Bills-Steelers game pushed to Monday

A potentially dangerous winter storm forecast to hit the Buffalo region over the weekend led the NFL to push the Bills’ wild-card playoff game against the Steelers from Sunday to Monday.

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York and the NFL cited public safety concerns for the postponement, with up to 2 feet of snow projected to fall over a 24-plus-hour period starting Saturday.

Hochul said she started talking with the NFL on Thursday about the possibility of rescheduling the game because of what she called a “dangerous storm.” Hochul, who is from just outside of Buffalo, closed her news conference by saying, “Go, Bills.”

Officials advised residents to stay off the roads starting at nightfall, with a driving ban taking effect at 9 p.m. The game will be played at Highmark Stadium at 4:30 p.m. Monday.

The forecast called for heavy snow and winds as high as 65 miles per hour Saturday, with 1-2 feet or more of snow eventually piling up. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning through 7 a.m. Monday. Heavy winds and blowing snow began to hit the area by midafternoon Saturday.

Much of the storm was expected to be concentrated in a narrow band of lake-effect snow hovering over Buffalo’s southern suburbs, which includes the Bills’ home in Orchard Park.

The brunt of the storm is expected to wane through Sunday night. The forecast for Monday called for a chance of snow showers throughout the day and building in the evening, with a high of 19 degrees and wind gusts of up to 29 m.p.h.

A person briefed on discussions between the NFL and state officials told the AP that the league raised the possibility of moving the game to Atlanta before pushing it back.

Without confirming Atlanta, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said it’s standard procedure for the league to have contingency sites in place for all games in the event one has to be moved.

After the NFL announcement, the NHL’s Penguins shifted the start time of their home game Monday against the Kraken from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. to avoid a conflict with the Bills-Steelers game. In Buffalo, Monday’s faceoff against the Sharks was switched from 1 p.m. to noon.

Eagles’ Brown out

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will miss Monday night’s playoff game against Tampa Bay with a right knee injury.

Brown was hurt in the first quarter of last week’s loss to the Giants after a short reception. Cornerback Nick McCloud

punched the ball out of Brown’s hands for a fumble, and the two went to the turf. Brown stayed on the field for a couple minutes, walked gingerly to the medical tent, then went to the locker room. He was not ruled out for the next round.

“It was going to be a stretch for A.J. to play,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Saturday. “He did everything he possibly could to get himself ready. He fought like crazy to try and do everything he could do.”

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is scheduled to play after a light throwing week because of an injured right middle finger.

“Everyone’s going to be fighting through things,” Sirianni said. “He’s fighting through the finger injury. But he had a good practice [Friday].”

Sirianni said he didn’t second-guess his decision to play th starters in a mostly meaningless game. The defending NFC champion Eagles opened the season 10-1 before a 1-5 finish.

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is questionable with ankle and rib injuries.

Titans talk to Pierce

The Titans have completed virtual interviews with Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce

and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald for their head coaching job.

Tennessee is looking to replace Mike Vrabel, who was fired Tuesday after consecutive losing seasons and just six wins in his last 24 games.

Pierce became Las Vegas’s interim coach after Josh McDaniels was fired Oct. 31. The Raiders went 3-5 under McDaniels and 5-4 under Pierce, who remains a leading candidate to get the full-time job.

Tennessee began its search Friday by interviewing offensive coordinators Brian Callahan

(Bengals) and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (Giants).

Macdonald also interviewed this past week with the Falcons, Panthers, and Chargers.

The Falcons said Saturday that they had virtual interviews with Callahan and 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for their head coaching vacancy.