When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the field Sunday against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, one thing is sure, it will be freezing cold. Shockingly cold? Probably not. These players are from all over the country and certainly know cold.
But look at the difference between our two cities. Friday’s high temperature in Green Bay, Wisconsin is 17 degrees. Tampa’s high temperature will reach 73 degrees.
The good news for the Bucs is a big warm-up is expected Sunday for the game. By kickoff at 3:05 p.m., temperatures will actually rise to nearly 30 degrees. Tampa Bay Head Football Coach Bruce Arians told USA Today that he doesn’t consider it cold enough to affect the game unless it’s in the single digits.
A snowstorm is in the forecast too. As much as 2-4 inches of snow may accumulate. However, the majority of this should fall before kickoff.
To make it more interesting, that snow may transition into a freezing drizzle with occasional light snow during the game.
However, the field won’t be a rock-hard frozen tundra that it’s so famous for. It’s actually heated. It’s never frozen thanks to a series of underground pipes filled with a solution that included antifreeze. Players have said it’s just like playing on the summer grass.
According to Popular Mechanics, there are other tricks to keep the players warm.
NFL players enjoy a heated bench that includes trays that slide out, allowing the players to stand on them and have warm air blow up at them. There is a "hot hats" feature that allows players to place helmets on posts on the back of the bench and keep the air-filled padding inside the helmet soft.
There are also kerosene-powered blowers pumping heat out at the players. These blowers keep the sideline over 50 degrees between the two 30-yard lines, even when the temperature outside is far below freezing.
Of course, the players also dress for the cold. They dress in layers of fleece and plenty of sweat-wicking cold-weather gear to keep players dry. Some want to show off their bare arms, so they rub Vaseline on their arms to ward off the wind. Some even spray deodorant on their body to make sure the body doesn’t sweat as much in an attempt at keeping skin dry and warmer.
There are also heat packs that some players put inside helmets, stuff them in their uniform, and even get them inside cleats and gloves.
So what’s Coach Arians most concerned about? The wind. Arians told reporters on Thursday that “The wind is a much, much bigger factor. It’s not going to affect the game at 28 degrees, but the wind really affects the game.”
The wind won’t be incredibly strong throughout the game, but it may be shifting directions.
Winds will shifting from a southerly direction to northwest throughout the day. Wind speed should generally be less than 10 mph but may be slightly higher at times.
Despite the cold wintry weather, it may not be an advantage for the cold weather Packers. As I wrote in a previous story, Tom Brady has been called by some as the best cold weather quarterback of all time.
The winner of Sunday's NFC Championship Game will advance to play the winner of the AFC Championship Game in Super Bowl LV, which will be played in Tampa on Feb. 7. The game will be televised locally on 10 Tampa Bay.
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