Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City Missouri
If the Dolphins had beaten the Bills in Week 18, they’d be getting ready to play a wild-card game in the balmy weather of Miami, but due to their loss, they’re now headed to Kansas City for what will almost certainly be the coldest game in franchise history.
When the Dolphins and Chiefs kick off on Saturday night, the temperature is expected to be around 0 degrees with a wind chill approaching -30, according to the National Weather Service. If that projection holds up, then this will become the coldest game that the Dolphins have ever played in, which isn’t great news for them, considering they’ve lost 10 straight games when the kickoff temperature is 40 degrees or below (You can read more about that here).
In a bizarre coincidence, the game that currently holds the title for coldest in Dolphins history was actually played in Kansas City back in 2008 on a day where the temperature was 10 degrees at kickoff. Unless the forecast changes dramatically between now and Saturday, it’s a pretty safe bet that record is going to fall.
Ice Bowl: December 31, 1967
The 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, played on December 31 at Lambeau Field, is known as the Ice Bowl, arguably one of the greatest games in NFL history.
The game was played in brutal cold and windy conditions. The kickoff temperature in Green Bay was -13°F, with a wind chill of 36 below zero. Temperatures were so cold, in fact, that referees had to shout signals so that the metal whistles wouldn’t stick to their lips. Even so, nearly 51,000 fans watched the coldest game in league annals.
Several players were treated for frostbite and a fan in the stands died of exposure to the cold.
Bart Starr, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback, scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining, clinching a third straight NFL Championship for the Packers. Starr ran a QB sneak behind RG Jerry Kramer and center Ken Bowman.
