The Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs Wild Card Weekend game could be set to enter the record books as one of the coldest contests in NFL history. Two of the questions heading into the weekend are how cold it could be in Kansas City on Sunday and where that would fall in terms of the coldest games in NFL history.
Let’s take a look at the current Kansas City weather report to see what the Dolphins and Chiefs players and fans can expect this weekend.
What Is the Kansas City Weather Forecast for the Dolphins vs. Chiefs Game?
- Temperature: Between 0 and -2 with a wind chill between -21 and -25
- Precipitation: <10% chance of precipitation
- Wind: 18 mph sustained northwesterly winds with gusts up to 28-30 mph
The weather forecast is from the National Weather Service and correct as of 11 a.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 12.
It is safe to say that it is going to be pretty chilly in Kansas City this weekend, with temperatures below 0 degrees expected throughout the game. With the addition of the winds, it is going to feel more in the region of -20 to -25 as gusts of up to 30 mph sweep across the the area.
If you are looking for good news for the players, coaches, fans, and officials, at least there is not expected to be any precipitation on top of that.
The incredible thing is that this game will likely only just be inside the top five coldest games of all time. The coldest-ever NFL game saw the thermostat hit -13 for the “Ice Bowl” back in 1967. Meanwhile, the “Freezer Bowl” in 1982 saw wind chill temperatures of -59. Those almost make the game in Kansas City this week seem tropical in comparison.
In terms of more recent examples, one of the coldest games we have seen in the last decade was between the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings during the 2015-16 NFL playoffs. On that day, temperatures sat at -6 with a wind chill of -25. The next closest was a game between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in 2008 at Lambeau Field. That day, the temperature was -4, and the wind chill was -24.
This game has a chance to be the coldest in terms of wind chill since the turn of the century. However, the NFL will likely be pointing to both of those games as reasons why they are not moving this game from Kansas City this weekend.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket
The NFL could look to shift the game back into Sunday, but even then, we are still talking about temperatures between -4 and 1 with wind chill ranging from -15 to -23 across the day.
Even if it went back 48 hours to produce a Monday Night Football double-header, things are not going to be much warmer based on current forecasts. It is not until Tuesday that the weather starts to consistently improve, both in terms of temperature and wind chill.
For the Dolphins’ players, they may well be kicking themselves. Had they won last week or not crumbled against Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 14, they would be hosting a playoff game in Miami.
The temperature for this weekend in Miami is set to sit between the mid-60s and mid-70s.
Of course, the players are not going to admit that publicly. When asked about the temperature in Kansas City this weekend, OT Terron Armstead told reporters, “When we’re out there running around, the temperature doesn’t matter.”
He went on to add how precipitation and wind are the bigger issue in terms of impacting a game. The Dolphins will be getting one of those two this weekend, but fortunately, not the other.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!