Buffalo area have delayed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ arrival in the city and kept workers from preparing Highmark Stadium for Monday’s rescheduled AFC wild-card game against the Bills.
The Steelers planned to hold a walkthrough at noon and fly to Buffalo at 3 p.m. for Monday’s game, set for 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network reported.
Mayor Byron Brown said the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was open Sunday morning but that most commercial flights had been canceled.
The game originally was set for 1 p.m. Sunday, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a travel ban in the area on Saturday along with the rescheduling of the contest with blizzard-like conditions expected.
As of Sunday morning, the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services reported that the travel ban for passenger and commercial vehicles remained in effect for most of Erie County, which is where the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park is located.
Jack Durkin, a Syracuse-based meteorologist, said Sunday morning that a foot of snow had fallen in Orchard Park. While the National Weather Service’s Buffalo office had not provided official snow totals for the storm, the New York State Thruway Authority posted photos to social media that showed whiteout conditions.
“Do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Blizzard conditions are expected through the day,” the agency said.
The travel ban has kept workers away from Highmark Stadium. Earlier this weekend, the Bills had issued a plea for temporary workers to bring their shovels and come to the stadium to clear it for the game.
On Sunday morning, the team asked the work crew to stay away, at least for now.
“With the weather forecast updates and the travel bans that are now in place, snow shovelers are being asked to abide by travel bans and not report to Highmark Stadium until further notice once the bans are lifted,” a team statement said.
“More information will be shared regarding report times once the weather improves and bans are lifted.”
–Field Level Media
Bills-Steelers playoff game moved to Monday due to winter storm
The AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers was moved from Sunday to Monday afternoon because of an impending storm that will bring frigid temperatures, potentially feet of snow and gusting winds.
The game between the No. 2-seed Buffalo Bills (11-6) and the No. 7-seed Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) now is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday in Orchard Park, N.Y., and will be televised by CBS. It had been scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a full travel ban across Erie County — where Highmark Stadium is located — beginning Saturday at 9 p.m. She declared a state of emergency on Friday.
“I’ve been in communication with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend,” she said in a statement Saturday. “In consultation with our emergency response teams, Buffalo Bills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed.”
The National Weather Service in Buffalo issued a winter storm warning that took effect at 10 a.m. Saturday and runs through 7 a.m. Monday. The forecast calls for snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet, which some localized areas seeing up to 3 feet. Winds could reach as high as 65 mph at their peak, with blizzard conditions possible.
The service said travel along snow-covered roads will be difficult, with some areas impassible and visibility near zero.
Before the postponement, the Bills put out a call for people to help shovel snow at the stadium, offering $20 per hour.
Hochul, born in Buffalo, has been known to root for the Bills.
–Field Level Media
Streaking Bills look to subdue Mason Rudolph, Steelers
The Buffalo Bills were one of the NFL’s hottest teams during the stretch drive of the season and went from playoff outsiders to the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
After winning five straight games to win the AFC East and earn home-field advantage, the Bills will look to continue their scorching run when they host the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at Orchard Park, N.Y.
The Bills (11-6) had a .500 record after 12 games before suddenly clicking. They won the AFC East on Sunday night with a 21-14 road win over the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo star defensive tackle Ed Oliver said the late-season urgency has his team fully prepared for the postseason.
“We’ve been in the playoffs for five weeks now,” Oliver said. “Every game is a must-win. Every play, every snap, every second of every day counts toward one goal, and that’s winning.”
The Steelers (10-7) are on their own roll with three straight wins since turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Pittsburgh is looking for its first playoff victory since the 2016 season and has to overcome more than Buffalo’s ferocious home-field environment.
The Steelers have lost star linebacker T.J. Watt to a knee injury he suffered during a 17-10 road victory Saturday over the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale.
Pittsburgh is just 1-10 without Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“Obviously, playing without T.J. is significant, but to be quite honest with you, we’ve played without a lot of people this year,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for team and to display what team really means, a collective of individuals that work together in an effort to produce an outcome. It’s not going to be a one-man job in terms of replacing T.J.”
Watt had 19 sacks in the regular season to lead the NFL in that category for the third time in the past four seasons.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen might be salivating as he carved up the Pittsburgh defense last season when Watt was sidelined due to a different knee injury. Allen passed for 424 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-3 home victory.
The conditions at the home stadium will be highly familiar to Allen. The Sunday forecast is for high temperatures in the mid-20s with winds between 20 and 35 mph and possible snow showers.
“The wind may move the ball a little bit,” Allen said after Wednesday’s walk-through. “Typically, it’s going to be, with weather like this, a game that both teams are going to run the ball, and it’s going to be very possession-limited, so we got to make these possessions count.”
Allen has passed for 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns and a career-worst 18 interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 524 yards and a career-best 15 scores.
