At 2 p.m. on Friday, Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., home to the Buffalo Bills, was covered in snow. Mounds of white powder were piled high across the stadium, obscuring signs, burying seats and blocking the tunnels that lead from the locker rooms to the field.

But the Bills, set to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in the second round of the National Football League playoffs, had a plan.

They asked their fans for help shoveling.

Ethan Cuddihy, 23, a Buffalo native and a lifelong Bills fan, was more than willing. The team’s beloved quarterback, Josh Allen, had already given him so much; it was only right that Mr. Cuddihy return the favor, he said.

And there was added motivation: The Bills offered to pay $20 an hour to any fan who showed up to help shovel.

Mr. Cuddihy, using what could playfully be called “boy math,” reasoned that the hard work had helped offset the hefty price of his Sunday ticket: $200. By his count, he had earned about $90. In other words, he was now going to the playoffs for half price.