The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals’ divisional-round matchup was already worthy of a heavyweight AFC battle. With stars galore like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Stefon Diggs (in a pre-game “Scarecrow” outfit), and Ja’Marr Chase — we were probably in store for a fantastic game on paper.
But when you throw in the unpredictability (or predictability?) of Buffalo weather, that always makes for more potential fun.
As this No. 2 vs. No. 3 seed playoff battle got up and rolling, a snowstorm leveled the Buffalo area, making for an absolutely incredible postseason atmosphere. After all, how can you not love big-time football played at the highest level with consistent flurries falling?
Just look at this clip of the Bills entering their home stadium in the middle of the storm:
The @BuffaloBills take the field! #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #CINvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/RqOcaBu1Zc pic.twitter.com/NFDZHYkjSR— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2023
And what about Joe Burrow casually launching a deep pass while spinning around in the snow?
Joe is too cold 🥶 @JoeyB
📺: #CINvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/RqOcaBu1Zc pic.twitter.com/nZqDtAhNvP— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2023
The pregame total over and under for the Bills and Bengals was 48.5 points. Uh, even with an early Bengals touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase, I’m not sure these teams will actually score that many points combined. Allen and Burrow are elite quarterbacks that can thrive in any weather, but playing high-octane offense through harsh winter snow is an intimidating challenge. Bettors who expected tons of points should probably prepare themselves for a far more meager result.
At any rate, we’ll never say no to a cool playoff game played as the snow falls.