How cold was it in Pittsburgh for Dolphins-Steelers? The ref's whistle froze

It might have been tied for only the sixth-coldest playoff game in Pittsburgh Steelers history, but let’s not pretend it was South Beach at Heinz Field.

After all, there’s wind chill and all those other meteorological phenomena that make cold feel colder, or something like that. But we know this much: When a referee’s whistle freezes during a football game, it’s really damned cold.

Yes, that seriously happened during the Miami Dolphins-Steelers game on Sunday, one in which it took the Dolphins about a quarter to thaw out themselves.

We’re asking ourselves: How does this occur? After all, you wouldn’t expect a tool made of metal and cork to, um, freeze. But there you see line judge Carl Johnson unable to blow his icy device. The only thing we can think of is that Johnson is a saliva sprayer and that by the late third quarter in a game that would feature 12 penalties it was all frosted in there. If so, gross.

Also, it’s 2017 — can’t we have freeze-proof whistles by now? Sorry, we’re just a bit cranky after watching three sub-par playoff games, and the weather was pretty much the most interesting thing in the third one.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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