Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets engaged to Hailee Steinfeld

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen’s latest kneel-down had nothing to do with football.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback and actor Hailee Steinfeld posted a photo to their Instagram followers on Friday — 20.3 million for Steinfeld and a mere 1.3 million for Allen — of Allen on one knee proposing marriage. The picture was taken on a grassy ridge overlooking water, with the couple surrounded by candles and framed by a large arch covered in flowers.

The NFL reposted the picture on X to congratulate the pair on their engagement, with a message ending with a ring and heart emoji.

The setting was likely somewhere on the California coastline, where Allen lives in the offseason. And the proposal likely occurred sometime last week, when the Bills had a bye.

Allen didn’t reveal the engagement during his weekly news conference on Wednesday as the AFC East-leading Bills (9-2) prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. But he did smile widely when asked how he enjoyed his bye week.

“Fantastic. It was great. Got some sun. Hung out with family. It was fantastic,” he said.

Allen and Steinfeld were first linked in the spring of 2023, when they were photographed dining together in New York City. Months later, Allen acknowledged the two were dating, but asked The Associated Press not to mention Steinfeld by name in a bid to maintain a semblance of privacy.

Steinfeld has since begun attending Bills home games, and the couple hosted a Halloween party this fall.

The 27-year-old Steinfeld is from Los Angeles and began her acting career at age 10. She earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers’ 2010 remake of “True Grit.” She also received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the 2016 high school dramedy “The Edge of Seventeen.” Her other credits include “Bumblebee,” “Dickinson” and Marvel's “Hawkeye,” along with voice roles in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and its sequel.

Steinfeld branched out into pop music after performing in 2015's “Pitch Perfect 2.” She has released numerous singles and two EPs, including “Half Written Story” in 2020.

The 28-year-old Allen has become one of the NFL's best quarterbacks and set many of Buffalo’s single-season and career passing and scoring records since being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft out of Wyoming.

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This combination of photos shows Hailee Steinfeld on Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Nov. 10, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision, AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Bills won 30-21. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — A light dusting of snow began covering the Buffalo Bills' facility on Friday as the team completed its final practice of the week inside Highmark Stadium.

With a lake-effect storm advisory already in place, this was perhaps a small glimpse of what the conditions might resemble come Sunday night, when the AFC East-leading Bills host the San Francisco 49ers. The latest forecast calls for 20 to 30 inches of snow to fall over a 12-to-16-hour period starting late Saturday afternoon.

Rookie receiver Keon Coleman shrugged by saying he was accustomed to playing in snow during his two seasons at Michigan State.

It certainly snows in landlocked East Lansing, but not to the degree of the storms that can hit the Buffalo region blowing in off nearby Lake Erie.

“This is going to be concerning for people trying to travel to the football game. We do not expect the game to be postponed or anything like that. The game will go on,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference. “Now, we’ve had games that are colder than that. Just got to dress appropriately. So people need to be prepared. It’s the first real cold of the season. We haven’t had anything like this all year.”

Plows and backhoes were already arriving at the stadium Friday, with a dump truck spreading salt on parking lots and roads in anticipation of the storm. The Bills issued a call for volunteers to sign up as prospective snow shovelers, with no indication on if or when they’ll be needed.

This is nothing new for the Buffalo region or the Bills.

In January, a lake-effect storm forced the NFL to push back the Bills' wild-card playoff home game against Pittsburgh by a day. The switch was required because the brunt of the storm lasted through the scheduled game time, and an accompanying driving ban made it impossible to clear the stadium in time for kickoff.

Two years ago, the Bills’ scheduled home game against Cleveland in November was instead played in Detroit because of a lake-effect storm.

“We’re trying to stay on top of it,” coach Sean McDermott said Friday.

“You guys know things change around here quickly with the weather coming off the lake and everything. So do the best we can,” he added, noting the uncertainty of the weather adds an extra layer of preparation.

The Bills are 9-2, their best start since 1992, and with a win would clinch their fifth straight AFC East title.

Associated Press writer Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo contributed to this report.

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FILE - A stadium worker clears snow from seats before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)