The Buffalo Bills didn’t just beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. They destroyed the reigning NFC champions.
The 49ers started hot with a field goal on their opening drive. From there, they were outscored by a robust 35-7 margin in a game that somehow didn’t feel as close as the final score indicates. A few different factors played a role in the win. Josh Allen continued to play like a Terminator stuck in beta testing. Trent Williams missed his second straight week. Christian McCaffrey left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury.
But one thing played a bigger role than any other in the Bills’ blowout win; a heaping dose of snow coming off Lake Erie in western New York.
never let the 49ers play in the snow again pic.twitter.com/ThcmsqazEK
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 2, 2024
The Buffalo offense and defense thrived in the chaos created by blizzard-like conditions. San Francisco could not keep pace. The Niners dropped passes. Their offense sputtered trying to run east and west on a night where only north and south-bound plays stood a chance. Kyle Juszczyk hadn’t lost a fumble since 2018, yet here he was, taking points off the board thanks to a Taylor Rapp punch-out.
Goal line stand.
: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/hJ0qQi4W51
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 2, 2024
San Francisco fumbled the ball three times and lost all three. Brock Purdy dropped back to pass 20 times for 86 net yards. Only one 49er had more than 20 receiving yards and the team’s lone touchdown came late in the third quarter after the Bills had already built a 28-3 lead.
Meanwhile, Buffalo luxuriated in its element. Sunday Night Football became a game of backyard shenanigans. James Cook ran with impunity (107 yards on 14 carries). The defense swarmed to the ball with minimal attention paid to the ice and snow at their feet. Allen found a way to score a receiving touchdown without technically registering a catch.
THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING WE HAVE EVER SEEN.
: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/LzaOt3MDLj
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 2, 2024
The Bills will still be a good team in a covered, climate controlled environment. They are 13-4 in domed stadiums since 2020. But they won’t have the chaos factor in which they thrived Sunday night. The weather in Orchard Park is a burden for fans and staff but an advantage on the field.
That was the case in 2021, where Buffalo exorcised two decades of demons by starching Mac Jones and the New England Patriots in seven degree weather in the Wild Card round. It was a factor that helped limit Skylar Thompson to a 40 percent completion rate in a too-close playoff win over the Miami Dolphins in 27 degree weather a year later. The Bills are 5-2 at home in the postseason with Allen at quarterback, all played in frigid January temperatures.
Buffalo will remain very good at home in the foreseeable future, even as a new indoor facility looms next to Highmark Stadium. But it will lack the advantage of being born and bred in a frozen hellscape once it moves inside. The Bills thrashed the 49ers in Week 13, in part, because they knew what to expect from unpredictable weather. They stuck to a simple plan and dismantled an overwhelmed opponent.
Starting in 2026, that element will no longer be part of head coach Sean McDermott’s playbook. That’s a nice way to add more seats and luxury boxes while increasing ticket prices. It also strikes at the soul of the Bills’ game.
Few teams in the league are built to thrive against a backdrop of misery like the Buffalo Bills. Moving them indoors will take away the advantage we saw help swing a primetime game Sunday night. It’ll make the games easier — but since when have the Bills done anything the easy way?
