Pittsburgh Steelers

STEELERS ON 11: NFL changes game time for Steelers-Chiefs due to weather

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Football League has changed the kickoff time for the Steelers-Chiefs playoff game to 8:20 p.m. Sunday due to severe weather.

"Through that process, we clearly saw what we all saw, right? This is a real storm. (It) has the potential to be pretty damaging, and then we started looking at our options. The league got involved Tuesday. (On) Wednesday, we had a lot of talks about contingencies then,” Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan said.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Kansas City that runs all weekend, with the peak of the storm expected to be Saturday night into Sunday morning.

VIDEO: Latest on the ice storm for Kansas City this weekend

The Missouri National Guard has been activated and crews around Kansas City have been pre-treating the roads.

Photos: Steelers Heinz Field Playoff History

Photos: Fans show off their Steeler pride

A $2.2 million heating system was installed under the field at Arrowhead Stadium last April. In theory, the heat underneath would keep the field from freezing, but it has already failed once.

Before the Chiefs-Raiders game in December at Arrowhead Stadium, the field froze under the tarp in what was termed an “ice flash.” The field was treated, though, and by game time, it was no longer frozen.

The imminent weather threat has impacted tickets prices for the Steelers-Chiefs game, making them the cheapest of all the playoff games this weekend. Tickets fell to just $26 on websites such as StubHub.

Two Steelers fans who flew into Kansas City from Pittsburgh said they’re not worried about the cold.

"It is what it is. The weather wasn't good in Pittsburgh last week either,” Mary Cambest, of Findlay Township, said.

Other Steelers fans who flew in from around the country said they came prepared for the weather.

“Day or night, we don't care. We're going to be there to cheer on our team,” said Darla Garcia, of California.

Back in Pittsburgh, the new kickoff time had businesses owners scrambling to adjust their game day plans.

VIDEO: Pittsburgh businesses scramble to adjust to new time for Steelers-Chiefs game

"I added on two bar tenders, a bar back and security," said Frank Vetere, the owner of Carson City Saloon in the city's South Side.

He said Friday's decision by the NFL to move the game from wasn't a concern.

"Day games are a little bit better for us, but for the fact that this week it's a playoff game, we know Pittsburgh Steelers fans are going to come out," Vetere said.

New year, new home for the Steelers Playoff Run. Join Channel 11/WPXI all week as we get you ready for the showdown in Kansas City right here on WPXI on Sunday. Our coverage begins at 6 p.m.

Gordon Loesch, Jennifer Tomazic and Bill Phillips will be in Kansas City with round-the-clock coverage.

 

For those unable to watch the game from home, NBC will be offering a livestream so fans don’t have to miss any of the action (CLICK HERE).