NFL Week 15 weather: Frigid temperatures could play a big role

Heading to an NFL game this weekend?

You might want to bundle up.

A blast of Arctic air is forecast to hit the Midwest and Northeast this weekend, plunging temperatures from Chicago to the East Coast.

That could make for some frigid football this weekend.

According to the latest forecasts from The Weather Channel, highs in Chicago might not make it out of the single digits this weekend. Things are expected to be a bit warmer in Cincinnati, but not by much. Current forecasts are calling for a high of just 13 degrees on Sunday:

Why might this matter for football fans? Sunday the Chicago Bears host the Cleveland Browns in a game that will kick off at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Cincinnati Bengals host the Baltimore Ravens in a critical game in the AFC North, again with a 1:00 p.m. Eastern kickoff.

Complicating matters is the fact that cold winds will accompany these frigid temperatures, making conditions even worse for players and fans alike. The National Weather Service has already announced a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Chicago this weekend, with forecasts calling for wind chills that could reach -20 or even -30 degrees. The same goes for Cincinnati, where the National Weather Service is forecasting wind chills in the single digits for Sunday.

Those are not the only two games expected to be impacted by the cold temperatures. Tom Tasselmyer, the Chief Meteorologist for WBAL-TV in Baltimore, shared the latest Euro wind chill forecast for the weekend, highlighting six NFL games:

Five of those six games have significant playoff implications. The Ravens (6-7) are fighting for their playoffs lives are are the Bengals (4-9), with both teams currently outside of a playoff position. The Bears (9-4) fell to the No. 7 spot in the NFC after last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, and could fall out of a playoff spot with a loss to the Browns.

The game between the New England Patriots (11-2) and the Buffalo Bills (9-4) could decide the AFC East, as New England could clinch the division with a win. As for the game between the Los Angeles Chargers (9-4) and the Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), the Chargers need a win to keep pace with the Denver Broncos, while the Chiefs need a win to stay in the playoff race.

Then there are the Philadelphia Eagles (8-5), who need a win over the Las Vegas Raiders to stop a three-game losing streak, and calm some unsettled nerves in the City of Brotherly Love.

While these are some cold forecasts, even if they were to materialize they would not approach the coldest games in NFL history. The legendary Ice Bowl between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys back in 1967 remains the coldest NFL game ever, with recorded air temperatures of -13 degrees. A 2024 playoff game between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins is the coldest game in recent memory, with recorded air temperatures of -4 degrees.

That game left some fans with frostbite, and facing amputation.

So be prepared if you are headed to a game this weekend.