Bills vs. Dolphins snowball delay: Officials stop play as Buffalo fans pelt field, Miami players with snow

Jacob Camenker

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Bills vs. Dolphins snowball delay: Officials stop play as Buffalo fans pelt field, Miami players with snow image

Bills vs. Dolphins may not be the snow game that NFL fans were hoping to get, but it is proving to be a snowball game.

Why? Because Bills fans at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park were using snow from the stands to pelt the field with snowballs during and between plays for the first quarter-plus of the game.

First, the snowballs were being used to celebrate big plays by Buffalo. That included their first touchdown, a 14-yard strike from Josh Allen to Quintin Morris.

FOLLOW LIVE: Bills face Dolphins in Week 3 rematch at chilly Highmark Stadium

Quickly, the usage of snowballs spiraled. Soon, Bills fans were tossing them in the direction of Dolphins receivers on a goal-to-go opportunity. Many made it onto the field, and some came close to hitting players and staff in the end zone and on the Dolphins' sideline.

Bills staff tried to discourage fans from throwing snowballs, posting a warning on the Jumbotron that any fan throwing snow would be subject to ejection and potential prosecution.

That did little to discourage Bills Mafia. So the on-field officials stopped the game after Buffalo's second touchdown, with referee Bill Vinovich warning that any additional throws would draw a 15-yard penalty on the Bills.

Please stop throwing snowballs. We've just been informed that if a snowball hits someone, it'll be a 15-yard penalty against Buffalo.

MORE: Lake-effect snow douses Buffalo before Week 15 Bills vs. Dolphins game

Of course, that response elicited more snowball tosses. It also made many people point out that Dolphins fans in the stands could take advantage of that announcement.

The officials' delay didn't last long, but it did seem to reduce the number of snowballs being tossed onto the field, especially during play.

NFL fans everywhere will watch with bated breath in the second half to see if that trend continues — or if the Buffalo crowd gets rowdier as the night goes on.

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.