Weather Could Be Issue for Packers-Chiefs on Sunday Night

The weather outside won’t be frightful, but it won’t be delightful, either, when the Packers host the Chiefs on Sunday night.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Winter has arrived in Green Bay, just in time for the Packers’ Sunday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, after the team practiced with a wind-chill index flirting with 0 degrees on Monday, the weather will be much closer to normal for the primetime matchup.

“I’m thinking we’ll see light snow and/or a wintry mix Saturday night and Sunday morning,” WBAY-TV meteorologist Steve Beylon said. “Probably an inch or less of slush, with the precipitation wrapping up Sunday afternoon. If everything holds, it will be cloudy, but dry during the Packer game. Temperatures in the lower 30s, but a north breeze around 5-10 mph will make it feel like the mid-20s.”

As always this far out, the forecast is subject to change and could deliver a wet game for the teams and the 78,000 fans expected to be in attendance.

“Keep an eye on that ‘Sunday schmutz,’” he said. “If that disturbance slows down, it could bring some light mixed precipitation during the game. For now, I’m leaning towards a dry game.”

The average high in Green Bay is 37, which was just about the temperature for the start of practice on Wednesday. That’s about 20 degrees warmer than it was on Monday, when the receivers were slipping across the practice field and the wind added an extra bite to the cold.

“Shhh, not used to it,” receiver Dontayvion Wicks said. “It was very cold, and I’ve been hearing it’s not close to what it’s going to be. Taking it day by day, getting used to it day by day; knowing that it’s not going to happen soon. Just toughing it out.”

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Under coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers are 13-5 with a kickoff temperature of 35 or colder. That includes 8-1 when it’s between 32 and 35.

Their prowess in cold weather is why LaFleur is 15-0 in December, the longest December winning streak at the start of a coach’s tenure in NFL history. In December and January, LaFleur is 18-2 in regular-season games.

“I think it’s just staying consistent, staying true to your process and really pushing to get better,” LaFleur said.

However, the Packers had their seasons end against Tampa Bay in the 2020 NFC Championship Game (kickoff temperature of 29), San Francisco in the 2021 playoffs (kickoff temperature of 15) and Detroit in the 2022 finale (kickoff temperature of 21).

That loss to the Lions snapped the Packers’ 10-game home winning streak in December and January.

The December chill can make things tricky for the skill-position players, who might not have full feeling and dexterity in their fingers.

“Just locking in on the details more,” Wicks said of catching the ball in the cold. “Just looking the ball in more because you already can’t feel your hands unless you bring out the hand warmers. Most of the time, your hands aren’t going to be in there when you’re on the field. Just locking in more on the details of catching.”

In a season filled with firsts, this will be the California native Jordan Love’s first cold-weather – or sort-of-cold-weather – game, though Utah State isn’t to be confused with Tampa, Fla., or Tempe, Ariz.

Is it harder to throw a cold football?

“100 percent,” he said. “It’s harder to play in the cold. When it’s cold, snowing, your hands aren’t as warm, things like that. There’s all these little factors that play into it, but it’s a mental game. You’ve just got to be able to be stronger than the elements.”

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