It Could Be the Coldest Playoff Game Ever

Seahawks/Vikings game Sunday in Minnesota could be the coldest playoff game ever.

The Minnesota Vikings used to play in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, that was until this year. They imploded the Metrodome to make way for a new indoor stadium next year. Until then the Vikings play their home games at TCF Bank Stadium, outside, in the Minnesota winter chill.

When the game starts Sunday at 11:05 our time, the temp is forecast to be -1, one below zero Fahrenheit, OMG it's Friggin' cold and my nose is sticking together.  You ever have that happen?  It's around zero, you breathe in through your nose and the hairs stick together....naw me neither. My Grandma Hahn maybe, she had nose hair you could measure with a yardstick.

Back to my story, I researched some things that happen to the body in extreme cold. Did you know your eyeballs can freeze? No kidding, imagine Russel Wilson telling his guys, "I can't see, my eyeballs are frozen."  The best way to combat this is with goggles and by blinking a lot, kind of like when you ask your wife a stupid question and she gives you that look.

The blood will pool away from your fingers and toes, making them vulnerable to frostbite, or worse that really cold, numb feeling. Gloves, hand, and feet warmers and alcohol help in keeping the blood warm and flowing.  Now that last one would go over well with the NFL substance policy, but better safe than lose a toe.

Your body will start to shut down. Imagine the offensive line of the Seahawks suddenly shutting down as a play starts. OK, after this last season that's not such a stretch.

You can get so confused, you start to undress.  Now this one could be funny. On the other hand, why is it the ones you don't want to see naked are the first ones to shed their shirt?

With this knowledge in hand, let's make sure every player has mittens, a down parka, insulated pants and boots before they go out and try to move on in the NFL playoffs.  I for one would love to see the players dressed like the Michelin Men for a game, it would bring a whole other element to tackling.

Just a note, here are the two coldest NFL games ever. Ice Bowl between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys on 31 December 1967. The mercury that day was at minus 13, with the winds pushing the wind chill down to 48 degrees below zero. With the wind chill factored in, the coldest game in NFL history was an AFC playoff game on 10 January 1982, where the Cincinnati Bengals played host to the San Diego Chargers. The temperature that day was nine degrees below zero, but winds in Cincinnati (nearly 30 miles an hour) made the wind chill minus 59. The Chargers lost that game 27-7.

Have fun and stay warm.

Kevin