Friday Football Forecasts

Getty Images

When it comes to bad weather football games, I’m more of a fan of rain than snow. I get it: snow looks nice and it’s sort of fun, for a while, to watch the players slip, slide and fumble around the field.

It’s all great. But to me, nothing beats a good gully washer of a rain storm. I love watching games were rain is pouring down on the players and fans are getting soaked.

It’s not likely well see anything that dramatic this weekend, but rain showers are forecasted for many of the NFL cities. And for you snow fans, there is mention of the white stuff for games in Kansas City and, of course, Green Bay, where if you look right now (2:20 p.m., Friday, Dec. 20, 2013), you’ll see Lambeau is already covered.

So, without further gibberish – I love that word – here are your forecasts for this week’s 14 NFL outdoor games.

Dolphins at Bills: High of 51/Rain

Colts at Chiefs: High of 25/Chance of light snow

Vikings at Bengals: High of 58/Rain likely

Cowboys at Redskins: High of 73 (Wow! In December?) / Showers likely

Browns at Jets: High of 64/chance of showers (And a good chance Geno will turn the ball over at least three times.)

Saints at Panthers: High of 73/Showers

Titans at Jaguars: High of 81/Patchy fog (I’d love to see another Fog Bowl, but not for the Titans and Jags.)

Broncos at Texans: High of 68/Mostly sunny (If Peyton Manning stinks this week –that’s unlikely against the two-win Texans – no one can blame the temperature.)

Cardinals at Seahawks: High of 48/Rain likely (Great! I love the look of the Seahawks playing at home in the rain.)

Steelers at Packers: High 25/Snow (The low for Green Bay Sunday night is -3. Burrrrr!)

Raiders at Chargers: High of 67/Sunny

Patriots at Ravens: High 71/showers likely

Sunday Night
Bears at Eagles: Low of 33/Showers likely (The high in Philly Sunday should hit around 71.)

Monday Night

Falcons at 49ers: Low of 48/Mostly clear

-- rain --

Football Friday Forecasts

Photo: Hunter Martin/Philadelphia Eagles/Getty Images

Last Friday, I was trying to think of creative posts topics for The Rainout Blog and eventually a bright idea developed in mostly functional brain: "Hey, I'll post the weather forecasts for this week's NFL games."

Not a bad idea for a sports/weather blog, eh?

So, with three weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, I think I'll make it a weekly feature.

Better later than never, I guess.

Taking a gander at this week's slate of games, I see a chance of snow for only one game: Chicago at Cleveland. So, no repeat of last week's snow-filled Sunday, which I think we all can agree was fantastic.

Ok, let's get to the weather forecasts for this week's 10 outdoor games:

Bears at Browns: High of 26/chance of snow
Cardinals at Titans: High of 35/Mostly sunny
Patriots at Dolphins: High of 85/Slight chance of showers
Seahawks at Giants: High of 37/Mostly sunny
Bills at Jaguars: High of 66/Showers likely
49ers at Buccaneers: High of 76/Scattered showers
Jets at Panthers: High of 53/Mostly sunny
Chief at Raiders: High of 61/Sunny
Packers at Cowboys: High of 52/Sunny

Sunday Night
Bengals at Steelers: Low of 26/Mostly cloudy

There you have it, a mostly dull and boring forecasts if you’re looking for a little weather flavoring in your Sunday NFL watching experience. Now that I think about it, may be posting the forecasts every week – particularly in the first half of the schedule when the weather will not be a factor – is not such a great idea.

More Manning, more cold... this is getting old

Hey, guess what. Our guy Peyton Manning gets yet another chance tonight to prove he’s a winner in cold weather. That’s right, Manning and his Broncos host the ‘Bolts from sunny San Diego in tonight’s NFL Network Thursday night game.

Temperatures throughout the game should be in the mid 30s with no chance of precipitation … blah, blah, blah. Oh, I should mention that with a mild wind, it will feel like low 30s.

(That’s warmer than it was at my house this morning, but then I didn’t have big defensive linemen chasing me down looking to knock snot bubbles out of my nose.)

I don’t think Manning and the Broncos will have much trouble with the Chargers on a clear, but cold night in Denver. I can see it being one of those games where the Broncos’ defense gives up a lot of yards and points, but the Denver offense scores a lot more.

