We Could Be Treated To Back-To-Back Snow Games During Sunday's NFL Playoff Action
Bring on all the snow.
With 11 of the NFL's 32 teams playing their home games under a roof, it's a bit of an anomaly that all four of this upcoming weekend's Divisional Round matchups will be played outdoors. Not only are NFL fans going to witness what your grandfather would call ‘how the game is meant to be played,’ but snow could make an appearance during both games slated for Sunday.
The first of the two Sunday contests features the Houston Texans taking on the New England Patriots in Foxborough. Given that we're talking about an event hosted in the state of Massachusetts in the middle of January, it should come as no surprise that the high temperature for that day is 35 degrees. The snow would be an added bonus, at least for those tuning in from the comfort of their own homes.
According to Fox meteorologist Noah Bergren, a winter storm could turn New England into a "snow fest" on Sunday night into Monday morning. The Texans-Pats game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET, so some frosty precipitation could fall from the sky late in the game.
The second game on Sunday features the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears, and the chances of getting a snow game in the Windy City that evening very much exist as well.
The Pats' game will feel balmy compared to what fans in Chicago will feel on Sunday, with the high temperature reaching only 19 degrees alongside a low temperature of just 2 degrees. As things stand at the moment, the chance of snow Sunday night in Chicago is 15 percent, but anyone who has spent anytime in Chicago in the winter months knows things can happen fast.
The most stunning piece of Chicago's forecast for Sunday night is the wind, with gusts set to hover between 20 to 30 mph with occasional gusts over 40 mph.
I'm not exactly sure you can say single-digit temperatures, intense wind gusts, and potential snow favor either team, but you'd have to give the slight edge to the hometown Bears in those elements.
According to the National Weather Service and Fox Weather, temperatures are expected to drop to around 7 degrees by the evening in Chicago, which would become the 3rd coldest game in stadium history.