AFC Championship Game may be one of coldest playoff contests in Chiefs history
Old Man Winter has returned, just in time for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the low 20s (more on that below), which means it could be among the coldest postseason games in Chiefs history.
According to Pro Football Reference, the coldest playoff game in Chiefs history was the 10-7 loss to the Colts in an AFC divisional contest on Jan. 7, 1996 at Arrowhead Stadium. The temperature was 11 degrees.
Here is the list of the top five coldest Chiefs playoff games (home or away) from Pro Football Reference (out of 30 games played):
- 11 degrees on Jan. 7, 1996 (Colts 10, at Chiefs 7)
- 17.5 degrees on Jan. 8, 1994 (At Chiefs 27, Steelers 24, OT)
- 19 degrees on Jan. 20, 2019 (Patriots 37, at Chiefs 31, OT)
- 21.5 degrees on Jan. 23, 1994 (At Bills 30, Chiefs 13)
- 26 degrees on Jan. 9, 2011 (Ravens 30, at Chiefs 7)
The coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium in Chiefs history, per Pro Football Reference, was a 48-17 win over the Broncos on Dec. 18, 1983. The temperature was 0.5 degrees. Exactly 33 years later, the Chiefs lost to the Titans 19-17 when the temperature was 1 degree.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was asked by reporters this week about playing in the cold.
“I’ve played in some cold games and, unless the wind is really blowing, the wind affects it more than the cold, in my opinion,” Tannehill said. “Obviously, every guy is going to have a different opinion but that’s been my experience with it. ... Honestly, I don’t think it (the cold) plays a big factor.”
Here is a roundup of forecasts for the game:
Jeff Penner wrote on the KSHB (Ch. 41) weather blog: “It is going to be quite cold as a reinforcing shot of cold air arrives. The high may briefly be around 20°, but temperatures will slip back to the teens during the game with wind chill values between -5° and 5°.”
The National Weather Service has this forecast: “Sunny, with a high near 22. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph.”
Meteorologist Katie Horner of KMBC (Ch. 9) said during Saturday’s broadcast: “Tomorrow morning if you’re tailgating, 13 degrees will be the low temperature in the morning. Winds during the game will be coming from the north and 5 to 8 mph. At kickoff 24 degrees and heading home, 20. We expect to see lots of sunshine during the game tomorrow.
KCTV (Ch. 5) is predicting a high temperature of 20 degrees on Sunday.
Fox4 is expecting temperatures to be 18 degrees during tailgating and only reaching 20 degrees by kickoff.
NFLWeather.com is calling for the temperature to be 19 degrees at kickoff and only increasing 2 degrees during the game.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
