Titans Brace for Unusually Cold Conditions

Saturday's game against the Houston Texans could be the coldest home game in the history of the franchise.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans may be days away from playing the coldest home game in franchise history.

Currently, that distinction belongs to a Dec. 31, 2017, matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a game that featured a kickoff temperature of 23 degrees and wind chill 16 degrees.

The current Weather Channel forecast forecast for Nashville on Saturday calls for a high of 23 degrees, with winds out of the west/northwest at 10-15 miles per hour.

Playing in extremely cold weather hasn’t been a strong suit for this franchise over the years.

The Titans did win that frigid 2017 game, beating the Jaguars 15-10 and clinching their first playoff spot in nearly a decade in the process.

But the Titans/Oilers are 6-8 all-time in games played at 23 degrees or less. (It should be noted that 13 of those 14 contests – all except the Jacksonville game of 2017 – were played on the road.)

In addition, a foxweather.com article published last month stated that the Titans had a 10-17 record in games played below 34 degrees since 2008. Among the 29 teams to have played at least 10 such games during that stretch, the Titans’ win percentage of .370 was seventh worst in the NFL.

A rundown of the five coldest games in the history of Nissan Stadium: 

Opponent	Date	Temperature	Result
Jacksonville	Dec. 31, 2017	23 degrees	W 15-10
Pittsburgh	Nov. 17, 2014	25 degrees	L 27-24
Cleveland	Dec. 30, 2001	28 degrees	L 41-38
Pittsburgh	Dec. 21, 2008	29 degrees	W 31-14
Denver	Dec 25, 2004	29 degrees	L 37-16

Of course, it’s worth remembering that this season Tennessee already has played a “warm-up” for Saturday’s game.

On November 7, the Titans marched onto the legendary frozen tundra of Green Bay, where the game-time temperature was 26 degrees – with a wind chill of 16 degrees. Tennessee won that contest 27-17, no small feat considering the Packers are 53-22 in games played below 34 degrees since 2008 – a .710 winning percentage that ranked third among NFL teams as of last month.

“Green Bay, that was really the first big test right there,” cornerback Roger McCreary said. “Because I’ve never seen snow that much, really. But it was snowing, so I felt like that was a good test for me.

“But this game right here (on Saturday)? They said it’s going to be real cold. But really? I say it’s all mental. It’s all in the head. I feel like I’m going to be good at the end. But yeah, it’s going to be cold. I can already tell.”

A Mobile, Ala., native who played for Auburn, McCreary hasn’t played in a lot of cold-weather games over the years.

But he has developed a routine, which starts with the substances McCreary uses to keep his hands and arms warm.

“All I need is some Vaseline, some Icy Hot on my arms and everything,” McCreary said. “My legs don’t get cold, really. It’s really my arms. Once they’re good, I’m straight. I’m good for the game.”

His second priority makes good practical sense.

“I gotta’ be close to a heater,” McCreary said. “(That’s been) working out good for me, I would say. But it’s all mental. It’s not like a big change for me. I feel I can play through it.”

How do very cold temperatures traditionally affect football games?

The air pressure of a football is reduced by 20 percent in cold weather, per USA Today, which can affect players’ grip on the football, thereby increasing the possibility of interceptions and fumbles.

In addition, kickoffs and punts on average travel three yards shorter in colder air. That could impact field-goal range, as well as lead to more kick-offs being returned than usual.

“We would have had to prepare to return kicks against the Texans, anyway,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “They’re a very good special-teams unit. They’re good in kick-off. I think they’re first or second in kick-offs (landing) inside the 20-yard line. So even in the dome, (Ka’imi Fairbairn) is kicking them up there. They’re covering them extremely well. So we would have had to return kick-offs and be really good in that phase from a special-teams standpoint.”

Does he see weather making an impact on the game overall?

“I hope it never makes a difference,” Vrabel said. “We’ve played in the rain. We’ve played in the snow. Kind of go through a lot of these things.

“We’ll get some work inside (Tuesday), and then we’ll work our way outside as the week goes along, and then everyone will just have to be prepared in their own way (on Saturday), whether that’s the footing or the shoes we wear or all the other things that go along with playing in weather games.”