I’m not in the prediction business, but I’ll say Broncos 45 Chargers 31.

Upon further review... Opps! I really should stay out of the prediction business. Chargers 27 Broncos20

Did pregame hibernation doom Cowboys?

Associated Press

When ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters told us how much extra clothing the Dallas Cowboys had packed for Monday night’s bitter cold contest in Chicago, you knew the ‘Boys may have been thinking a little too much about the -9 wind chills they were facing at Soldier Field.

Brandon Marshall agrees. The Bears wide receiver told Chicago’s ESPN 1000 Tuesday he knew his team had the contest won when he saw only a few Dallas players on the field preparing before the game.

“There was only a handful of Dallas players,” Marshall said. “I looked around and I said, ‘Man, we’ve got these guys.’”

The temperature at kickoff Monday was 7 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, but it felt like -9 with the wind.

“The elements were already in their heads,” Marshall continued in his radio interview. “So pregame, I believe that we won. I’m pretty sure there [would have been] more guys out there if it wasn’t colder, but they weren’t out there. For us, once you start putting on sleeves and start doing things differently, you buy into the elements and the game is over.”

The Cowboys came out of the locker room hot, running all over the Bears defense for a quick score and a 7-0 lead. Dallas kept the game close for a while, but the Bears eventually ran off to 45-28 win.

-- cold --

Bears freeze out Cowboys

Photo: Chicago Tribune

I hate to walk outside on a frigid day and hear someone ask, "Is it cold enough for ya?"

I just want to punch them right in the neck. Who asks stupid questions like that?

On Monday night in Chicago, I'm sure it was cold enough for everyone at Soldier Field where temperatures fell to 7 degrees Fahrenheit. With the wind, it felt like minus 7 as the hometown Bears whipped the Dallas Cowboys 45-28.

Next Monday, players, coaches and fans will be much warmer inside the cozy confines of Ford Field when the enigmatic Lions host the Baltimore Ravens. After both teams played in snow on Sunday, I'm sure they'll be happy to take their games inside the climate controlled dome.

I'll be at the same place I am most Monday night's, sitting in the man cave basking in TV's warm glowing warming glow.

Good night, Homer.

-- cold --

Peyton says 'shove it'

Associated Press

If you think Peyton Manning can’t win cold weather games, you can shove it!

That’s what the Denver Broncos’ quarterback, notorious for his struggles in the elements, said to a Denver radio station Sunday after tossing for 397 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-28 victory over Tennessee.

“Whoever wrote that narrative can shove that where the sun don't shine," Manning said to KAO-AM in Denver.

Manning, who obviously is sick of the notion that his play cools with the outdoor temps, is apparently fed up with the criticism. Sunday’s win gets him to 11-12 in games when the temperature is 40 degrees or below. The kickoff temperature Sunday in Denver dipped below 20.

Sunday's win for Manning at home over the mediocre Titans is nice for now, but the QB still has a way to go to prove he's not simply a fair-weather competitor. The Broncos host the Chargers Thursday night – I'm guessing it's going to be cold on a December night in Denver – plus they're likely to host a couple of playoff games in the Mile High city in January.

If he passes those tests, then one big one remains. This year, the biggest game of all, the Super Bowl, will be played outside in New Jersey. If you believe the Farmer's Almanac – I don't – the game could look a lot like Philadelphia did on Sunday.

If Manning can get past those – particularly the final three – every one of his critics should take his suggestion and shove it in a not-so-sunny place.

-- cold --

So, is this football weather?

Here we go, baby!

If you like your football with a blend of winter nastiness, this may be your weekend.

Take a look at the extended forecast for this week’s NFL action, and you’ll see “wintry mix,” “rain likely” and “chance of snow” mentioned more than a few times.

Here’s what we have, weather wise, for the outdoor games as of early Friday morning:

Colts at Bengals: High of 34/wintry mix

Bill at Buccaneers: High of 82/Patchy fog (The patchy fog is not referring to Greg Schiano’s cognitive ability to lead a pro football team.)

Chiefs at Redskins: High of 35/wintry mix (It’ll be cold at FedEx Field, but Mike Shanahan’s seat will be nice and warm? (That joke is so cliché. I can’t believe I wrote that.))

