5 NFL games in which the weather was a key participant.
After a brutal loss on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will face another tough competition during Sunday Night Football’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills as snow, extreme cold and gusty winds from a potent winter storm are expected to douse western New York.
Highmark Stadium, situated in Orchard Park, is under a Winter Storm Watch for Sunday night’s game.
Snow covers the stadium and seats at Buffalo Bills stadium on December 10, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)
The FOX Forecast Center is calling for heavy lake-effect snow, with more than a half-foot of snow possible for areas near and south of Highmark Stadium.
Snow totals can vary greatly depending on where the lake-effect snow bands set up.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo says that the potential exists for a significant long-duration lake-effect snow event and that travel could be difficult to impossible due to poor visibility and deep snow cover on roads.
(FOX Weather)
Fantasy football implications
The Bills are coming off a bye week after winning against the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Rest and being no stranger to playing in extreme weather could set the Bills apart for a potential seven-game win streak.
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid could be back Sunday for the 49ers game. He will be a great option to use as your main tight end or even a flex option, as he could very well lead the Bills in targets this season.
Also hopeful to be back will be rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman from a wrist injury.
FILE – Frank Gore #23 of the Indianapolis Colts is stopped by E.J. Gaines #28 and Matt Milano #58 of the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at New Era Field on December 10, 2017 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Brett Carlsen / Getty Images)
As of Monday, San Francisco was still resting Brock Purdy’s shoulder, and the famed quarterback is still questionable going into Sunday.
A now-healthy Christian McCaffrey should be an automatic start in your RB1 position. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year was held to only 31 yards during their game against Green Bay, but due to the possibility of poor visibility due to snow and wind, fantasy owners can bank that he should get more than 11 carries this game.
(FOX Weather)
With winds potentially gusting to 30 mph and arctic air invading, temperatures will feel anywhere from the single digits to the lower teens. Gusty winds will make kicking tough, and cold temperatures have been shown to affect the performance of how a quarterback can throw the ball.
Should heavy snow bands set up over Orchard Park, Highmark Stadium could be in for another snow globe game similar to ones seen in years past.
Highmark Stadium no stranger to lake-effect snow
Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium is buried under feet of snow during a historic snowstorm.
While Bills fans remember last season when their Super Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers had to be postponed, it was the November and December of 2022 that Buffalo will never forget.
Snow from the historic lake-effect snowstorm that hit Orchard Park in November 2022 was so deep that you could make an over 80-foot-tall snowman with all the snow on the Buffalo Bills’ football field.
The Cleveland Browns were supposed to play the Bills at Highmark Stadium on that snow day, but NFL officials decided to move the game to Detroit’s covered Ford Field instead.
A Buffalo, New York resident documented a ‘terrifying’ drive through the beginning of blizzard on Friday, December 23. (Credit: Steven Madsen via Storyful)
Just a month later, a historic blizzard dropped feet of snow in nearby locations, stranding motorists and forcing a state of emergency across Erie County.
The FOX Forecast Center says that this Thanksgiving weekend storm isn’t expected to produce as much snow as these historic days, but snow could cause road closures and significant travel delays across the state.
(FOX Weather)