Minnesota Vikings vs. Seahawks: How cold will it get?
By Dan Zinski
The Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks playoff game Sunday will be played in bitterly cold conditions, but will it be one of the coldest games in NFL history?
If you’re going to Sunday’s game to experience NFL low-temperature history being made, I’ve got some bad news for you. Going by current forecasts, the game will not end up one of the coldest in league history.
But that doesn’t mean you should leave your jacket at home.
The latest forecast – and this number has remained consistent for a few days now – says the temp will be anywhere between 3-below and 2-above around Sunday’s 12:05 PM CT kickoff.
Yup, that’s pretty cold. But there have been colder games in NFL history. These in fact are the five coldest games ever played (I’m sure records are not entirely complete in this area so these may not actually be the five coldest, but this is as good as the NFL can do in compiling this information).
1. Dec. 31, 1967 Lambeau Field
Packers vs. Cowboys
Temperature: -13 degrees
The famed Ice Bowl game. The Packers won the NFL championship over Dallas in near-50-below wind chills. Sunday’s game is not expected to get anywhere near that level of misery.
2. Jan. 10, 1982 Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati
Chargers vs. Bengals in AFC Championship game
Temperature: -9 degrees.
The Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl by beating the Chargers.
3. Jan. 7, 1996 Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
Chiefs vs. Colts in playoff game.
Temperature: -6 degrees.
The Colts won 10-7 behind quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who was kept warm by the fire of his own intensity.
4. Jan. 4, 1981 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Browns vs. Raiders in playoff game.
Temperature: -5 degrees
The Raiders beat the Browns 14-12, proving a California team could go to Cleveland in January and beat the Browns in brutal arctic conditions.
5. Jan. 20, 2008 Lambeau Field
Packers vs. Giants in NFC championship game
Temperature: -4 degrees.
Brett Favre played his last game for the Packers, looking utterly unhappy. Tom Coughlin nearly lost his face. The Giants beat the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl.
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So Sunday’s game is expected to fall a couple degrees short of entering the top 5. It won’t be one of the coldest games ever.
But yeah, it’s going to be frigging cold. So please, no shirtless antics.