Diminished for decades during the New England Patriots' unprecedented dominance of the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins rivalry is back in a big way this season -- with a classic snow game now set to take centre stage.
All indications suggest a traditional Western New York lake-effect snowstorm will be right over Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Saturday night when the AFC-leading Bills (10-3) host the Dolphins (8-5) in a contest with major playoff implications.
The stakes of the game and the forecast have brought back memories of the late 1980s and early 1990s for fans of both teams -- an era when Jim Kelly's Bills and Dan Marino's Dolphins constantly clashed for divisional supremacy.
"Squish the Fish" has been a rallying cry for Bills fans since the Dolphins won 20 in a row against Buffalo in the 1970s. Bills fans tore down the goal posts in 1980 when the team ended that losing streak.
Miami residents, of course, can bask in sunshine on the beaches off of the Atlantic Ocean for most of the year, while Buffalonians often shiver through brutal conditions and avoid Lake Erie at all costs during the winter -- a contrast that enhances the rivalry.
Already this year, the Dolphins beat the visiting Bills 21-19 in extreme heat in September -- a game in which Buffalo players seemed to be going down with cramps at nearly every stoppage in the second half. The visiting team bench has no shelter from the sun for early afternoon games in Miami -- and Dolphins fans couldn't have had much sympathy for the Bills, considering how winter weather can give a big boost to Buffalo in games in Orchard Park.
"It's the kind of sun that turns grapes into raisins," Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs said on the Dan Le Batard Show after the game.
“I’ve never been that tired in my life. I had full-body cramps. I’ve never experienced that in my life. I laid on that table and thought, ‘Yeah, this is it for me,’ but I’m here, though.”
Symbolically, the forecast is just a bit different for a December date in Buffalo -- which is just weeks removed from digging out of a record storm.
Last month, the Bills had to move a home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit because a multi-day "snow event" dumped around 6.5 feet of the white stuff -- the same height as star quarterback Josh Allen -- on Orchard Park.
A retired farmer named Dave (Squirrel) Winter became a cult hero in a region with a notoriously rabid fan base when he dug out Allen's driveway, allowing the quarterback to get to the team facility for the bus ride to the airport before the Bills beat Cleveland before a pro-Buffalo crowd of more than 50,000 in Detroit.
Most Buffalo fans had to drive across the U.S.-Canada border twice to get to the game in Detroit -- the quickest route is through Ontario. Hours after Buffalo's win, a rest stop near Woodstock, Ont. -- about three hours from Detroit -- was flooded with Bills fans.
In a bizarre quirk, the Bills had to return to Ford Field just four days later for a U.S. Thanksgiving game against the hometown Lions. The Bills won both games in the Motor City -- starting a current four-game win streak, which has vaulted Buffalo to the top of the conference standings. The Bills are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot for the fourth year in a row.
While the Dolphins have lost two in a row to relinquish first place in the division, they have also been a good story this year. Miami, guided by first-year coach Mike McDaniel, is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
This week, Buffalo fans have not been shy about poking fun at the Dolphins for how they are dealing with the cold.
Bills fans were loud on social media when it was discovered the Dolphins had heaters on the sidelines last Sunday on an unseasonably cool night in Los Angeles during a loss to the Chargers.
The Dolphins also caused a stir this week when McDaniel wore a T-shirt at practice that said: "I wish it were colder."
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a Hawaii native and former University of Alabama star, downplayed the weather forecast during a press conference.
“It snowed in Alabama my first year. So it snows in Alabama, guys. People don’t know that,” Tagovailoa said.
Patrick Hammer, the chief meteorologist at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, told the Palm Beach Post the conditions won't be comparable to any other snow games the Dolphins quarterback has played.
"I know the transition Tua is in for," Hammer said. "I suggest layers if possible. Whereas we know he's played in Buffalo cold before, Saturday will be a totally different animal."
The weather for the nationally televised prime-time game is such a significant issue for the area that state and local agencies gathered for a Zoom call on Friday to discuss preparations -- with a meeting screenshot shared by Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz.
The last big lake-effect storm during a Bills game in Orchard Park came in 2017 -- a contest affectionately known as the Snow Bowl.
The Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts 13-7 in overtime with more than 20 cm of snow falling during the game.
Just like in that game, the Bills will wear their red "colour rush" jerseys against Miami. The Dolphins, like the Colts five years ago, will match the snow in white jerseys.
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