Put on your coat and hat and relive some of the most frigid games in the history of postseason play in the NFL.
Cold weather is a staple of NFL playoff football. With a a large portion of the country experiencing frigid temperatures during the most important phase of the NFL season, the prospect of high stakes football in wintry conditions adds extra intrigue for fans.
Throughout NFL history, cold weather has set the stage for some of the most unforgettable playoff battles. Here’s a look back at 10 of the coldest NFL playoff games, where the action on the field remained blazing hot despite the freezing conditions.
What Was the Coldest Game in NFL Playoff History?
At the top of the list of coldest NFL playoff games is the 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Best known as the Ice Bowl, the game was played in minus-13-degree temperatures, with the wind chill sinking as low as minus-36 degrees. Green Bay won the game 21-17, but there were few who felt like winners on the field that day as the two teams braved the most extreme weather conditions.
Special teams play was impacted most by the cold weather, as the kickers made just one of their three field goal attempts on the day. But both teams were able to move the ball through the air, as Packers QB Bart Starr threw for 191 yards in an era when passing offenses were less sophisticated than those of today. While styles of play have evolved since the Ice Bowl, no amount of change will erase that game from its legendary status in NFL history.
Top 10 Coldest NFL Playoff Games
1. 1967 NFL Championship Game
As mentioned above, the Ice Bowl was the coldest game in NFL playoff history. Not only did it feature the lowest recorded on-field temperature, but it was also one hell of a football game, touted among the best in the history of the NFL during the league's 100th anniversary celebration. With Bart Starr sneaking in for a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, the Packers earned a frosty victory that left the Cowboys literally out in the cold.
2. 1981 AFC Championship Game
In the 1981 AFC Championship Game played between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers, only one team was accustomed to the brutal conditions. The temperature for this game got as low as minus-9 degrees, while the wind chill reportedly dropped to minus-59 degrees. The Bengals won the game known as the Freezer Bowl decisively over their opponents from sunny Southern California, building an early lead and playing mistake-free football despite the bitter cold.
3. 1945 NFL Championship Game
Before the Ice Bowl became the coldest game in NFL history, that honor belonged to the 1945 NFL Championship Game between the Cleveland Rams and Washington Redskins. This game had a bit of everything: a minus-8 degree temperature, players sitting in haystacks to keep warm, and a safety deciding the game when 'Skins QB Sammy Baugh hit the goalposts with a pass. Thankfully for modern NFL players, stadiums today have heaters on the sidelines.
4. 2015 NFC Wild Card Playoff
The Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks played a memorable game in the Wild Card round of the NFC playoffs. Temperatures were minus-6 degrees, while the wind chill dropped to minus-25. The game is mostly remembered more for Blair Walsh’s miss on a chip-shot field goal that cost the Vikings a trip to the Divisional round. Seattle lost in the next round to the eventual NFC champion Carolina Panthers, but fans will always remember the Seahawks' narrow escape from the frigid cold of Minnesota in January.
5. 2023 AFC Wild Card Playoff
The most recent entry onto our list of coldest NFL playoff games is the 2023 AFC Wild Card game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. That game at Arrowhead Stadium hit minus-4 degrees on the thermometer, with a wind chill of minus-27. The Chiefs beat a South Florida-based Dolphins team that was not accustomed to playing in that kind of cold, which helped stifle the high-flying Miami offense. Patrick Mahomes and company rode the momentum from that win all the way to a Super Bowl title.
6. 2007 NFC Championship Game
There is an iconic takeaway from the 2007 NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants at Lambeau Field. But it wasn't the minus-1 degree temperature or minus-23 degree wind chill. Instead, it was the lasting image of Giants Coach Tom Coughlin’s face, red and clearly in discomfort throughout the contest. As the Giants won that game and went on to prevail in Super Bowl XLII, the pain was clearly worth it for Coughlin and his team.
7. 1993 AFC Divisional Playoff
The first game on this list not to have a temperature in the negatives is the 1993 AFC Divisional game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Raiders. That game saw temperatures of 0 degrees, with the Bills winning to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Buffalo later beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference title game to make their fourth straight Super Bowl, which they lost for the fourth straight year.
8. 1980 AFC Divisional Playoff
The Cleveland Browns could not catch a break in the playoffs in the 1980s. From the 1980 Divisional playoffs heartbreaker to Earnest Byner’s game-killing fumble in 1987, Cleveland suffered a string of crushing postseason losses during the decade. In this game that featured 2-degree temperatures, the Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders after a late interception in the end zone, when they could have played conservatively and attempted a game-winning field goal.
9. 1996 NFC Championship Game
When the Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers in the 1996 NFC Championship Game, the game was nicknamed Ice Bowl II. The actual temperature for the game was 3 degrees, but the wind chill reached a bone-chilling minus-16. At least the suffering was worth it for the Packers, who won the game and went on to capture Super Bowl XXXI behind star QB Brett Favre.
10. 2003 AFC Divisional Playoff
As if the New England Patriots weren’t good enough during the Bill Belichick era, the weather in Foxborough, Massachusetts routinely helped them to neutralize elite offensive opponents. That was the case in the 2003 Divisional playoffs when the Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans, who were led by the NFL's co-MVP Steve McNair. The temperature was 4 degrees for that game, while the wind chill was minus-10 degrees, and the frostiness seemed to slow the Titans all day long.
How Cold Games Impact Fantasy Football Performance
Cold weather games can have an impact on the performance of players in fantasy football, especially DFS contests. Notice in the above list of coldest NFL playoff games that scores are relatively low. Cold weather tends to slow down the pace of gameplay, which limits the number of explosive plays. The windy conditions that often accompany winter weather also make it harder to kick field goals and complete deep passes downfield. The result is usually more subdued offensive performances, which you should consider before making your DFS picks.
To account for this, consider alternative approaches when creating a fantasy playoff lineup. For example, instead of relying on quarterbacks, big-play receivers and kickers who may see limited production, try to identify players with a history of reliability — bell-cow running backs and trusty possession receivers. Look at regular season numbers like carries, fumbles and catch rate (a measure of how often a receiver pulls in passes targeted to him).
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the coldest NFL game played outside?
The coldest NFL game ever played was the Ice Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys in the 1967 NFL Championship Game. The temperature for that game was minus-13 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-25 degrees Celsius).
What was the hottest NFL game in history?
The hottest weather game in NFL history came in 2000 when the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. The temperature at kickoff was an absolutely insane 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
Has the Super Bowl ever been played in cold weather?
The Super Bowl has been played in cold weather a few times, with the coldest Super Bowl being Super Bowl VI between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. That game won by the Cowboys was played in New Orleans with a temperature of 39 degrees at kickoff.
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