Due to a significant snowstorm that dumped a lot of snow on the Buffalo area, the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns on November 20 was not nixed at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The NFL announced on November 17 that due to the expected weather, the game had been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Playing at Highmark Stadium would have been challenging, according to video provided by the Bills.

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Highmark Stadium was buried under a thick blanket of snow on November 19. The team took to social media to share photos of the storm, and their fans, known as the Bills Mafia, were not happy. Along with the field, the stadium seats were also piled high with snow. 

The Bills decided to meet virtually on November 18 in lieu of their scheduled practice. Buffalo Airport announced that the runways had reopened early on November 19. According to ESPN, the last time snow caused an NFL game to be moved, a Bills-New York Jets game was moved to Detroit in 2014.

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The decision to relocate the game from Detroit was made by the league after consultation with federal, state, and local officials. The NFL announced that the Cleveland Browns-Buffalo Bills game on November 20 would be moved to Ford Field in Detroit at 1 p.m. ET.

“Due to public safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York, Sunday’s Cleveland Browns-Buffalo Bills game will be moved to Ford Field in Detroit at 1 p.m. ET,” the NFL said in a statement.

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The Buffalo Bills, local and state authorities, and Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, were all consulted before deciding to move the game as the area braced for the storm. The Bills would play two games in five days at Ford Field due to their Thanksgiving game against the Lions being played in Detroit on the same day as their game against the Browns on November 20.