The Buffalo Bills know snow. So do the Cleveland Browns since they aren’t going to be traveling far for Week 11’s matchup in Orchard Park.
But both sides know the expected forecast en route is anything but normal.
A snow storm is expected to drop several feet of snow on western New York. Potentially up to six.
For most of the Bills roster, they have yet to experience something like lake-effect snow–But a few have.
Back in 2017, the Bills (6-3) beat the Colts in what turned out to be a blizzard. While most of the roster has changed since then, the entire thing has not.
Among players still in Buffalo that were for the Bills’ win that day were safety Jordan Poyer and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins.
Poyer spoke from practice on Wednesday and recalled the difficulties defenders had. He said players were trying to do anything they could to help.
“Guys were changing their cleats into the regular studs so that they weren’t slipping. We’re just going to have to see how it plays out,” Poyer said. “It could change how the game’s played. I remember that’s exactly what happened when we played the Colts, it changed the entire way the game was played.”
Dawkins, on the other hand, was much more welcoming. Makes sense, seeing as the weather could aid the offense more with defenders slipping.
“It was just cool, man,” Dawkins said. “We went out for pregame and it was like–No snow… flurries. And then when we came out for an actual stretch, it was like a foot and a half.”
“If we get it, again, I promise you, it will be one of the funnest games you will ever see,” Dawkins added.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott echoed the quick change Dawkins mentioned when speaking via video conference this week. He was borderline shocked.
“I saw the amount of snow already in that amount of time that lapsed,” McDermott said.
The coach said he turned to a member of the security team as asked “is this normal?” McDermott said the answer was no, but he wanted to hear more but… he had a game to coach.
It’s still a bit unclear how the weather will be on actual game day against the Browns (3-6).
Some suspect it could slow down come Sunday, but time will tell.
[lawrence-related id=108808,108804,108784]