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As more lake effect snow layers in feet onto the Buffalo region on Thursday, pressure is mounting for the Buffalo Bills and the NFL to postpone Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff against the New York Jets.
A travel ban remains in effect in Orchard Park and many surrounding areas, particularly those south of Buffalo, which has prompted the Bills to cancel practice for a second consecutive day. It's possible that they may not be able to practice at all before the game is scheduled to kick off.
Per team spokesman Scott Berchtold, the team will not practice today as the travel ban is still in effect in Orchard Park.
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) November 20, 2014
As mentioned on Wednesday, Bills coaches have holed up at One Bills Drive and have been distributing film and game plans electronically. But clearly, the Bills' inability to practice is creating a competitive disadvantage heading into the weekend.
Meanwhile, as the snow continues to fall, the likelihood of Sunday's game being postponed in some fashion increases dramatically. So far, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz are at the forefront of people casting doubt on the practicality of playing on Sunday.
Gov. Cuomo: "I spoke to the county executive and the mayor about it. Everybody would love to see a Bills game go forward ... (more)
— Sal Maiorana (@salmaiorana) November 20, 2014
Cuomo 2: "but I think even more, everybody wants to make sure that public safety comes first. And at this point time ... (more)
— Sal Maiorana (@salmaiorana) November 20, 2014
Cuomo 3: "everything we have to do with the driving ban, everything we just said, staying off roads, would make a Bills game impractical."
— Sal Maiorana (@salmaiorana) November 20, 2014
Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz: "At this moment, I cannot commit to having emergency personnel at the game on Sunday."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) November 20, 2014
Nothing official has been declared about the game yet, of course, and the Bills will be continuing with their plan to clear out enough snow from their Orchard Park facility to play the game as scheduled. The NFL will be the entity tasked with postponing or moving the game, should it come to that.