Vikings at Ravens: High of 35/wintry mix

Browns at Patriots: High of 35/Mostly sunny (Boring – just like the Patriots.)

Raiders at Jets: High of 36/slight chance of snow (and offense)

Lions at Eagles: High of 36/rain and/or snow likely

Dolphins at Steelers: High of 32/snow likely

Falcons at Packers: High of 19/snow likely (By the way, the low for Green Bay on Sunday is -2.)

Titans at Broncos: High of 16/chance of snow (Hey, have you heard? Peyton Manning is not so hot in the cold.)

Giants at Chargers: High of 56/mostly sunny (Of course, it’s San Diego)

Seahawks at 49ers: High of 47/Sunny

Monday night: Cowboys at Bears: Temperatures may dip to as low as 11 Monday night in Chicago under partly cloudy skies. I think we can refer to this as Bear weather.

-- rain --

Off pitch

Getty Images

Forget Peyton Manning and his inability to win big games in cold temperatures. You know who is getting it done in the cold right now? Folks who right now are protesting against the government in Kiev, that’s who.

Citizens are braving the cold to show their displeasure with the Ukraine government’s rejection of a trade agreement with the European Union.

The Getty Images photo above shows a man serving soup – oh, I’d love to have some soup right now – to antigovernment protestors at Kiev’s Independence Square.

The extended weather forecast for Kiev shows temperatures will top out at around 35 over the next several days and dip to a low of about 28 Saturday. Temps could drop as low as 16 next Wednesday (Dec. 11) night. Do not tick off the Soup Nazi.., that is, if one exists in Kiev.

They protestors may be there for a while. They’ve vowed remain in Independence Square until President Viktor Yanukovich steps down.

Wait, what does all of this have to do with sports? Well, nothing really. That is unless you count the fact boxing heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko is part of the pro-European group in Ukraine.

Note: If you have interest in the happenings in Kiev, I suggest you look beyond The Rainout Blog for that news.

Oh, hey. Did you hear Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak is hoping for snow in Denver Sunday?

Ball busting cold

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Remember playing backyard football with your pals when it was so cold outside  no one really wanted to catch and especially kick the ball because it was so flippin’ painful?

Sometimes it felt like your toes were going to break off – snap right off your foot – but you played anyway because, well, you loved being outside playing football with the guys.

I grew up in Virginia, so temperatures rarely dipped below zero. And temps in my hometown were nowhere close to the minus-18 degrees Fahrenheit wind chills the Hamilton Tiger Cats practiced through Wednesday, Nov. 20, in preparation for the Grey Cup which was then four days away.

Yeah, that’s right. The Tiger Cats practiced outdoors in freezing cold weather in preparation for the expected frigid conditions during the championship game in Regina. (Joke’s on the T-cats; temperatures for the Grey Cup soared to about 33 degrees Fahrenheit.)

During that frigid Wednesday practice in Regina, the home of Hamilton’s opponent and eventual Grey Cup champions Saskatchewan Roughriders, several Ticats were treated for frostbite.

Ok, we hope those guys are fine – I’m guessing no one lost a pinkie or an earlobe – but frostbite, which is serious, is not the story here.

Nope, the most interesting storyline here is that Ticats’ punter Josh Bartel and kicker Luca Congi burst four footballs during kicking drills.

In a story for the Hamilton Spectator, writer Steve Milton explains: “One of the physics principles which makes kicking in frigid weather so difficult is that, upon contact with the foot, the ball compresses which provides propulsion once the bladder expands again. The greater the force of compression, the farther it goes.”

Later in his story, Milton quotes Bartel as saying, "They (footballs) all came off the foot OK. But the ball came down flat. It looked OK but when you stepped on it, or pressed it, there was nothing there."
Here’s a photo Tweeted by Ticats Director of Communications Scott McNaughton:

A couple more cold weather casualties this afternoon. #itscold pic.twitter.com/EzVaMs883V
— Scott McNaughton (@TicatsPR) November 21, 2013

Forget Peyton, the Buckeyes can perform in cold weather

AP Photo/Jay LaPrete

Weather and sports mixed in conversation often last week, but most of it concerned Peyton Manning’s ability – well, inability – to win in cold weather. 

Time out: What’s it called when you begin and end a sentence with the same word? There has to be a word for that.

