The Buffalo Bills celebrated their win against the San Francisco 49ers with a snowball fight on the snow-covered field.
The two teams clashed in freezing conditions on Sunday, with Bills fans and staff having spent the weekend digging out snow so that the game could go ahead. Volunteers were paid $20 an hour for their efforts and provided with food and hot beverages to keep warm.
The weather improved in the hours leading up to kickoff as officials took the tarp off the field, but soon before the game began, heavy snow fell. That didn’t affect the Bills’ performance however, as they went on to win 35-10.
After the game, the official X account (formerly Twitter) of the football team uploaded a video of defensive tackle Ed Oliver and safety Damar Hamlin throwing snowballs at each other and their teammates. This was followed by offensive tackle Dion Dawkins sliding on the snow with his belly before standing up and throwing it in the air. The clip finished with quarterback Josh Allen making snow angels on the ground with head coach Sean McDermott.
“You knew there was a 100% chance of a snowball fight breaking out,” the caption read.
Newsweek has contacted the Bills, via online contact form, for comment.
“Why is it that Josh, Ed, and Dion all being the ones having the most fun make complete sense to me?” one Bills fan commented on the clip.
“That’s awesome….those are the only fights worth watching….Go Bills….” said another.
A third added: “Boys will be boys, and we love to see it.”
Before the game, the Bills had shared a clip of the intense snow covering Highmark Stadium. Snow started falling in the area, in Orchard Park, New York State, on Friday, when it was still unclear whether snow shovelers would be needed. But on Saturday, the Bills posted a video showing multiple snow removal vehicles inside and outside the stadium, with heavy snow still falling.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
The caption said: “Shoutout to our snow removal crews for getting Highmark Stadium ready for tomorrow night!”
Before that, the club posted photos of the snow-covered stadium with the message: “Winter wonderland.”
It comes after the Bills, along with ABM—a firm that helps with facility management services—called on people to come forward to help with snow removal at the stadium for the rest of the season.
“In anticipation of the upcoming annual snow removal at Highmark Stadium this winter, the Buffalo Bills and ABM are asking anyone over the age of 18 years old interested in snow removal to sign up now,” an announcement said.
“Due to unpredictable snowfall, we may not know if shovelers will be needed until the day before,” it added.
People can use a Google doc to fill in their availability and will be told the day before they are needed.
Coach McDermott said: “We’re trying to stay on top of [the weather]. You guys know things change around here quickly with the weather coming off the lake and everything. So, do the best we can and just, I think you asked me early in the week, does that add to the preparation? And the answer is yes. It takes a little bit more time, a little more collaboration and communication. I mean not just coach-to-coach, but with our operation staff as well.”
