The snow in Buffalo this weekend is one thing. The wind is another.
Via USA Today, the projected gusts of up to 50 miles per hour would put Steelers-Bills among the windiest games in league history.
The 1982 AFC Championship between the Chargers and Bengals in Cincinnati, which was played in a deep freeze, had wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour. The December 2021 Monday night game between the Patriots and Bills in Buffalo had winds, per USA Today, gusting up to 55 miles per hour. (The official NFL game book says the gusts were up to only 40 mph for the Patriots-Bills game.)
In 2021, the Patriots threw only three passes for the entire contest. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw 10 in the first half, and 20 in the second. He completed 15 in all. Allen has the arm to muscle the ball through the wind. Which allows the Bills to be a little more diverse on offense.
Still, it’s hardly ideal to play in such conditions. It’s one of the realities of having an open-air stadium in a climate where winter happens.
Winter is going to happen in a major way in Kansas City on Saturday and Buffalo on Sunday. The other three games to be played the next two days will be played indoors.
