Blizzard forces Bills to play in Detroit

With an epic snowstorm set to slam Buffalo this weekend, the Bills-Browns game Sunday, originally slated for 1 p.m. in Orchard Park, has been moved to Ford Field in Detroit.

As much as 3-6 feet of snow is expected to be dumped on Western New York between Thursday and Saturday night. Thunder and wind gusts as high as 35 mph are also possible, making travel difficult.

The team said the decision to move the game from Highmark Stadium was done “in consultation with the Buffalo Bills and local and state authorities as the region prepares for the storm.” It was also made in part so that resources will be available for other needs in the area as well as for the safety of fans.

The Lions will play the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, making their field available. The Bills also will be playing the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving four days later.

“They’ve been through it before, we’ve been through it before and handled it well,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday. “So full confidence in our team that’s working behind the scenes on that and then the football team has to get ready to play a game and execute, so it’s a good football team coming in here.”

The last time the NFL moved a regular-season game was in November 2014. The Bills were scheduled to host the Jets on a Sunday afternoon, but more than 6 feet of snow fell in the area ahead of the game, resulting in the teams facing off in Detroit on a Monday night. The Bills won 38-3.

With the game relocated this week, Buffalo’s next home game won’t be until Dec. 11 against the Jets.