Ravens Say 'Snow Thanks' to Potential Weather Conditions in Buffalo

Baltimore bracing for challenging weather in Buffalo

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has never played a game in the snow.

He wants to keep it that way.

Baltimore is slated to travel to Buffalo for an AFC divisional playoff game. The local forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of snow with an accumulation of about an inch, according to the National Weather Service.

“Zero. Zero experience" Jackson said about playing in the snow. "I never got to play in the snow. Except, my first-time seeing snow in Louisville, we had a snowball fight, so that’s totally different from playing in it," Jackson said. "But yes, that definitely would be my first time playing football in the snow – Saturday, if it does. Hopefully, it doesn’t.”

The Ravens had one of the most memorable games in franchise history in the snow at M&T Bank Stadium in 2013. Baltimore and the Minnesota Vikings traded five touchdowns over the final two minutes. The Ravens won the game 29-26 on Joe Flacco's  9-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Brown with 4 seconds remaining. 

While the snow is fun for the fans, it causes challenges for the players with footing and handling the ball.

If it does snow in Buffalo, it will also be a new experience for Ravens left guard Bradley Bozeman, who played collegiately at Alabama.

"I prefer playing on grass, myself," Bozeman said. "I’ve never played in snow. I know the surface of grass. So, I’ve never played in snow, and big guys in slippery situations are not always a good thing. So, I’m going to hope for no snow, but if it snows, we’ll have to adjust, and we’ll have to go from there.”

The Ravens led the NFL with 191.1 yards rushing per game, so they're well-equipped to deal with harsh conditions. The Bills, however, have much more experience playing in the snow because it's a way of life in Western New York. 

Baltimore safety Chuck Clark had a much more pragmatic approach to playing in potentially difficult conditions.

 “I don’t think I’ve ever played in any snow games, but I had a few snow practices back in college," said Clark, who played at Virginia Tech. "But I’m sure that we’re going to do everything that we need to do throughout the week of practice so that we all have good … Like on the offensive side, [we have] a good grip on the ball and all of our footing is right. So, I think we’ll be alright if it does come to that.”