This isn’t just the time of year when playoff football gets intense. It’s also when the weather reminds us that it’s winter — unless you’re in Florida, of course. And both of this weekend’s conference championship games could be affected as such. What’s on the forecast? Which game could be impacted the most? Is Lambeau really going to be as cold as everyone jokes about?
We’ve got a look ahead at Sunday’s weather right here for you, with forecast details courtesy of The Weather Channel:
NFC Championship
Game: Packers vs. Buccaneers | Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET
Location: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Projected weather: Cloudy with snow showers
Projected temperatures: 29 degrees (high), 22 degrees (low)
Chance of snow: 50%
Winds: SSE 5-10 mph
What would playoff football be without a Packers home game in January? This is typical Lambeau for you (cold and likely snowy), although on the mild side, relatively speaking. Forecasts only project an accumulation of less than an inch throughout the day, so it’s not like Green Bay’s grass will be swamped. But the radar calls for a 40- to 50-percent chance into the evening. It could certainly put pressure on either side’s passing game, but then again, it’s not necessarily fair to suggest Aaron Rodgers has the edge because of his history in Green Bay. Tom Brady, remember, spent the first 20 seasons of his career playing in cold January games in Foxborough.
AFC Championship
Game: Chiefs vs. Bills | Sunday, 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
Projected weather: Cloudy with showers
Projected temperatures: 45 degrees (high), 34 degrees (low)
Chance of rain: 40%
Winds: NNE 5-10 mph
The real question for Chiefs fans, of course, is whether Patrick Mahomes will even be the one throwing the football in this game. Either way, precipitation could play a factor. The wind shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but rain is very much in the mix, and if temperatures dip just a bit lower than expected, it’s not out of the question that rain could start to freeze. That’s something to keep an eye on considering both the Bills and Chiefs like to air it out regularly. If rain does fall, Buffalo could end up asking Josh Allen to rely more on his big-bodied running abilities at certain points in Sunday’s affair.