Rudolph was a savior down the stretch for the Steelers, who dealt with inconsistent quarterback play from Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky most of the season.
Rudolph came in for mop-up duty on Dec. 16 against the Indianapolis Colts and then completed 53 of 71 passes (74.6 percent) while guiding Pittsburgh to a three-game winning streak that gained it the AFC’s final playoff berth.
Rudolph will look to help snap the Steelers’ three-game postseason losing streak. Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward, who is in his 13th season with the franchise, is craving an end to the drought.
“A lot of guys don’t have to speak for it because they haven’t been here,” Heyward said. “But the guys who have been here, we own that. It’s a new season, and we’re just ready for this opportunity. We understand it’s not given to us. We’ve earned it. This is an opportunity for us to go out there and play some good ball.”
Steelers running back Najee Harris, who rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns during the three-game winning streak, missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. Guard Isaac Seumalo (shoulder) also sat out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) was a full-practice participant after missing the previous three games, and safety Damontae Kazee is back after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr.
For the Bills, safety Taylor Rapp (calf), cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and receiver Gabe Davis (knee) sat out Wednesday’s session. Allen remains bothered by a neck injury but was a full-go Wednesday.
Buffalo has won three of the past four meetings with Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Frozen tundra: Single digits, sub-zero windchill, forecast for AFC wild-card games
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have some of the hardiest fans in the NFL — they’re going to need layers of resilience in the stands at wild-card games this weekend.
As will the Miami Dolphins, who practiced in 76-degree temperatures Wednesday, as they visit the Chiefs in Kansas City on Saturday. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who will travel to Orchard Park, N.Y., to take on the Bills on Sunday, had a bad-weather game last week at Baltimore to prep for what is shaping up to be a frigid wild-card weekend.
The forecast for a high of 9 degrees in Kansas City on Saturday drops lower after sunset with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. local time. The projected low Sunday night is minus-5 and currently minus-2 at kickoff time. This follows a significant snowfall projected for the days prior.
Both teams are 11-6, but Kansas City earned the home game as the winner of the AFC West. Miami is a wild card and the fifth seed after losing to the Bills in a de facto AFC East title game last Sunday night.
The Kansas City Star said a minus-2 temperature at kickoff would be the coldest to start a game in Chiefs history, which currently is 0 degrees for a 1983 game against the Denver Broncos. The windchill in that game was minus-30, per the Star.
With the Dolphins’ loss to the Bills last Sunday, Buffalo won the AFC East and the right to host the home game. Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday he is excited, no matter what the forecast.
“It’s a primetime game at Arrowhead. I got goosebumps right now,” he said. “I’ll probably have different types of goosebumps on Saturday.”
In Orchard Park, players and fans also need to prepare for a forecast that calls for a high of 24 degrees but a real feel temperature of only 3 degrees. Snow is expected, as are wind gusts of up to 41 mph.
Given the forecast, Caesars Sportsbook lowered the projected point total from 43 earlier this week to 36 on Tuesday night, betting the offenses aren’t going to be able to produce a glut of points.
The Bills (11-6) are the No. 2 seed in the AFC, with the Steelers (10-7) the No. 7. Game time is 1 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Dolphins fighting injuries, elements, Chiefs in wild-card game
All the Miami Dolphins had to do was protect a fourth-quarter lead in the season finale and they could have stayed in South Florida and played an AFC wild-card game in temperatures near 80 degrees.
Instead, the Dolphins saw the lead get away and packed up portable heaters, parkas, gloves and a game plan for how to deal with the elements and Arrowhead when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night in expected single-digit, frigid weather that will follow a projected significant snowfall in the days prior.
The forecast for a high of 9 degrees in Kansas City on Saturday will certainly be lower with kickoff scheduled for night time. The projected low is minus-5.
Seems like a big advantage for the Chiefs but coach Andy Reid wants no part of such chatter.
“You can’t bank on that. That’s where you get into trouble,” Reid told reporters Tuesday. “We’re not having a snowball fight.”
The third-seeded Chiefs (11-6) have thrived on being at home in the postseason during the Reid/Patrick Mahomes era.
Throwing in weather more fit for a luge or Nordic skiing event won’t make things any easier for the sixth-seeded Dolphins (11-6).
Miami coach Mike McDaniel said his club will be ready to handle the conditions — whether cold or very, very cold.
“If we’re playing in any playoff game that isn’t at home, it probably will be cold,” McDaniel said. “It will be the same for both teams. For us and for the individuals in the locker room, I know they will not use that as an excuse.”
Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, a Pennsylvania native, pointed out that NFL players come from all over the nation and have dealt with unfavorable conditions throughout their careers.
“I don’t think it means that we are soft or scared of the elements, just because the weather is better down here,” Smythe said of Miami. “The guys in that locker room, obviously we come from all over, too. It’s not like we all lived here in Miami our entire lives. We’ve dealt with elements before.”
