Want to watch the Super Bowl live this year? Then don’t forget to pack some layers, because it’s going to get cold in New York come February. [sc:NFL240banner ]
Super Bowl XLVII will be held in the $1.6 billion-dollar MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, exactly $0 of which was spent on any roof or protection from the winter.
For the uninitiated, it can get pretty cold in that part of the country. And without a roof or temperature control, this could very well be the coldest Super Bowl in history.
But Super Bowl aside, bad weather has been the adversary of many a football team, especially with winter rolling in during the NFL postseason. So for those making the trip, consider these instances of bad-weather football games as possible indications of your upcoming XLVIII experience.
Don’t forget to head over to the sportsbook and place your NFL Futures bets now in anticipation of the big game.
Top 10 Bad Weather NFL Football Games of All-Time
1. Seattle Seahawks/New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers (2008)
Brett Favre’s last playoff run for the Green Bay Packers included two games at Lambeau Field. They beat the NFC West champs Seattle Seahawks 42-20 as their quarterback and wide receiver engaged in a snowball fight.
But despite his fabled cold-weather prowess, the 38-year old Favre couldn’t brave the cold which reportedly reached -23 degrees Celsius with the wind chill in the NFC Championship Game against the New York Giants. The Packers lost 23-20 in what turned out to be Favre’s last game for the franchise.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins (2007)
The game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins in November 2007 resembled mud wrestling as opposed to actual football. Heavy rains soaked a newly-sodded Heinz Field which resulted in a filthy, ugly, muddy field that had balls sticking to it after punts.
The game fittingly ended 3-0 for the Steelers as it became the lowest-scoring game since 1993. All thanks to the mud.
3. Super Bowl XLI (2007)
Rain isn’t expected to be a problem in New York this year, but it was a very real problem when Miami hosted Super Bowl XLI between the Colts and the Bears.
The downpour definitely affected both teams, who committed a total of eight turnovers combined. The Bears were responsible for five of those, which cost them the game as the Colts triumphed 29-17.
4. Snowplow Game (1982)
Without a doubt, Mark Henderson is the most famous snowplow operator ever in the state of Massachusetts.
Back in December 1982, Henderson operated his John Deere Model 314 tractor to clear the significant snow on the field for Pats placekicker, John Smith, so he could kick the deciding three points in a 3-0 New England win over the Miami Dolphins.
5. 1948 NFC Championship Game
Judging by how NFL’s first ever televised title game turned out, it’s a wonder that people came back for more.
A blizzard turned the 1948 NFL Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Cardinals into a scoreless slog heading into the 4th quarter, until the Eagles’ Hall of Fame running back Steve van Buren scored the only touchdown to give the Eagles the title.
6. Sneakers Game (1934)
It’s almost unfathomable to imagine an NFC Championship Game in this day and age being decided ultimately by a choice of footwear, but that was exactly the case back in 1934.
Freezing rain had made the Polo Grounds very slippery. So as the story goes, New York Giants’ equipment manager Abe Cohen borrowed nine pairs of sneakers from the Manhattan College basketball team. Thanks to the better traction from their sneakers, the Giants easily routed the Chicago Bears 30-13.
7. Freezer Bowl (1981)
The 1981 AFC Championship Game gave a whole new meaning to the term “home-field advantage.”
In a game that has been dubbed the “Freezer Bowl”, the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers played in “inhumane” temperatures that felt like -59 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. Unsurprisingly, the “Air Coryell” Chargers from sunny San Diego wilted under the cold as the Bengals prevailed 27-7.
8. Fog Bowl (1988)
The NFL has had its shares of storms and snow, but heavy fog? Not so much.
But that’s what the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles had to deal with in the 1988 NFC Championship game in Soldier Field. “The Fog Bowl” officially got started during the second quarter, where a fog of unknown origin rendered visibility right down to zero at twenty yards. Even with this major impediment, the Bears won 20-12.
9. Tuck Rule Game (2001)
Who knows what would’ve become of the Patriots dynasty in the early 2000’s had New England not overcome the Raiders in the midst of a ferocious blizzard in 2001?
Tom Brady certainly wouldn’t have won the first of three Super Bowls. But he did, thanks in large part to the tuck rule, and to kicker Adam Vinatieri, who delivered arguably the most clutch field goals in history. Vinatieri kicked one with under a minute left to send the game to overtime, where he also kicked the game-winning field goal – both in less-than-ideal conditions.
10. Ice Bowl (1967)
Considered one of the greatest NFL games ever, the 1967 NFC Championship Game had it all: Two of the most storied franchises (Green Bay and Dallas), led by two of the most iconic head coaches (Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry) playing in fabled Lambeau Field for the right to go to the Super Bowl in subzero temperatures.
“The Ice Bowl” more than earned its name; it still holds the title for coldest game in NFL history (not accounting for wind chill) at a freezing -13 degrees. It got so cold that officials’ whistles would get stuck in their lips. Furthermore, members of the band that performed at halftime were treated for hypothermia.
If this doesn’t get you excited to attend the big game in New York in February, we’re not sure what will. But snow bowls aside, Super Bowl XLVIII will be a world class event and an interesting game — depending on the weather!
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