Anyway, if you’re a Broncos fan, or worse, a Patriots-hating Jets fan, Peyton didn’t do much to dispel beliefs that he can't get it done when the temperature drops.

Speaking of dropping, lets' drop the Peyton/cold weather talk because that'll resurface soon enough in January.

The day before Manning’s team blew a huge lead – it was 24-0 at halftime – and the game to those pesky New Englanders, Ohio State routed Indiana 42-14 in something we all love, a snow game.

I have to be honest, I didn’t know about the snow falling on The Horseshoe until Monday.

Thankfully, Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer penned (nobody pens $#@! anymore) banged out an excellent column about the playing conditions while also speculating that an SEC team would have difficulty competing on such a cold, snowy, windy November afternoon in Columbus.

I have to disagree with Bill. Toss in a Category 3 hurricane named Brutus and “Bama is still beating the Buckeyes by a couple of touchdowns!

This week Ohio State plays at Michigan, where the extended forecast is showing a high of 36 and sunny.

Boring!

Oh, wait.

Apparently, there’s still snow in Columbus where Ohio State fans expressed their distaste toward Michigan and ESPN’s Mark May Tuesday morning.  

Hold on. I feel a song coming on: “So we can write about things that blow, let it snow, let snow, let it snow!”

That's just stupid. I apologize.

Slide, Reggie, Slide!

Who knew the Dolphins were a cold weather team?

Heck, through first seven games of the season, who knew the Dolphins were a team at all?

Since starting at a dreadful 0-7 and being accused of sucking for Luck, the ‘Phins have swam back to respectability by winning five of their last seven games, including a 30-23 victory over the Buffalo Bills Sunday in a snowy, picturesque Orchard Park, N.Y., where temperatures were just below freezing. (Wow, that was a long sentence.)

Miami running back Reggie Bush led his team with 203 rushing yards, a big chunk of which came on a 76-yard gallop to the end zone and capped by a slide through the end zone snow at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Teammate Brandon Marshall, who could take a few sliding pointers from South Beach’s newest resident, Jose Reyes, glided right past Bush.

“I play FIFA a lot on PlayStation,” Bush said after the game. “I felt like I did a little soccer slide right there.”

Bush’s impromptu celebration drew a 15-yard penalty.

No blubber off the Dolphins, who continue their December tour of cold Northeast states with a visit with the Patriots Saturday in Foxboro, Mass., where the forecast – yeah, I know it’s a little early for forecasts – calls for a high temperature of 36 degrees and, you guessed it, a chance of snow.

Photo: Getty Images

Note: Buffalonews.com has a great photo gallery of the snowy game.

One more thing: Someone just told me I could really increase page views to The Rainout Blog if I posted images of Bills cheerleaders dancing in the snow. I haven’t yet found a good shot, but I’ll keep checking. If you have one, send it my way, and I’ll post it on the blog.

Bears Heat Up in Record Cold

How cold was it in Chicago last night? Cold enough to be the coldest Bears home game since the NFL began keeping such statistics in 1963. The cold, hard facts about Monday’s night’s weather says the temperature was 2 degrees, and the wind chill made Soldier Field patrons feel as if it were minus 13 degrees as they watched the Bears slip past the Packers in overtime. The Chicago Sun-Times web site has a list today of the Bears top 5 coldest games. The Packers have been the opponent in four of those games.

Frozen Phins

Hey, did you hear that the Miami Dolphins played in the coldest game in team history Sunday in Kansas City? Of course you did. Everyone has heard it by now. The temperature was 10 degrees with a wind chill at minus 12 at kickoff. The previous coldest Dolphins game was in December 1977 in Foxboro, Mass. What I want to know is: What was the temperature at the Dolphins coldest home game and when was that game played? Anyone who e-mails me with the correct answer wins a free subscription to this blog.

White (Sunday Before) Christmas

I’m an idiot.

Of course, if you’re a regular here, you already know that. My latest blunder involves my fantasy football team. Sure, I’m in the championship game, so I must have been doing something right, right? But where I went totally wrong was benching Payton Manning this week in favor of Matt Cassel. Manning tossed for 368 yards and three touchdowns last night in a win over Jacksonville. This Sunday, Cassel will be tossing snowballs.

