Update Friday: Green Bay kickoff (5:30PM) temp expected to be about 0º F, with a wind of 6-8 mph. That’s a wind chill of around 12 below. Foxboro will be a relatively balmy 20º F at kickoff (3PM), slight chance of snow. The wind is expected to be in the upper teens though, so a wind chill of around zero.
Many fans are familiar with the famous “Ice Bowl” of 1967, when the Green Bay Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys for the league championship. Game-time temperature was 13 below zero, with wind chills making it feel like 48 below. At least the Packers sent the frozen fans home happy, riding a late one-yard quarterback sneak by Bart Star to pull out the championship, 21-17.
That game still holds the record for coldest temperature, but not for wind chill. That mark was broken in January 1982 in Cincinnati, in a conference title game between the Bengals and San Diego Chargers. Swirling winds whipping off the Ohio River made it feel like 59 degrees below zero. San Diego coach Don Coryell, normally clad in short sleeves, bundled up on the sidelines with a ski mask that nearly covered his entire face. His southern California team literally got iced, 27-7.
In Pictures: The NFL’s Coldest Games
This Sunday, Green Bay expected high temperature 6º F, low -4º F, wind around 10 mph. Foxboro high 18º F, low 5º F, with 30% chance of snow, wind around 20 mph. NewMexiKen attended a Lions-Vikings game in Detroit once with a game time temperature of 6º F. It was brutal.
New England is a 14 point favorite over San Diego. Green Bay is a 7 point favorite over New York.
A lot harder to sit or stand and watch a game like that then play in it.
I got frozen, along with two nephews, watching the Copper Bowl at Arizona Stadium once. A night game with wind and cold temperatures and aluminum seats. Can’t imagine Green Bay.
Thank goodness for hot chocolate.
NMK’s official younger sister (me) has daily lunch recess duty outside in NW Nebraska every school day. So far this school year, we have not missed one single day outside despite, rain, snow, and bitter cold winds. Today it was around 0 degrees (or lower) factoring in the wind chill. (15 degrees plus winds around 18 mph). After standing around for 35 or 40 minutes, my thighs felt like twin popsicles! Unfortunately, I can’t dress for it all that well because the indoor classrooms are already too warm for me clad in single layers, and I have to go back and forth. (Putting thermals on and then taking them off several times within a few hours isn’t practical.) Needless to say, I can relate to the Packers.
I saw the Broncos play the Seahawks on a Sunday night in 2006 at the new stadium (Jay Cutler’s first start; we lost) and the air temperature was 18 above. That was brutal enough – I just can’t imagine sitting through a game in the single digits or lower.
Debby, me thinks you need a longer coat.
I live here in WI and news Wed.nite put kickoff temp at -5 degrees/ -25 winchill temp. Go Pack!!
I live in GB and 0 F is not that bad, its all relative and what you get used to. For example, when the temps don’t go above 0, we don’t let the kids play outside at recess. I once read an article in the Yellowknife newspaper reminding parents to dress children appropriately because they will play outside at recess unless it gets below -20. 😉
What I find painful is when the temps near 100. -10 is tolerable, 100 is crazy.
I’m guessing the Yellowknife paper was using the Celsius scale, since Canada is on the metric system.
-20 degrees celsius is equal to -4 degrees fahrenheit. That is pretty cold, but for our Canadian relatives?
I updated the forecast at the beginning of the post.
12/18/83 CHIEFS BRONCOS. Arrowhead Stadium. Blizzard Saturday night.
0 at kick off with strong north wind making it 30 below windchill. About 5000 silly drunk fans (drunk because we kept going to the restroom to get warm and someone would pull out a bottle of something and pass it around). Everyone moved around the stadium following the sun. The coldest I have ever been. Plus we were hung over from Saturday night at Quincy’s. It was as bad as it gets.