Another big issue for Miami to overcome is a plethora of injuries to the defensive side of the ball. The Dolphins lost linebackers Jerome Baker (wrist), Andrew Van Ginkel (foot) and Cameron Goode (knee) for the season in Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
They previously lost two other linebackers, star Bradley Chubb (ACL) and rising Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) to season-ending injuries. Cornerback Xavien Howard (foot) also is expected to sit out Saturday’s game.
Miami signed three veteran pass rushers on Tuesday to address the shortage — Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed.
In addition, three-time Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram (58.5 sacks), who didn’t play in a game for Miami until Dec. 24, is now a starting outside linebacker.
That could make it tough to slow down Mahomes, who is 10-2 with three Super Bowl appearances (two victories) over the past four postseasons.
The Chiefs weren’t as ferocious as recent seasons, as they were just 5-5 after a 6-1 start. But Mahomes thrives in the postseason spotlight and star defensive end Chris Jones is looking to finish the season with a bang.
Jones engaged in a contentious holdout prior to the season and even missed the season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions. He acknowledged Tuesday that Saturday could be the final time he plays in a Chiefs’ uniform at Arrowhead Stadium.
“Most importantly, we have a game to play,” said Jones, who had 10.5 sacks this season. “We want to make a deep run in the playoffs. If it is my last season, we’ve got to make it worthwhile.”
Kansas City ranks second in scoring defense at 17.3 points per game and total defense at 289.9 yards per contest. The Dolphins are in second in scoring offense at 29.2 points per game and lead in total offense (401.3).
Saturday marks the first time that star Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill (119 catches, 1,799 yards, 13 scores) will play in Arrowhead since the Chiefs traded him to Miami after the 2021 season.
Hill has been bothered by ankle and quad injuries and was limited in Tuesday’s practice. Running back Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle) and receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle) were also limited. Offensive Terron Armstead (back) and safeties DeShon Elliott (calf) and Jevon Holland (both knees) also sat out.
Offensive tackle Wanya Morris (concussion) and receiver Justyn Ross sat out for Kansas City.
The Chiefs beat the Dolphins 21-14 on Nov. 5 in Frankfurt, Germany.
–Field Level Media
Dolphins Chiefs Picks, Pacheco Wild Card Props
Jaguars rally from 27 points down to stun Chargers, 31-30
Riley Patterson kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired and the Jacksonville Jaguars recovered from a 27-point deficit to post a dramatic 31-30 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night in an AFC wild-card contest.
Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence overcame four first-half interceptions to throw for 288 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to the third-largest comeback victory in postseason history. The Buffalo Bills famously rallied from 32 down to beat the Houston Oilers in a 1992 wild-card game and the Indianapolis Colts came back from a 28-point hole to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a 2013 wild-card game.
Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 109 yards for the fourth-seeded Jaguars. He set up Patterson’s winning kick by breaking loose for a 25-yard gain on fourth-and-1 to the Los Angeles 16-yard line.
Asante Samuel Jr. intercepted three passes and Austin Ekeler rushed for two touchdowns for the fifth-seeded Chargers. Justin Herbert passed for 273 yards and one touchdown, Gerald Everett caught six passes for 109 yards and Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals.
Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Marvin Jones Jr. and Zay Jones caught touchdown passes for the Jaguars, who overcame five turnovers.
Jacksonville trailed 27-7 at halftime but moved closer when Lawrence threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones Jr. with 5:11 left in the third quarter.
Dicker booted a 50-yard field to give Los Angeles a 30-14 lead with 2:58 left.
Jacksonville struck again as Lawrence connected on a 39-yard scoring pass to Zay Jones with 44 seconds remaining in the third, but the two-point pass failed to leave the Jaguars down by 10.
Jacksonville moved within 30-28 with 5:25 left when Lawrence threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kirk and then converted a two-point run.
Lawrence’s nightmare first half began with an interception in which two Chargers deflected the ball before it was grabbed by Drue Tranquill. Sebastian Joseph-Day batted it right after Lawrence threw it and Joey Bosa also got a hand on it before Tranquill corralled it and returned it 15 yards to the Jacksonville 18-yard line.
Two plays later, Ekeler scored on a 13-yard run just 87 seconds into the game.
Samuel recorded his first pick with 10:02 left in the quarter, setting up Dicker’s 22-yard field goal. He nabbed his second with 2:02 left and the Chargers took over at the Jacksonville 16 and Ekeler scored on a 6-yard run three plays later to make it 17-0.
The Chargers stretched their lead to 24 when Herbert tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Everett with 7:12 left in the half. Dicker’s 23-yard field goal made it 27-0 with 4:25 remaining.
Jacksonville got on the board on Lawrence’s 9-yard pass to Engram with 24 seconds left in the half.
–Field Level Media