Bills-Steelers game: Fans dig out seats, celebrate post-snow playoff meeting with table jumps, snowballs & more

Jacob Camenker

•
Bills-Steelers game: Fans dig out seats, celebrate post-snow playoff meeting with table jumps, snowballs & more image

Bills fans entered the 2024 postseason excited to see what their team could do after a torrid finish that saw Buffalo clinch the AFC East in Week 18.

However, thanks to a massive snowstorm, they had to wait an extra 28 hours to kick off their wild-card game against Pittsburgh.

The delay only seemed to make Bills and Steelers fans alike more excited for the postseason clash — even as they had to deal with less-than-ideal conditions at Highmark Stadium.

FOLLOW LIVE: Bills face Steelers after snow delays 2024 wild-card meeting

The Bills did their best to shovel out their home stadium ahead of the matchup, hiring overnight volunteers to dig out three inches of snow that had fallen in Orchard Park by Monday. That said, they were only able to clear the field and the aisles of each stadium section.

The seats remained buried, and that forced the fans to have to dig out each seat.

Most did so without complaint as they waited for a chance to see Buffalo earn a much-needed playoff win. Others came with measures meant to help them withstand the cold that would come along with multiple hours of sitting in a snowbank.

Those with seats in the middle of each row faced the daunting task of digging their way to the middle of their row to sit down. That was not a problem for this pairing of one Bills and one Steelers fan.

One Steelers fan in attendance took steps to endear himself to what figures to be a pro-Buffalo crowd. He marched through the row, using his legs to break apart and sweep away the snow that coated the row.

This picture of a couple of Bills fans captures exactly how crazy the conditions are within the stadium's lower bowl on Monday.

Of course, though the scene inside of the stadium was insane, it was even more unhinged outside in the tailgate lots. The beloved "Bills Mafia" was out in full force despite the storm. There were tailgaters in the parts of the parking lots that were open, and that meant plenty of big-time table jumps from the Bills faithful.

MORE: Weather forecast at Highmark Stadium for Monday's Bills-Steelers game

One of the most notable involved three individuals jumping from the top of a snowbank onto a table. Naturally, something atop the table had been set on fire to add another element to the leap of faith.

Indeed, neither the snow nor the game's delay could dampen the spirits of the Bills and Steelers fans on hand for the contest. Now, we'll see how long the fans can last at the frozen tundra of Highmark Stadium.

But if their reaction to Buffalo's first touchdown — a snowball-throwing uproar — is any indication, Bills Mafia is in it for the long haul.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.