Initial forecast for Pats-Bills calls for nasty weather in Buffalo originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The weather in Orchard Park, N.Y., played a key role in the New England Patriots' Week 13 win over the Buffalo Bills. Will history repeat itself on Wild Card weekend?
The No. 6 seed Patriots are set to play the No. 3 seed Bills at 8:15 p.m. ET in Saturday night's AFC playoff matchup at Highmark Field. Weather should be a major storyline based on how things played out in their first meeting: Strong winds helped neutralize Josh Allen and the Bills' passing attack, while the Patriots attempted just three passes and ran 46 times for 222 yards to grind out a 14-10 win.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
Patriots-Dolphins takeaways: Bad start, turnovers doom Pats again in loss
So, what's the forecast looking like for Saturday? As you'd expect for a January night in Buffalo, it's gonna be cold -- with the possibility for snow.
The Weather Channel forecasts temperatures in the teens with "intermittent snow showers" and winds between 10 and 15 mph.
U.S. & World
Kevin O'Neill of the NBC affiliate WGRZ in Buffalo predicts a similar forecast, while WGRZ colleague Patrick Hammer notes he is tracking a nearby storm that could impact snowfall amounts.
It's impossible to predict the weather six days out -- especially in Western New York and especially with a potential storm in the vicinity -- so expect these forecasts to change throughout the week.
But if you're a Patriots fan, the most important factor to watch might be wind. As our Matt Cassel explained earlier this season, wind is the most challenging element to deal with as a quarterback (more so than snow, wind or cold). New England boasts a strong running game that's somewhat wind resistant while Buffalo leans heavily on its passing game (fifth in the NFL in passing attempts this season), so a windy night would seem to be an advantage for the Patriots.
There's a lot of time between now and 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, but we do know it's going to feel a lot like winter in Patriots-Bills Round 3.
