Steelers-Bills Playoff Game in Snow-Packed Stadium Had a NFL First for Fans

With so much snow covering the seats at Highmark Stadium, there were no assigned seats for the wild-card game.

Snow covered the seats across Highmark Stadium for Monday’s playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, prompting an unprecedented announcement ahead of kickoff.

With the seats quite literally buried beneath around three feet of snow, the Bills and the NFL announced that there would be no assigned seating during the wild-card game.

It marks the first time in NFL playoff history that the league has done away with assigned seats, enabling fans to simply find an area of their choosing and claim it as their own.

With so much snow covering the grounds, it would’ve been impossible to enforce any type of seating policy. Instead, fans could be seen clearing out areas of snow in order to create some sort of seating arrangement. 

Just announced by the NFL and the Buffalo Bills: There are no assigned seats today at Highmark Stadium. Just find a place to stand and it is yours. pic.twitter.com/11sSaOaE0m

— Dave Cartwright (@TheChiefWildcat) January 15, 2024

Despite the cold weather and snow-laden stadium, fans in Buffalo packed the house in order to support their team, and they were loud throughout the first half with the Bills jumping out to an early 21–0 lead. 

Of course, the game was initially expected to be held on Sunday, but a snowstorm nixed those plans and caused a postponement until Monday, the first time an NFL playoff game was postponed since 2016.