WeatherFanatics: Teams to Fight Frigid Air in Green Bay, New England NFL Playoffs

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Teams to Fight Frigid Air in Green Bay, New England NFL Playoffs

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 8,2015; 10:16PM,EST

The second round of the NFL Playoffs will begin Saturday afternoon, and none of the games will be played in balmy weather or the shelter of a domed stadium.
This weekend, games will be played in the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Midwest and Northeast as the remaining eight teams in the field fight to keep the dream alive of playing in Glendale, Arizona, on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1.
While the four venues that will house this weekend's slate of games have housed memorable games with bad weather in years past, stormy weather won't impact any of the games this weekend.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) throws against the Oakland Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
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Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots 4:35 p.m. EST Saturday
For the fourth time since 2009, the Ravens and Patriots will meet in a postseason game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. In two of the three previous match-ups, the Ravens came away with the victory.
Perhaps feeling confident from those prior victories, earlier this week the Ravens boasted to the Patriots that they had more snowfall from the midweek storm that swept through the Northeast.
Both teams are no stranger to cold weather and that's a good thing, with highs forecast to be in the mid-20s during the game.
Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady comes in with a career record of 44-7 (10-2 in postseason play) when kickoff temperatures are below 40 F, while Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has amassed a 14-8 record (4-3 playoffs), according to ESPN Stats and Information.
On Wednesday, one brave Patriots player wore shorts to practice.

Number of players missing from Patriots practice today: 0 Number of players in shorts w/ an 11 degree windchill: 1

12:44 PM - 7 Jan 2015

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks 8:15 p.m. EST Saturday
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will host the Carolina Panthers at Century Link Field, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. It's the first playoff match-up between the two teams since the 2005 NFC Championship game, which was also played in Seattle.
These two teams have met the last three years in the regular season, with the Seahawks escaping with a close victory each time. All three games were decided by five points or less.
A couple of brief showers will be around during the day and a light shower cannot be ruled out for the game, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers 1:05 p.m. EST Sunday
For the first time since the historic 1967 NFL Championship, known today as the "Ice Bowl," the Cowboys and Packers will meet for a playoff game at legendary Lambeau Field.
The Ice Bowl was played on Dec. 31, 1967, with temperatures during the game at minus 13 F with a wind chill of minus 48 F, according to NFL.com. However, this weekend's match-up will not be nearly as cold with daytime highs expected to be in the mid-teens.
Since the Cowboys practiced in 30-degree temperatures much of the week, the cold at Lambeau likely won't be as surprising as the 3.5-magnitude earthquake that shook the team's facility on Tuesday.
The Packers are certainly no strangers to the cold, but for Cornerback Sam Shields, who is in his fifth year in Green Bay, the weather never felt as cold as it did this week.
This match-up is particularly intriguing because the Cowboys enter with an 8-0 road record, while the Packers have an undefeated home record.
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos 4:40 p.m. EST Sunday
Future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning will face his former team for the second time this year as the Broncos face the Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium in the final game of the weekend.
Throughout the course of his career, much has been made about Manning's lack of success when playing in colder weather. Manning comes into the game with a career record of 0-4 in the playoffs when temperatures are below 40 F, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Between regular season and postseason, Manning's record sits at 10-13.
"The big problem is that he is not as strong now throwing the football, as he was at a younger age," John Clayton, ESPN senior writer, told AccuWeather.com prior to last year's Super Bowl. "Look at all four playoff games that have been below 40 degrees, the interception numbers go up, the completion percentage goes down"
While Manning's record in temperatures under 40 F is peculiar, ESPN Stats and Information detailed in an article last season that his statistics are still on par with the NFL average in those conditions.
Highs on Sunday around kickoff will be in the mid-30s. A normal high for this time of year in Denver is in the upper 40s.