Ford Field Selected as Site of Super Bowl XL - File Photos
Leon Halip

Buffalo received up to 77 inches of snow this week, complicating things for the game scheduled at Bills Stadium. It is difficult to hold a game in a stadium filled with snow so high that it is taller than the players, so the league decided it would move the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns for the safety of all involved.

Here enters the hero: Ford Field. The Lions stadium is a backup plan for games that have to be moved and this week they were called in to rescue the situation.

In order to welcome the Bills and the Browns, it was all hands on deck, with over 150 workers in Detroit working all day and night. Ford Field being the neutral site for any moved games means they are usually ready to go, but this week provided a new challenge.

Ford Field hosted an annual fundraiser Hob Nobble Gobble, raising money for America's Thanksgiving Day Parade, on Friday night. The field was tiled over and is covered with structures and carnival rides, meaning it would not be easy to turn it back into a football field in such a short time frame. 

The Lions asked for volunteers and by Saturday, the field was ready.

"It was all hands on deck," Senior vice president of facilities for the Lions Todd Argust told NFL.com. "Everyone rallied."

Since the Bills are the "home" team, even though they are 352 miles from their home field, they are allowed to bring any team logo banners and signage for the Lions workers to put up. Due to the time restraints, the Bills logos will not be on the field, as the league did not want a rushed job to cause any issues to the field.

With the game moving states away from the original location, some may wonder if they are able to fill the seats and the short answer is yes, without any issues. Argust said the game sold out in three hours, with most tickets going to Bills fans.

"We're hoping for this to be still a home field advantage," Bills GM Brandon Beane said. "Luckily [the snow] is not across the country. We know Bills Mafia is all over, and hopefully those that are in Michigan area will definitely head down."

The tickets were priced a lot lower than your typical game, from $10 to $30, according to Argust. 

"... they all got snapped up," Argust said. "They were released to the Bills season ticket list, then Bills app users, then Lions season ticket holders. They all went quick."

The Bills are playing at Ford Field again on Thanksgiving, so Buffalo will use the visiting locker room against the Browns to keep things the same.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.