With Rams-Bears’ frigid forecast, what are the coldest playoff games in NFL history?
Attending Sunday’s Los Angeles Rams-Chicago Bears divisional round game at Soldier Field in Chicago won’t be for the weak. AccuWeather’s evening forecast in the Windy City has a projected low temperature of two degrees with a real feel of minus-23, as well as some flurries to top it off. Winds are expected to top 20 mph, with gusts of up to 44 mph. AccuWeather even wrote that “it’s a necessity to bundle up for the football game.”
Cold-weather games like these have become synonymous with playoff football in January. However, they are set to become less frequent in the coming years. Ten NFL teams already call domed stadiums home, and with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs all moving indoors, that number is projected to rise to 14 by 2031. If you include the Chicago Bears’ proposal to build a domed stadium, that means that half of the league would play in a climate-controlled environment.
The teams moving inside are some of the prime candidates for frigid playoff games, as Kansas City and Cleveland have hosted some of the coldest games in NFL history. Many teams that currently play outside are not at risk of subfreezing temperatures.
Assuming that all of the above teams indeed move to domed stadiums, there will be just eight NFL outdoor venues located in cities with January average lows under 30 degrees: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh; Empower Field at Mile High in Denver; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; New Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
In other words, NFL fans have reason to cherish every cold-weather game more than ever. Ahead of the single-digit temperatures in Chicago on Sunday, let’s take a look back at some of the coldest games in NFL playoff history.
1. Dec. 31, 1967, Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field
Temperature: minus-13 degrees with wind chill of minus-48
The “Ice Bowl” is still the coldest playoff game in NFL history. These two historic franchises played for the NFL championship in Green Bay in an epic showdown. Hall of Fame Packers quarterback Bart Starr ran in the go-ahead touchdown on third-and-goal with 16 seconds left, securing a three-peat for Green Bay. Starr somehow threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the sub-zero conditions.
2. Jan. 10, 1982, San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Riverfront Stadium
Temperature: minus-9 degrees with wind chill of minus-59
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, this AFC Championship Game was known as the “Freezer Bowl.” San Diego saw nearly a 90-degree temperature change between playoff games, after beating the Miami Dolphins in 80-degree weather in the prior round. The warm-weather team turned the ball over six times, including four fumbles, as Ken Anderson and the Bengals rolled to a 27-7 win. Cincinnati fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
3. Jan. 10, 2016, Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings, TCF Bank Stadium
Temperature: minus-6 degrees with wind chill of minus-25
As US Bank Stadium was being constructed, the Vikings played outside in 2014 and 2015 at Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. With the brutal winter of the Twin Cities, there was potential for a historically cold game, and the Vikings cooperated. As the No. 3 seed, the NFC North champs hosted the No. 6 seed Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round, their first home playoff game outdoors since 1976. Trailing 10-9, Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed a would-be game-winning 27-yard field goal, adding to a long list of heartbreaking playoff losses for the franchise.
4. Jan. 24, 2024, Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Stadium
Temperature: minus-4 degrees with wind chill of minus-27
Another warm-weather team got caught with a brutal draw. Miami had to manage painful conditions while facing Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggled in uncharted territory, completing 51 percent of his passes and finishing with a 63.9 passer rating. Meanwhile, Mahomes shrugged off a cracked helmet, throwing for 262 yards and rushing for 41 in a 26-7 win.
5. Jan. 20, 2008, New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field
Temperature: minus-4 degrees with wind chill of minus-24
Everyone remembers Eli Manning and the Giants’ astonishing upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, but what about the victory that got them there? New York took down Brett Favre and Green Bay in the fifth-coldest playoff game 23-20. After New York’s Lawrence Tynes missed a 36-yard field goal to win it at the end of regulation, he redeemed himself with the winning kick in overtime. Coach Tom Coughlin’s beet-red cheeks are the lasting image of this game.
6. Jan. 15, 1994, Los Angeles Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson Stadium
Temperature: 0 degrees with wind chill of minus-32
Buffalo entered the 1994 playoffs coming off three straight Super Bowl losses. At a stadium that just closed its doors two weeks ago, the Bills hosted the Raiders of sunny Los Angeles in the first round. With a game-time temperature of 0 degrees, L.A. held its own, but Buffalo’s fourth-quarter TD pass from Jim Kelly to Bill Brooks was the difference in a 29-23 victory. The wind chill of minus-32 degrees is the third lowest in playoff history. The Bills reached the Super Bowl for a fourth straight time and lost for a fourth straight time, coming up short against the Cowboys.