Two weeks ago, the NFL saw several snow-globe games on the same day. On Sunday, the league could experience a much more eclectic mixture of conditions.
All forecasts come from our friends at Weather.com.
Of 12 games to be played in non-domed stadiums, the two best sets of conditions will prevail in Jacksonville and San Diego. For the Titans-Jaguars game, a temperature in the low 80s will be made to feel a bit lower with 12 mph winds. There’s no chance of precipitation. (Thunderstorms arrive tonight, so it’s a good thing this game wasn’t flexed. Yes, I’m being sarcastic.)
In San Diego, it will be like it always is in San Diego: Sunny. The temperature will be only in the 60s, which will make it not much warmer than many of the NFL cities in the east.
The rest of the day’s games will resemble Forrest Gump’s finest box of Christmas chocolates. Let’s take a quick tour.
In Buffalo, there’s an ice storm warning until 12:00 p.m. ET. While conditions during the Dolphins-Bills game are expected to be good by Western-New-York-in-late-December standards (temperature in the 40s, 30 percent chance of rain, 13 mph winds), travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium could be interesting -- for the folks who actually will be showing up.
In Green Bay, the renewal of the Steelers-Packers mini-rivalry likely will occur with snow in the air. The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 20s, winds in the teens, and a 60-percent chance of snow.
In Kansas City, a winter storm will have cleared out by kickoff of Colts-Chiefs. There’s a 20-percent chance of precipitation, winds will be in the range of 12 mph, and temperature in the lows 20s.
For four games, a lightning delay could be in the offing. In Baltimore, where a severe thunderstorm watch currently is due to expire at 10:00 a.m. ET, there’s a 50-percent chance of thundershowers throughout the Ravens-Patriots game. Temperatures will be in the low 70s, with wind in the teens.
In Charlotte, Saints-Panthers could be disrupted by thunderstorms in the forecast throughout the game, with temperature in the low 70s and wind in excess of 15 mph.
The Cowboys-Redskins game to be played in Landover, Maryland will see a 50-50 chance of thunderstorms and temperature in the low 70s.
For Sunday night in Philly, the Bears-Eagles game could see thundershowers early, yielding to rain not long after kickoff. The mercury will be in the low 60s.
For two other games, it’ll be only rain and no arbitrary bolts of deadly electricity from above. Browns-Jets has a 50-percent chance of precipitation, with temperature in the mid-60s and wind in the range of 10 mph. Cardinals-Seahawks likewise has a 50-percent chance of rain, with temperature in the upper 40s.
In Cincinnati, there’s no rain or snow or ice but the wind will be in the range of 20 miles per hour.
So, basically, it’s a little bit of everything on a day when anything can happen as plenty of teams continue to jockey not only for playoff berths but also for playoff positioning.