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Another Chiefs home playoff game, another arctic blast. Is Kansas City ready for the cold?

Temperatures for the Kansas Chiefs playoff opener won't be nearly as cold as last year's record chill but medical professionals are still advising fans to bundle up prepare for frigid temperatures and gusts of wind.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR
Fans walk into Arrowhead Stadium just before the Chiefs' 2023 playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The temperature at kickoff Saturday is expected to be in the low to mid-20s, but northerly winds could make it feel much colder. After facing the coldest game in Arrowhead history last year, fans, players and medical personnel are more than ready.

Fans who braved record colds to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs in their playoff victory against the Miami Dolphins last year say the experience has them ready for anything this year.

Will Rusch, a season ticket holder, showed up eight hours early to tailgate through last year's minus-degree weather, with a wind chill of 20 below zero. Rusch spent time tailgating inside the family’s heated bus, nicknamed “Tequila Gator,” but was outside for the entire game.

This year he plans to be at Arrowhead Stadium before the gates open Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for the Chiefs' playoff opener against the Houston Texans. According to the National Weather Service in Kansas City, it will be about 23 degrees when the game kicks off, with northerly winds of 10-15 mph and gusts of up to 20 mph. That means a wind chill between 11 and 13 degrees, dropping as the day progresses.

But compared to last year, it’s a walk in the park.

“Honestly, my wife and I were pretty nervous going into the game last year,” Rusch said. “But coming out of the game, we were like, man, we could do anything. There’s no game that’s ever going to be too cold for us now.”

Rusch and fellow Chiefs fans had to get creative last year, with many bringing sheets of cardboard and some even using battery-powered jackets. Rusch and his crew bought the same hand warmers players wear during games.

Medical professionals had to take extra precautions as well, adding warming stations around the stadium and distributing hand warmers to fans as they came in.

Even with those efforts, Kansas City area hospitals reported some attendees had to undergo amputations and many more reported cases of frostbite and hypothermia.

Dr. Bryan Beaver, EMS physician advisor to the University of Kansas Health System, said they were very prepared for last year’s game and expect there won’t be many hiccups during Saturday’s game. But that doesn’t mean fans can treat the game like any other.

Just like last year, the threat of frostbite and hypothermia is very real if proper precautions aren’t taken, Beaver said.

“We want everybody to have the best possible experience they can,” Beaver said. “The nice thing is that we know it's going to be cold already, so we can properly prepare to provide that best game-day experience.”

Beaver suggests eating a good meal before you leave for the game. That will help your body create its own heat. Make sure to limit exposed skin and layer your clothes.

Beaver recommends wearing more layers than you think you need because you can always take some off if you are too warm.

Ideally, your base layer should wick moisture and sweat away to help keep you dry, so avoid fabrics like cotton. The second layer should help retain heat, with many opting for a thicker jacket or fleece. The outer layer should shield from precipitation or the wind, especially critical for the game on Saturday with frigid winds expected.

Beaver said it's important not to forget your feet, hands and head. Wearing boots with multiple pairs of socks and some nice gloves can go a long way. But Beaver said it’s important that you don’t wear anything too tight.

“Anything constricting is going to cut off blood flow,” Beaver said. “We want to make sure we're getting as much blood flow as possible, especially to the feet, the hands, the toes, the fingers. That will really help avoid non-freezing injuries as well as things like frostbite.”

Beaver said some sort of face covering will also go a long way because your head releases heat.

A fan is bundled up for cold weather during the second half of an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Charlie Riedel
/
Associated Press
A fan is bundled up for cold weather during the second half of an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri.

He also dispelled the myth that alcohol can help warm you up. It might feel warm going down, but alcohol can actually increase the risk of dehydration and hypothermia. If last year was any indication, beer will probably freeze over pretty quickly anyway.

Another bit of advice — Beaver said to be mindful of the signs your body is showing. If you are shivering, it’s time to find somewhere to warm up. Shivering is a sign your body is trying to generate heat and warm itself up.

If you’re too cold for too long, your body loses the ability to shiver, Beaver said.

Fans can find warming trailers outside between lots C and D, lots E and F and the southwest corner of Lot A. Inside the stadium, the Chiefs will have several warming stations:

  • At the bottom of each of the four Field Level spirals
  • Near the Jim Beam and Crown Royal bars located on the Upper Level
  • Near the Red Zones on the east and west sides of the Upper Level
  • Champions Tailgate North located on Plaza Level

The Chiefs will again allow fans to bring in cardboard to stand or sit on — no larger than 3 feet by 5 feet.

As for what fans can expect on the field, Patrick Allen, who co-hosts the Arrowhead Addict podcast for Fansided, believes the Chiefs will be ready and primed for a victory. Right now, the Chiefs are 8.5-point favorites and they’ve played plenty of games in similar conditions.

The Texans, on the other hand, have not. If the temperature drops below 22 degrees by kickoff, that would make it the third-coldest game in franchise history for Houston. Oddly enough, the Texans won their two coldest games ever — in 2004, at Chicago in a game that was 12 degrees at kickoff and in 2008 at Green Bay, where it was just 3 degrees at kickoff.

It’s a completely different team now, so Allen doesn't believe those past experiences will be a factor. Generally, teams who play further north have favorable outcomes in colder games compared to teams from warm-weather cities.

“You've got a team that's coming in, they're going on the road, so they're coming into a hostile environment and I think it's additive,” Allen said. “It sort of on the margins where if things start going poorly for the Texans, the cold and the weather becomes another thing that they have to contend with, like little paper cuts along the way.”

Still, Houston coaches and players have been adamant the cold isn’t, and won’t, be an excuse, no matter the result.

Similarly, Allen said it will be the tactical battle between Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans that could decide the game, particularly in how to approach the battle in the trenches. The Chiefs offensive line has looked less than stellar at times this season and they face a vaunted Houston defensive line.

If the offensive line can keep Patrick Mahomes upright and get the running game going through Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, Allen believes Chiefs fans will go home happy, even if they aren’t warm.

Staying mentally and physically healthy can be a lot of work — exercising, eating right and navigating our complicated medical system. As KCUR’s health and wellness reporter, I want to connect Kansas Citians with new and existing resources to improve their well-being and tell stories that inspire them to enjoy healthier lives.

Reach me at noahtaborda@kcur.org.
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