Buffalo Rumblings
The weather forecast favors the home team, if Allen has ice in his veins.
It’s going to be chilly in Orchard Park, NY Sunday evening when the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens take the field. Despite what Steve Tasker has said there is no “might” about it.
According to Rotowire, it should be about 16º Fahrenheit with a 59% chance of snow at kickoff time. There will also be winds blowing diagonally across the frozen turf at Highmark Stadium — and wind always makes it feel even colder than it is. According to the official game forecast, “The wintry conditions may impact passing and catching.”
Seems like a recipe for a disaster for a team whose quarterback has almost 3,000 passing yards in the playoffs. Except it’s not. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is 12-2 in games played in sub-freezing conditions and has led his team to an NFL best +167-point differential when the mercury in the thermostat doesn’t climb past 32.
Since he entered the league in 2018, Allen leads all quarterbacks in touchdowns per game when temperatures are at or below the freezing mark. Allen has 2.86 touchdowns per game — almost a full half score more than Kirk Cousins with 2.43 who has the second most and more than a half point ahead of Joe Burrow who sits at 2.33.
Obviously, despite the Baltimore Ravens’ indoor practice being more questioned, neither the Bills nor their opponents for Sunday’s playoff game have spent much time outside this week as conditions in both cities have proven hazardous. However, if weather is going to be the difference maker, the edge is going to the home team this week.
While Baltimore opened doors to their practice facility on Thursday and practiced outside on Friday, the Bills have the advantage of having held their Friday practice in Highmark Stadium, the site for Sunday’s can’t-miss-TV special.
And, despite what Ravens’ special teams coach Chris Horton thinks, the turf at Highmark Stadium is not heated. Is Baltimore preparing incorrectly?
Regardless of the field, the snow, the wind, the chill, this game is going to come down to the play of two men: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. How they handle the elements on Sunday will be a big factor, but ultimately, it’s going to be on their shoulders — or so the media will spend all weekend telling us.
So then, with two players who are so closely linked — both drafted in 2018, both mobile, dual threats, both locked into a season-long MVP battle, both now battling for the postseason QB rushing leader tag – will experience be the difference?
While Josh Allen has played in 14 sub-freezing games (not to mention he played his college ball in Wyoming where it is not warm), Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has only played in four games when the temperature has failed to reach above 32 degrees — and the coldest he has played? Twenty-seven. That’s a full 11º warmer than it will be on Sunday.
Let’s...
