We could be getting a snow game in Philadelphia on Sunday
There could be snow falling on Sunday when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs. The forecast is calling for frigid temperatures and possible snow when the two teams kick off at 3 p.m. ET.
According to Weather Underground, the kickoff temperature is expected to be around 35 degrees, which would make it the second-coldest game the Eagles have hosted since the start of the 2022 season. There’s also a 60% chance of precipitation, which could come in the form of snow or rain, depending on what the temperature is outside when the precipitation starts.
Although it will be cold and possibly snowy, one thing that might not be a huge factor is the wind. The latest estimate shows expected wind gusts of 8 to 10 mph, which likely wouldn’t play a huge factor in the kicking game. However, if those gusts get up to 15 or even 20 mph, that could be a problem for the two kickers in the game: Jake Elliott and Joshua Karty.
With the Rams coming from the west coast, the cold weather could put them at disadvantage, but it hasn’t seemed to bother Matthew Stafford over the course of his career. Since being traded to the Rams in 2021, Matthew Stafford has only played in two games where the temperature was 40 degrees or below and he’s gone 1-1.
One of those games came in November 2021 when he threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-28 loss in Green Bay. The only other cold-weather game came back in Week 16 when Stafford threw for just 110 yards and one touchdown in a 19-9 road win over the New York Jets.
Over the course of his career, Stafford has actually played pretty well in cold weather. Stafford has only topped 500 yards once in his career and that came during Detroit’s regular-season finale back in 2011 when he threw for 520 yards IN Green Bay when the temperature was just 31 degrees. In December 2020, he also threw for 402 yards in a game where the temperature was 35 degrees at kickoff in Chicago. Those games rank first and 10th for the most passing yards in a game in Stafford’s career.
As for the Eagles, they went 3-1 this season in games where the temperature was 40 degrees or below, including their 22-10 wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Earlier this season, Jalen Hurts threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns in a 36-33 loss to the Commanders back in Week 16 in game where the temperature was 31 degrees at kickoff.
With the weather expected to be cold, that could open the door for Saquon Barkley to have a big game. The Eagles running back played in three games, including the playoffs, where the temperature was 40 degrees or below this season and he averaged 111.3 yards per game, which was actually below what he did in warmer games. In the 14 games where the temperature was above 40 degrees, Barkley averaged 137.7 yards per game. Barkley also went off for a season-high 255 rushing yards in a 37-20 win over the Rams earlier this season, but that game was played indoors.
