What Chiefs, Texans are saying about expected cold weather for playoff game in KC

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams said he tries to avoid letting outside factors, like the weather, affect his performance.

That was toughest to maintain one game last season: When it was minus-4 degrees — with a 27-under wind chill — in the Chiefs’ home playoff victory against the Miami Dolphins.

“Your eyes are tearing up, and the tears are freezing,” Williams told The Star on Wednesday with a smile. “So it’s hard to just skip over that.”

The Chiefs battled through it together. They came away with a convincing 26-7 win while looking more motivated than their counterparts from sunny South Beach.

Which begs the question as cold weather looms for the Chiefs’ home playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday: Could KC get a similar boost this season while facing a warm-weather team unaccustomed to these temperatures?

“Looking back on it, it was the best training for us. We’re used to that kind of weather,” Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal said of going through last season’s game against Miami. “Any weather now, it’s like, ‘OK, it’ll affect us a little.’ But hopefully, we use that as like, ‘We’ve been through that. We’re gonna be smooth.’”

What the weather forecast says

So what will both teams face when Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game kicks off?

Chris Bowman, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Kansas City, said the contest should start around 23 degrees in Kansas City, with northerly 10-15 mph winds gusting to 20 mph. The combination means wind chills should begin between 11 to 13 degrees before dropping to the 9-to-10-degree range by early evening.

“Temperatures aren’t going to drop precipitously during the game, but it’s gonna get colder,” Bowman said. “A lot of that cold is because the wind is a factor as well.”

To be blunt, the Texans — and second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud — don’t have much experience in these settings.

According to Stathead’s database, Houston has only played four games in franchise history (since 2002) with temperatures below 25 degrees. The Texans are 3-1 in those contests, but only one of those — on Christmas Eve in 2022 — took place in the last seven seasons.

Meanwhile, Stroud has only played in four NFL games with the temperature below 45 degrees. He’s 2-2 in those contests, while also dropping the coldest game: a 34-10 setback to the Baltimore Ravens on a 27-degree day in last season’s Divisional Round.

“I don’t really have anything up my sleeve,” Stroud told reporters Tuesday, when asked about preparing for KC’s cold weather. “That is kind of one of the reasons I went to Ohio State was to play in the cold and get used to that. I have played in cold weather games before.”

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday that there would be “no excuses about weather.” He expected his team to play well regardless of the elements.

“We understand we’ll be on the road, it’s going to be cold, that’s what we have to deal with,” Ryans said. “And it’s not a challenge for us. It’s just something the other team has to deal with as well. So, we’re ready to go.”

Getting an edge?

The Chiefs still have a natural advantage of being able to experience some cold conditions in practice this week.

KC was able to go outdoors after snowplows cleared the field earlier in the week. Perhaps appropriately, some Chiefs went through drills Wednesday with snowdrifts looming over them in the distance.

Williams said he understood why coach Andy Reid opted for this type of run-through on a 34-degree day. Like stretching to stay limber or running to stay in shape, being outside in the elements allowed the team to remain prepared for what’s next.

“This is one of those discipline things,” Williams said. “ ... And we’re not playing in a dome, so it doesn’t make sense to practice inside.”

Chenal, born in Wisconsin, said that cold days affect certain body parts the most. Players feel it in their fingers and toes first, and receivers and cornerbacks can be affected most because they use their hands more than others.

Williams said there are some tricks to keeping warm on frigid days. Some guys put Vaseline on their hands to protect them from the conditions, while others inserted a second liner inside their gloves.

“But sometimes that’s just something you’ve got to deal with,” Williams said, “especially when you know you’re going to be jamming those fingers and getting them a little numb.”

What remains uncertain

Chenal admits that last year’s game against Miami was more brutal than anticipated.

He went in thinking he’d avoid the sideline heaters altogether. He eventually, however, caved in.

“I told myself I had a little bit of pride. Like, ‘I’m from Wisconsin. I got this,’” Chenal said. “But I definitely felt it a little bit.”

The good news for the Chiefs? These conditions Saturday won’t be that bad. While cold, the wind chills should remain at least 35 degrees above last year’s chiller.

KC, from experience, seems as if it will be ready for the adverse conditions.

Will Houston be? That remains to be seen.

“I don’t think you can simulate just the weather that’s up here in the Midwest during January,” Williams said. “It might be a small advantage, but I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to come out here and play their best brand of football. And that’s what we’re preparing for.”