PHOTOS: Bills clinch fifth-consecutive AFC East title in 'snow globe' game at Highmark Stadium

Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - Anticipation.

Buffalo Bills fans endured a lingering lake effect blast leading up to kickoff for the Sunday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49rs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

After navigating lake effect snow bands, snarled traffic and snowed-in parking lots, fans gathered to tailgate in anticipating of a game that could put the Bills atop the AFC East.

It was all worth it too, as fans saw their team topple the 49rs 35-10 and champs of the AFC East for the 5th consecutive season.

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The lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Though the storm shifted south of the stadium by noon Sunday, snow continued to fall off and on through the day. Flurries began to fall more heavily just before kickoff. The game was played in chilly conditions with the game-time temperature at 27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-3 Celsius), with the wind chill making it feel like 17 F (minus-8 C). The Bills often play in such conditions at home late in the season.

Tim LoTemple — a Bills season-ticket holder from Rochester, New York, and part of the team's rabid fan base known as “Bills Mafia" — said the freezing temperatures and snow energize the players and fans. Still, the 49ers game was practically temperate compared to previous matchups at Highmark Stadium.

“We love snow over here. You know how Bills Mafia is, we love the cold," he said from a parking lot tailgate party. "This is nothing compared to what we’ve seen before.”

But for Jake Dyer, an Indianapolis Colts fan visiting from Southern California, a cold-weather game is a rarity.

“Only thing I didn’t prepare for was shoes. I double up on everything else, but my feet are cold,” he said. “Mad respect for anybody who comes out. Anybody can sit at home, comfy in their chair to watch this game.”

Another one to two feet (about 30 to 60 centimeters) of snow were possible in western New York, and another two to three feet were possible in northern New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said Sunday.