NFL playoff games always come with unpredictable weather. Because, well, that’s what happens when games take place in outdoor stadiums in January in the United States. This season is no exception. The Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday (Jan. 13) was brutally cold. In fact, it’s now one of the coldest games in NFL history.

So, what are the coldest games in NFL history? Let’s get into the history, and for goodness sake, can some of these teams opt for indoor stadiums when it’s time to rebuild? I’m looking at you Green Bay, Kansas City and Buffalo. I’m a Detroit Lions fan, and we know better than to make our stadiums outdoors.

How cold was the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins Wild Card playoff game in 2024?

It almost hurt just to watch this game on Saturday (Jan. 14). Seeing all the smoke coming out of the players’ mouths, and seeing all those Miami folks bundled up in weather they’ve probably never experienced, was just brutal. The temperature at kickoff for the Chiefs vs. Dolphins game was -4 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill was -27.

What’s the coldest NFL game ever played?

The coldest NFL game that ever took place was obviously really, really cold. That game is dubbed “The Ice Bowl,” and it was the 1967 NFL Championship between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. According to NFL Communications, the temperature at the start of the game was 13 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, and that doesn’t factor in windchill. If you add windchill, it was more like minus-48 degrees. Yikes. Still, 50,861 people attended the game and sold out Lambeau Field. Now, all of those people are a part of football history.

The final score of the game was 21-17, so it was a low-scoring game due to the cold temperature. Green Bay won. I guess they’re used to those frigid temperatures up there, right?

What are the coldest games in NFL history?

5. The fifth coldest game on record in the NFL was on Dec. 10, 1972, at Metropolitan Stadium. It had the Minnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers. The temperature was 0 degrees Fahrenheit with a -18 windchill.

4. Yes, the fourth-coldest game on record in the NFL took place on Jan. 13, 2024. So, it just happened. When the Miami Dolphins took on the Kansas City Chiefs, the temperature at kickoff was -4 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill was -27. It got even colder during the game. So, it was brutal.

3. The third coldest game of all time was on Jan. 10, 2016, at TCF Bank Stadium. This is where the Seattle Seahawks took on the Minnesota Vikings. The temperature was -6 degrees Fahrenheit with a -25 windchill.

2. The second coldest game on record in the NFL took place on Jan. 10, 1982, at Riverfront Stadium. It had the Cincinnati Bengals against the San Diego Chargers and was -9 degrees Fahrenheit with a -59 windchill. Yikes. That’s worse than the coldest game on record, at least the windchill.

1. We already described “The Ice Bowl,” which was the coldest game on record. It took place in 1967 at Lambeau Field and marked the FL Championship between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. It was 13 degrees Fahrenheit and a -48 windchill.