It’s January and highlights the NFL postseason, a time when cold temperatures and snow can play a significant role in the game.
One of the main storylines heading into Sunday night’s divisional round matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears is the weather forecast at Soldier Field, which is expected to include single-digit temperatures, snow, and winds exceeding 10 mph.
The weather might not draw as much attention if the matchup were Green Bay versus Chicago, but with the Rams traveling from California, there is little opportunity for them to fully replicate those conditions in practice.
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Meanwhile, the Bears have been preparing by practicing without heaters on the field.
A similar scenario unfolded last season when the Rams traveled to Lincoln Financial Field for a frigid divisional round game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Snow covered the field, and Los Angeles ultimately fell just 22 yards short of a potential NFC Championship Game appearance.
Several key players addressed the conditions during media availability this week.
“I’m from Ohio; I lived in New York,” said linebacker Jared Verse. “I used to play in the hail. That doesn’t really faze me.”
"It feels right when football is outdoors. You're playing it late in the year. It's cold. It means a lot," said quarterback Matthew Stafford. "So I'm embracing it, I know the team is as well."
"It's pretty self-explanatory, I mean it's gonna be cold," said receiver Davante Adams. "... It is what it is. It's gonna be freezing out there, you just gotta figure it out."
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