When the Pats host the Cardinals Sunday, temperatures will be in the 30s and there is a good chance of snow and a wintery mix. Someone on the radio this morning – I don’t remember who – said the conditions could be similar to the Tuck Rule game. (That was a fun game to watch… until the @#$%& Patriots won on a totally bogus, @##$%&&* rule.) Patriots kicker Steve Gostkowski is preparing for whatever conditions arise (or fall) while the Pro Bowlers’ wife is preparing for the warmth of Hawaii. Meanwhile, the Warm-Weather Birds may be a little nervous about leaving the cozy, warm confines of their home dome.

The Panthers play the Giants in the wind tunnel that is the Meadowlands Sunday night in a super important game for both teams. The game forecast calls for temps in the 20s and single-digit wind chill. There’s also a chance for snow and freezing rain. (I’m trying to work in an Earth, Wind and Fire reference, but I’m just not that talented.)

Snow possibilities also are forecasted for Seattle on Sunday where the Jets hope to not allow their playoff chances melt like a snowman at August training camp. Remember when Brett Favre used to be the cold-weather king? I’m not sure that’s the case these days. I think he’d rather be playing indoors and wearing purple.

The Dolphins are staring at back-to-back cold weather games, starting this week in Kansas City where the high temperature is expected to top out at 9 degrees with winds reaching 18 to 24 mph and gusts as high as 33 mph. A week from Sunday the Dolphins travel to play the Jets in what could be a cold, night contest if the game is flexed into primetime, which could happen if the game is to decide the AFC East title.

"Cold weather can be used as an excuse," said Miami and former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "Both teams have to play in it. I did it for eight years. It's really a mind-over-matter type of thing. Cold weather, that's what football is really all about."

It still hurts a little inside to say “former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.”

Perhaps the coldest game of the week will be Monday night in Chicago were the low temperature is predicted to be 2 degrees when the Bears and Packers kick off.

Polar Bears Welcome Brees

The Bears and Saints go toe-to-toe Thursday night in Chicago, and while both teams will be fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the story of the night will be the Windy City weather.

Forecasters are calling for temperatures to dip to the lower teens with wind gusts as high as 20 mph. That’s not good news for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose passer efficiency rating at Soldier Field is 16 points below his career average. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs thinks Brees may be a bit too soft to play in the Chicago cold after Brees has spent his pro career playing in a warm city and indoors.

"Drew Brees has been in San Diego and in New Orleans in a dome,” Briggs said. "So when he comes out here, and he's got his hand-warmer fanny pack, it's a whole different ballgame. He's freezing; his blood is real thin."

In their past two trips to Chicago, the Saints have moved the ball well, but also have committed seven turnovers. The Bears defense also sacked the QB six times.

Last week, Chicago defeated Jacksonville 23-10 in 19-degree temperatures – minus 1 degree if you factor in wind chill. It was the coldest game ever in Jaguars history.

“If you talk to teams that aren’t from Chicago, believe me, they don’t want to come to Chicago this time of the year to play football,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “For us, it’s a part of our everyday life. It’s no issue with us.”

'Cats Freeze Out Black Bears

Perhaps you heard already – this game was played Saturday – that the University of New Hampshire and University of Maine played in blizzard-like conditions at Maine’s Alfond Stadium. Who won? Who cares? It was a snow game. Well, ok. New Hampshire won, but that’s irrelevant. The snow is the news here, people. Without it, most of the country would not have known this game was played. (AP Photo/Michael C. York)

Packers Warn Fans of Hypothermia

Packers fans are the best, aren’t they? Well, with the exception of that dude who taped a Packers jersey to his son. Anyway, Pack fans prepared Lambeau Field for Sunday's NFC title game with the New York Giants by shoveling snow out of the stands Thursday night. I guess it's that or sit on snow, right? Packers fans do this about every year, but I think this is the first time I've mentioned it here. Hell, weather is all the sports media are talking about this week, so I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard already. In the meantime, the Packers are urging fans to dress for super cold temperatures Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:42 Green Bay time and the forecast calls for a low of zero. If you need some tips as to what to wear, check here. The instructions are thorough. Below is an example. Sounds scary.

Dress appropriately: Hypothermia and frostbite can occur even without subzero temperatures. Wear loose, dry layers, but don't overdress. Give yourself the opportunity to shed layers to adjust to weather changes. Try a mix of cotton or wool underneath, with something waterproof on top.