Baltimore Ravens to play Buffalo Bills in bitter cold temps, chance of snow

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens are playing in Buffalo on Sunday with temperatures creeping toward single digits, with the possibility of snow.

That's football weather, right?

"It really doesn't matter," Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "I can't go into a game and say, 'It'stoo cold out, I can't make things happen.' Coach would probably send me home."

The high temperature in Buffalo on Sunday will be around 23 degrees. However, when the game ends, snow could be on the turf, with windy conditions and temperatures around 10 degrees.

The Ravens, the AFC North champions, will take on the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills at 6:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship Game.

Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely said that despite the frigid weather, "your job is expected to get done whether you are cold or not."

"Stay on the sidelines and stay as warm as you can because when you are in between the white lines, the other team doesn't care how cold you are," Likely continued.

Preparing for the cold

The Baltimore Ravens practiced indoors on Wednesday and Thursday because the outdoor fields were frozen. The frigid air still blasted inside with the outside doors open.

"You have to operate under duress," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "The duress of the opponent, it's also the duress of the environment, and it's really the noise as much as anything, especially for the offense. But that's a two-way street. We have it at our stadium — our defense has to operate that way, too. Both groups have to deal with communication, with noise."

For most of the Ravens, this will be the coldest game they've ever played.

The coldest game Lamar Jackson, a Florida native, played in was 27 degrees at Kansas City in 2018 and in the playoffs against Houston last season, according to TruMediaSports.

But, the quarterback has the luxury of handing the ball to 250-pound running back Derrick Henry, who carried the ball 26 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the wild-card win over Pittsburgh.

And, if there is snowfall, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey says that plays in Baltimore's favor.

"I've always wanted to play in like three feet of snow, to where all they can do is run the ball," Humphrey said. "It won't be that snowy. ... I know they're used to the cold, but it gets cold enough in Baltimore, so I don't think it will be much different."