Time Change In Week 13: Bills vs Steelers Adjusts Around A White Thanksgiving Storm

While America braces for a White Thanksgiving filled with lake effect snow, blizzard alerts and whiteout roads, the Week 13 showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh is quietly being reshaped by one powerful opponent: the weather.

A powerful winter storm is sending arctic air over the Great Lakes and into the Midwest and Northeast, triggering winter storm watches, blizzard warnings and life threatening travel conditions from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to areas downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, including parts of Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western New York. Forecasters warn that some communities could measure snow in feet and are urging people, especially in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to avoid traveling on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day.

For Bills and Steelers fans, that means the road to Acrisure Stadium may be far more dangerous than anything Josh Allen or Kenny Pickett see on the field.

And here is the key for anyone planning their Sunday around this game:

The official kickoff time for Bills vs Steelers is still scheduled for 3:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 30.

The “time change” in Week 13 is not about moving kickoff. It is about everything that happens before it.

White Thanksgiving Storm: From Lake Effect Bands To Game Day Headaches

FOX Weather describes this White Thanksgiving setup as a powerful lake effect snow event that will produce long lasting snow bands, wind gusts up to around 50 mph and periods of near zero visibility in parts of the Great Lakes Snowbelt. Those bands are expected to hammer regions downwind of the lakes, including western Pennsylvania and western New York, from midweek into the holiday weekend. 

In practical terms, that means:

• Dangerous driving conditions on key highways that Bills Mafia and Steelers Nation use, including routes that run south from Buffalo and north or east into Pittsburgh

Both franchises know what it looks like when football and extreme winter collide. Their wild card playoff meeting in January 2024 had to be moved from Sunday to Monday because of a historic snow event in western New York.

This time, the league is determined to keep kickoff on schedule. The adjustment is happening in the margins.

Acrisure Stadium’s Hustle: Moving The Game Day Clock Without Moving Kickoff

Acrisure Stadium is an open air venue that sits right in the path of the colder, unsettled air wrapping around the Great Lakes. Forecasts for Sunday call for temperatures in the low 40s with a better than 50 percent chance of rain and a steady breeze off the rivers, making Bills vs Steelers one of the “worst weather” games on the Week 13 slate. 

To keep the afternoon kickoff locked at 4:25 p.m. ET while respecting the storm’s impact, team and stadium operations are expected to shift their own internal schedule forward. That can include:

• Parking and arrival: Lots in Pittsburgh traditionally open several hours before kickoff. Fans should expect an emphasis on arriving earlier than usual and leaving extra time for slow, messy roads.

In other words, the “time change” around Week 13 is less about the numbers on the broadcast graphic and more about the entire city of Pittsburgh operating on a winter weather clock.

If you are going, the safest move is to treat kickoff like it is earlier than it really is.

Game Details: Bills vs Steelers In The Storm’s Shadow

Matchup: Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week: 13
Date: Sunday, November 30, 2025
Kickoff Time: 3:25 p.m. ET
Venue: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: CBS nationally, with local radio coverage in both markets 

Tickets remain available through authorized sellers, but for many fans the toughest challenge will not be buying a seat. It will be getting to that seat without getting stuck on a shut down interstate or stranded at a snowed in airport.

Odds, Stakes And Storylines In The Cold

The football stakes match the weather stakes.

• The Bills enter Week 13 at 7-4, clinging to playoff position after a frustrating loss to the Houston Texans. 

Oddsmakers opened Buffalo as a modest road favorite at around 3.5 points, a line that has nudged toward Bills minus 4.5 as bettors lean on Josh Allen’s big game pedigree and strong record against Pittsburgh. The over under has hovered in the high 40s, suggesting expectations for scoring even if the skies are gloomy. 

The recent series has tilted Buffalo’s way. Since Allen became the starter, the Bills have won four of the last five meetings, including a 31 17 playoff victory remembered for a snow covered Highmark Stadium and a suffocating Bills defense.

This time, the weather drama shifts to Pittsburgh’s riverside bowl.

Inside Acrisure, the surface may be wet and the air raw, but both teams are built to live in that environment. Buffalo’s high powered passing attack has repeatedly proven it can function in adverse conditions, while Pittsburgh leans on a physical defense and a fan base that treats cold weather like a badge of honor.

Layer the White Thanksgiving chaos on top and you get a game where travel fatigue, disrupted routines and cold soaked hands could tilt the balance as much as any blitz package.