Rain, Snow, And Cold Will Make For Interesting Playoff Football

NFL divisional round weather report

NFL divisional round weather report
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

When it comes to playoff football the conventional thinking is that you wont get very far without a capable defense and solid run game. Why? Because the playoffs are in January and often the weather is less than pleasant. This weekend the weather will keep with tradition and will present challenges at three out of the four games. So if you are planning on making wagers, or if you are just into some "elemental" football, read on.

Colts @ Cheifs (3:35 PM Saturday) - East coast cities get the bad rap when it comes to winter weather, but Kansas City tends to hold its own in January. Snow will be on the menu Saturday as a large storm system moves across the mid-section of the country. While the bulk of the heavy snowfall looks to be before the game, almost all of the forecasts are still showing snow falling come kick-off and through at least part of the game. Later portions of the game may be more affected by a light sleet/freezing rain mixture. The temperature will be hovering right around the freezing mark all afternoon with a windchill in the mid 20's.


Simulated radar forecast for 4PM in Kansas City (red circle)Weathermodels.com

Clearly these are less than ideal conditions for two teams who rely heavily on their offense. If the storm system does not progress as quickly as forecast heavy snow is not out of the question for the beginning of the game. If you are planning to bet the over/under you will want to pay attention.

Cowboys @ Rams (7:15 PM Saturday) - The potential problem with this game won't be rain during the game, but rather before the game. Saturday looks like a pretty soggy day in Southern California which will make for a wet field come game time. Impacts will be less than what we see in Kansas City, but don't be suprised if difficult footing cuts some plays short.

Chargers @ Patriots (12:05 PM Sunday) - Skies should relatively clear in Foxboro on Sunday but it will be cold, especially for the team from LA. Temperatures will be in the mid-20's all game with the windchill in the upper teens. Its not the most brutal conditions we've ever seen in Foxboro but it won't be comfortable. If this game comes down to field goals watch out.

If you have any more weather questions about this weekend's games you can find me on Twitter @stephenuzick.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome