The Buffalo Bills are once again calling on Bills Mafia to help the team prepare for a home playoff game.
The Bills announced on Thursday that they need extra hands with shoveling snow at Highmark Stadium before Sunday's divisional round showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Prospective shovelers are instructed to arrive and register at the Orchard Park, New York, venue starting on Friday at 2 p.m. ET. The rate of pay for shovelers is $20 an hour and a "comfortable warm break area" will be provided, per the team.
Shovelers must be 18 years or older, or have proper working papers if under 18, and come with a proper photo ID. The Bills ask that shovelers dress appropriately for the weather and, if possible, to bring their own shovel for shoveling between seating areas.
Western New York has been hit by a lake-effect snowstorm for the second time in the last week. The first storm in the area caused Buffalo's wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be postponed from Sunday to Monday, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the NFL citing public safety concerns for the delay.
The Bills had put out a call for shovelers even before the postponement was made on Saturday, and crews worked to dig out the stadium on Sunday and overnight into Monday. The team was still seeking shovelers as of Monday morning, just hours before kickoff, following an 18-inch snow dump in Orchard Park.
By the time gates opened for Steelers-Bills, a majority of the seats in the stadium were still covered in snow. Fans borrowed shovels from guest services and used their hands or pieces of cardboard to clear the snow.
Since Buffalo's 31-17 victory over Pittsburgh, another storm has hit the region. Orchard Park received 21 inches of snow from Tuesday into Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service (via NBC affiliate WGRZ), and more is expected to follow on Friday and possibly on Saturday as well.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Snow isn't expected to be a factor on Sunday, thought it's still projected be very cold. The gameday forecast is mostly cloudy with a high of 25 degrees, a low of 18 degrees and an 11% chance of precipitation.
The Chiefs are coming off one of the coldest games in NFL history, defeating the Miami Dolphins 26-7 amid sub-zero temperatures in Kansas City on Saturday.
Chiefs-Bills kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
