It's going to get frigid at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, as cold temperatures are in the forecast for the Chiefs-Seahawks Week 16 game on Saturday.
The Chiefs locked up their seventh-consecutive AFC West division title in Week 15. It guarantees them a top-four seed for the playoffs, however, they are currently tied with the Bills for the top spot in the AFC. With Buffalo owning the tiebreaker, Kansas City needs to finish with a better record to earn the bye.
On the other side, the Seahawks are fighting to keep their season alive. Seattle is 7-7 and on the outside of the playoff picture. The Commanders are in the final wild card spot in the NFC with their 7-6-1 record, so the Seahawks are right there. However, so are the 7-7 Lions and 6-8 Packers.
Snow and winds aren't expected to be an issue, but the two teams will have to deal with the chilly temperatures. There won't be many changes to their routines, as the Chiefs and Seahawks have dealt with this kind of weather previously.
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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes did admit that he will be making one alteration for his game day routine in preparation for the colder weather.
"I’ll throw that little neck-warmer thing that I always throw on. It doesn’t look great, but it keeps my neck warm," Mahomes said. "I’m not a big, like, throw-a-glove-on guy or anything like that, so that’s about it."
Chiefs vs. Seahawks weather updates
Saturday, Dec. 24
Forecast: High of 18 degrees, winds chills between 4 and -6 degrees, winds expected to be between 7 and 10 mph with gusts to 22 mph.
Source: National Weather Service
While it's common for offensive linemen to show their toughness by playing in short sleeves in frigid conditions, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is taking things to the next level pregame by running routes without a shirt.
A shirtless DK Metcalf running routes in 7-degree weather in Kansas City is the content we all need. pic.twitter.com/rBcFpcxzGr
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 24, 2022
Field frost at Arrowhead. Current KC temp: 7. “Warmer” than it’s been last 2 days. pic.twitter.com/CSxhvkZHSE
— Blair Kerkhoff (@BlairKerkhoff) December 24, 2022
Friday, Dec. 23
Forecast: High of 16 degrees, wind chills expected to be -7 degrees and -17 degrees; winds expected to be between 15-17 mph with gusts hitting as high as 32 mph
Source: National Weather Service
The wind may be more of a factor than initially anticipated, as the wind chills are going to get sub-zero in Kansas City. The gusts have now risen to potentially hit as high as 32 mph.
Snow is still not in the forecast. Just a chilly, windy day in K.C.
Thursday, Dec. 22
Forecast: High of 15 degrees, low of 4 degrees; winds expected to be between 7-11 mph with gusts hitting as high as 22 mph
Source: National Weather Service
There is no wind or snow concerns in Kansas City for the Saturday afternoon game. While snow is expected to hit Kansas City Thursday, there is not any in the forecast for game day.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a clear, sunny day on Saturday, so the only concern will be the temperature. It is anticipated that the temps for Saturday's game between the Chiefs and Seahawks won't get over 20 degrees, however, it is not expected to get to be sub-zero either.
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If the forecast stays the same up until kickoff, it will be the second-coldest game in Seahawks history. It would only trail the 2016 Wild Card game against the Vikings when temperatures hit -6 degrees.
The Weather Channel forecasts the temperature in Kansas City to be 15 degrees on Saturday, when the Seahawks play the Chiefs at Arrowhead. That would be second-coldest game in Seahawks history, behind their wild-card win at Minnesota (minus-6) in January of 2016.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) December 20, 2022
The Chiefs are familiar with cold weather. To put it in perspective, the 10th-coldest game in Kanas City history had the temperature at 11 degrees, so a 15-degree game would not even crack the top 10.
