Snowpocalypse 2014: Bills-Jets Game Could be Held in Detroit, DC, or Toronto

Snowpocalypse 2014: Bills-Jets Game Could be Held in Detroit, DC, or Toronto
Snow covers a sign at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. A ferocious lake-effect storm left the Buffalo area buried under 6 feet of snow Wednesday, trapping people on highways and in homes, and another storm expected to drop 2 to 3 feet more was on its way. (AP Photo/The Buffalo News, Harry Scull Jr.) TV OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; BATAVIA DAILY NEWS OUT; DUNKIRK OBSERVER OUT; JAMESTOWN POST-JOURNAL OUT; LOCKPORT UNION-SUN JOURNAL OUT; NIAGARA GAZETTE OUT; OLEAN TIMES-HERALD OUT; SALAMANCA PRESS OUT; TONAWANDA NEWS OUT
Jack Phillips
11/20/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

The snowstorm that has covered western New York, including the Buffalo metro area, has forced the NFL to relocate the Buffalo Bills-New York Jets game that was to take place Sunday.

It’s not clear when or where the game will be played, an NFL spokesperson confirmed with The Associated Press.

But there’s been reports that the game could be held in Detroit, at the Jets stadium in New Jersey, in Pittsburgh, Toronto, or even in Washington DC.

It seems there is a slim possibility that the game could still be played in Buffalo but at a later date, which would be Monday or Tuesday night.

“Per source, if Jets-Bills isn’t played in Buffalo, the options are Detroit, Toronto, and New Jersey,” tweeted NBC’s ProFootballTalk.

The Bills have been unable to practice for two days due to the snow. A few more feet of snow have fallen in Buffalo.

NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport later reported that Detroit and Washington DC are the two finalists for the game.

Ford Field hosted a Monday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings after the Vikings’ Metrodome roof collapsed in 2010.

“Public safety is the first priority,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told ESPN on Thursday. “We have been in discussions regarding potential alternatives. We will provide an update later today.”

Of note, it’s about 215 miles from Buffalo to Pittsburgh, 390 miles from Buffalo to Washington DC, and about 255 miles from Buffalo to Detroit.

“If you ask me today, right now, my two cents would be it’s impractical to do the game because it would jeopardize public safety,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, according to the Associated Press.

“Maybe we get a break somewhere along the way, we get a break from the weather, the snow, the rain, and if there’s any way we could scramble to get it done, we'll do everything we can do deploy resources to make it possible, but now we’re focused on public safety.”

Next week, the temperatures in western New York are expected to shoot upward, likely to cause flooding in the region.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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