Jets-Bills moved to Mon. in Detroit

— -- The NFL has moved the New York Jets- Buffalo Bills game to 7 p.m. ET Monday at Ford Field in Detroit.

The game previously was scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, but the NFL announced earlier Thursday that it would be moved as another storm brought the area's paralyzing three-day snowfall total to at least 6 feet.

"Public safety resources in western New York must be fully available to deal with the recovery from the storm," the NFL said in a statement.

Initially, the Bills hoped to clear Ralph Wilson Stadium in time for Sunday's scheduled kickoff, offering $10 per hour and free game tickets to fans who could help shovel out the stadium.

"It is not practical to play a game in Orchard Park in the condition that our community is in," Bills president Russ Brandon said earlier Thursday. "It really wasn't an option to try to play the game at any point Sunday, Monday or even potentially Tuesday based on what the forecast is."

Detroit was one of three possible alternate locations, along with Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., sources said. The Lions play at New England on Sunday. It's 256 miles from Buffalo to Detroit.

The game will be shown on CBS in the Buffalo and New York markets. Bills season-ticket holders will have their accounts credited or can request a refund, while other ticket holders will receive refunds.

The Bills have been unable to practice for the past two days and will have to leave Buffalo to do so. The NFL said the game could have been played Sunday in Detroit but was scheduled for Monday to give the Bills additional practice time.

Bills coaches were hoping to fly to Detroit on Friday and practice there in the evening in order to get in two practices before Monday night's game, a source said. However, the biggest challenge remained getting everyone to the airport safely. About 85 percent of players live in the towns south of Buffalo, hit hardest by the storm.

"The logistics are very difficult," Brandon said earlier Thursday. "We've had a lot of brainstorming sessions, and really trying to target all of our guys that are in very difficult situations. Some of the guys have been in apartment complexes that are not plowed in any shape or form and very difficult to get out."

This marks the second time the Bills will play at Ford Field this season following a 17-14 win over the Lions on Oct. 5. It also is the second time in four years the facility has hosted a neutral-site game.

The last time an NFL game was moved to Ford Field unexpectedly, the 45,000 fans who did show up witnessed a bit of history. Brett Favre's streak of 297 regular-season starts came to an end that night -- on Dec. 13, 2010 -- when the Minnesota Vikings lost to the New York Giants 21-3. Favre was sidelined by shoulder and hand issues.

That game was moved to Detroit because the Metrodome roof collapsed.

While Brandon said there is "certainly a disadvantage" for the Bills after not practicing this week, the Jets had similar feelings about not knowing where they would play this weekend.

"It's called inconvenience," Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said prior to the Detroit announcement. "That's the word I would say. But I mean, you can't do anything about Mother Nature."

The Jets' next game is Monday, Dec. 1., so they will have a full week of rest after playing the Bills on Monday night.

"It wouldn't affect us," Jets coach Rex Ryan said earlier Thursday about the possibility of switching sites. "We'd just aim our plane in a different direction, I guess."

The status of Ralph Wilson Stadium also is still up in the air for the Bills' next home game, Nov. 30 against the Cleveland Browns.

"It's going to be an all-hands-on-deck exercise for our staff," Brandon said, adding that the Bills could practice elsewhere next week if their facility is not available.

At least 4 feet of snow fell in the area around the Bills' stadium from Monday evening through Thursday.

Bills officials said Wednesday that it takes about three days to remove 1 foot of snow from the stadium and surrounding areas. At the rate the snow has fallen, the cleanup would take 18 days.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only teams in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to play consecutive games on Mondays are the 2010 Vikings in Weeks 14 and 15 and the 1996 Raiders in Weeks 8 and 10 (they had a bye in Week 9). The Jets will become the third team to play consecutive Mondays, although Elias will recognize only the scheduled Ravens-Saints game as the official Monday night game.

ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, Adam Caplan, Mike Rodak and Rich Cimini and The Associated Press contributed to this report.