Why did NFL move Browns vs. Bills game to Ford Field? Lions home stadium to host clash

Published Nov 17, 2022 22:46 GMT

Drone Photos of North American Sport Stadiums — Drone Photos of Lions' Ford Field

The weather in Buffalo at this time of year is not for the faint of heart and the Buffalo Bills have made a habit of playing well in snowstorms and icy conditions. But this time, it appears that the NFL is putting player safety first.

The Bills' game this weekend against the Cleveland Browns was scheduled to be a Buffalo home game. But we have a change in schedule and the game will be played in neutral territory at Detroit's Ford Field, something that rarely happens in the NFL.

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Reason why Browns vs. Bills game was moved

With an impending storm heading directly at Buffalo, the league made the decision to move the game. Nearly six feet of snow is expected in Buffalo over the next few days, making the game virtually impossible to play outside.

Originally, the Bills and Browns game was due to be played at Highmark Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. But the game has now been moved due to the extreme weather.

The Lions' Ford Field is available as they will be in New Jersey taking on the New York Jets. It will certainly have an odd feel to the game with neither team being at home.

When was the last time an NFL game was moved to a neutral venue?

The decision to move the Buffalo-Cleveland game to a neutral venue is something that does not happen regularly, but it has happened before. The last time an NFL game was moved to a neutral venue was on December 9, 2021.

The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints were due to do battle at the Mercedes Benz Super Dome. However, due to damage from Hurricane Ida, the game was moved.

The new venue for the game was down in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field. It was certainly a rather odd-looking game, having the Packers and Saints playing in Jacksonville. But sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

We will yet again have teams playing in neutral territory due to unplayable weather this Sunday. Buffalo and Cleveland will be hoping that the change in venue will help in their bid to get on the winners list as both are coming off losses last week.

About the author

Adam Schultz is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 5 years of experience. He prides himself on the accurate reporting of facts by double-checking every piece of information in his articles, and knows what exactly to highlight in them owing to his in-depth knowledge of the teams he covers.

Adam is a supporter of the Dallas Cowboys, who were the first team he saw play. Dez Bryant is his all-time favorite player, mostly due to the wide receiver's athleticism and the unique lack of weaknesses in his game.

If Adam could go back in time and watch any game, he would want to witness the “Dez Caught It” playoff game from January 2015, where Bryant and the Cowboys lost 26-21 to the Green Bay Packers in highly controversial circumstances at Lambeau Field.

When he isn't writing about or watching football, Adam enjoys doing sports photography.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann