The coldest NFL games on record and whether Patri

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The coldest NFL games on record and whether Patriots vs. Chiefs could enter the history books

An 'arctic blast' is expected to settle over Kansas City on Sunday afternoon

by Ryan Wilson
@ryanwilsonCBS


When the Chiefs beat the Colts in the divisional playoff round last Saturday, it was the first playoff win in Arrowhead Stadium in a quarter-century. It also means Kansas City will host the AFC Championship Game, which kicks off at 6:40 p.m. ET and can be streamed on CBS All Access, for the first time ever.

And now, if the Chiefs are to get to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970 they'll need to get past the Patriots -- and perhaps more importantly -- the weather.

Specifically, the National Weather Service is projecting an "arctic blast" in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon and, according to the Associated Press, "Temperatures at kickoff could range from 10 degrees to well below zero, potentially making it the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history."

It could also be one of the coldest games in NFL playoff history. Here's a brief history of how we got here:

1.As it stands, the 1967 Ice Bowl between the Packers and Cowboys is considered the coldest game on record; according to Pro Football Reference, it was minus-13 with a windchill of minus-36. Green Bay won, 21-17.

2.In January 1982, the Bengals beat the Chargers, 27-7, at Riverfront Stadium where the temperature was minus-9. That game was played on artificial turf which, more than 30 years ago, felt more like concrete even under ideal conditions.

3.More recently, the Vikings hosted the Seahawks in a January 2010 playoff matchup. The game-time temperature: minus-6. The home team would have won if not for an improbable Blair Walsh missed 27-yard field goal.

4.And in 2008, the Giants went to Green Bay, where it was minus-1, and beat Brett Favre and the Packers on their way to Eli Manning's first Lombardi Trophy. You might remember that as the game where Tom Coughlin's face almost froze off.

As the Washington Post's Matt Bonesteel reports, the coldest game Patrick Mahomes has started in his NFL career came in Dec. 9 against the Ravens. It was 27 degrees at kickoff. He led the Chiefs to an overtime win. Tom Brady, meanwhile, is 24-4 in games where the thermometer dips below 30 -- including 12-1 in the postseason -- but 75 percent of those games were in Gillette Stadium.

For his part, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sounds unconcerned.

"It will be a little chilly, and that's OK. We're at that time of the year. You go play," he said Monday, via the team's official website. "I don't think it will be an issue, [and] I didn't think it was really an issue [on Saturday] ...

"I think it's just the focus you [have] -- whether you're throwing the ball, carrying the ball or all of those things -- you just have to make sure you focus and take care of it. Then, you go. We've had enough practice -- we continue to practice outside where it's cold. It's all part of it. You just have to adapt."

And as you might imagine, Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn't interested in talking about it. At all.

"We're getting ready for the Chiefs," he told reporters Wednesday. "Whatever it is, it is. ... I'd love to play in a championship game. Schedule it whenever you want. We'll be there."

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