There are six wild card games this weekend, all played outdoors. The common denominator to these will be wind. Here's our forecast.
The NFL Wild Card Weekend is here as 12 teams battle to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. All six games will be played outdoors, and each of these could have at least some minor weather headaches.
Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers (Saturday - 4:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday marks the first playoff game for the Carolina Panthers since 2017. And they get to host it, as well, without even having tallied a winning season, due to winning the NFC South last weekend.
On one hand, it's going to feel more like spring in Charlotte Saturday afternoon as high temperatures climb into the upper 60s to near 70 degrees.
However, with a strong cold front approaching, showers, perhaps even a rumble of thunder, appear likely. Leave the winter coats at home, but bring the rain gear and keep in mind a lightning delay is possible.
It will also be windy, with south to southwest winds gusting to 30 mph. This may be challenging for both quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford and Bryce Young, and could also convince each team to go for more fourth downs, instead of attempting long field goals.
(FULL FORECAST: Charlotte)
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (Saturday - 8 p.m. ET)
For the third time in just over a month, the NFL's oldest continuous rivals — the Packers and Bears — will meet, but it's only for the second time in the playoffs. It's also the first playoff game the Bears have hosted in seven years.
Fortunately, it doesn't look terribly cold. Temperatures should be in the 30s or low 20s during the game. But west winds gusting to 30 mph could swirl and blow from sideline to sideline at Soldier Field, a headache for both teams' passing and kicking games.
We also can't rule out some snow showers during the game. All in all, this is spot on for January weather in the upper Midwest.
(FULL FORECAST: Chicago)
Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday - 1 p.m. ET)
While the Bills may enjoy the home-field advantage of harsh western New York winter weather, the players won't have much to complain about with northeast Florida's weather Sunday.
There may not be much sun across the Sunshine State, but highs are expected to climb to near 70 degrees. A cold front could bring a few showers Sunday morning, but it looks dry around kickoff.
Northwest winds behind the cold front from 10 to 20 mph may bother some teams. But two strong-armed quarterbacks and strong kickers on both teams should be able to work through these conditions.
(FULL FORECAST: Jacksonville)
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday - 4:30 p.m. ET)
It's going to be a mild and rainy start in Philly as all the die-hard Eagles fans get to the Linc early in the morning. Any rain should come to an end by mid-morning, and the rest of the day looks dry.
Make sure you dress in layers because the warmest part of the day will be in the early morning as temperatures hover near 50 degrees. Temperatures will drop into the 40s by kickoff, falling into the 30s by the end of the game.
A blustery west wind gusting up to 30 mph, blowing from sideline to sideline, will be the biggest weather concern. That could be a problem for both kickers, and that may force each team to run the ball even more than they already prefer.
(FULL FORECAST: Philadelphia)
Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots (Sunday - 8 p.m. ET)
Most of our computer model forecasts suggest any rain should move out before Sunday night's kickoff.
For the warm-weather Chargers, the only concern appears to be wind. Gusts around 20 mph are possible, blowing sideline to sideline. So, that will be something to keep in mind for each team's kicker, including the Chargers' Cameron Dicker.
With temperatures generally in the 30s and wind chills either in the 20s or 30s and no snow expected, this is pretty tolerable weather by January standards in Foxborough.
(FULL FORECAST: Foxborough)
Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Monday - 8 p.m. ET)
Similar to Foxborough, Pittsburgh's weather in January could be a lot worse than what is expected Monday night.
It will be dry, and temperatures will be pretty typical for the second week of January, generally in the 30s.
As in Foxborough, some west to southwest breezes blowing sideline to sideline may be the only weather factor both teams need to consider. That's especially the case at a stadium notoriously challenging for kickers, including last weekend's AFC North clinching game.
(FULL FORECAST: Pittsburgh)
Tiffany Savona is a meteorologist for weather.com with more than 15 years of experience in forecasting the weather across the country.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Category: General Sports
