Western New York could be hit with up to three feet of snow before the Browns and Bills meet on Nov. 20 in Orchard Park, according to multiple weather forecasts.
The Browns plan to take a chartered flight to Buffalo. Normally, they would leave the day before the game.
The storm will start on the evening of Nov. 16 and continue throughout the weekend, according to Accuweather.com.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said the weather could force the Browns to call an audible on their travel plans, but he is letting others make that decision.
“I’m sure it could,” Stefanski said before practice Nov. 16. “I’m sure some people are having some conversations about that. I’m not in that circle right now. They’ll fill me in on a need to know. For us, we just have to focus on our preparation.
“If something changes, we’ll tell the players and we’ll tell you guys. We’ll see if this is something that requires a lot of attention, and it may also require no attention. The weatherman sometimes is wrong.”
News channels in the Buffalo area are painting a grim picture. Orchard Park is 10.6 miles southeast of Buffalo.
“This will be the start of a prolonged lake effect snow event which will likely include paralyzing snowfall for the Buffalo and Watertown areas late this week through the weekend,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo said, according to CNN.
Weather.com is forecasting one to three feet of snow with the worst of the snow subsiding by 1 a.m. Nov. 19. Wind gusts up to 35 MPH are expected to cause blowing snow.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” according to the weather.com website.
The NFL currently has no plans to postpone the game or move it to a different venue. The league has to take into account how difficult it might be for the teams, fans and workers to get to Highmark Stadium safely.
Delaying the game until Nov. 21 or 22 isn’t practical because the Bills are scheduled to play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, in Detroit. Moving the game to another location could be a problem for the Bills if “the paralyzing snowfall” makes it too risky for the team to fly to another city.
Ironically, the Browns played in Miami on Nov. 13. Temperature at kickoff was 85 degrees. It was closer to 100 degrees on the Browns sideline in the first half because the visitor’s sideline has no shade when 1 p.m. games begin.
“When weather is going to be a factor as it might be, you’re always thinking about having plays that you might turn to should it be a major factor,” Stefanski said. “Jacoby (Brissett) played in a whiteout in 2017, so he’s used to it. (Offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt is on staff. He played there for many years.
“The guys are prepared if that’s what it ends up being, but we can’t spend too much time worrying about that. Just on the front end, put together a plan and ready to pivot on the moment if need be.”
Brissett started for the Colts on the road against the Bills on Dec. 10, 2017. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 69 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The Bills won, 13-7.
