Multiple NFL games are being played in close-to-zero temperatures on Sunday. The Cincinnati Bengals are playing on a literal field of ice because of the cold weather.
Kind of.
A small layer of frozen moisture covered the playing surface at Paycor Stadium with just a few hours until kickoff before the heating system kicked in. Other teams across the NFL had to clear a few inches of snow.
Freezing temperatures wreaked havoc on the NFL.
A vicious cold front rolled in from the north on Saturday evening, stretching as far west as Salt Lake City, as far east as Boston and as far south as Dallas. The weather mostly hit the central portion of the United States.
The Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles all played home games on Sunday. It was cold.
The grounds crew worked hard to remove all of the snow at the Meadowlands.
A wet snow also started to fall in Foxborough.
The windchill at Soldier Field made it feel like below zero.
Temperatures in Cincinnati were not any better with an equally as brutal windchill.
It was expected to “warm up” to 11 degrees by kickoff so Lamar Jackson went sleeveless.
Jordan Mailata braved the conditions in Pennsylvania.
Arrowhead Stadium was equally as cold.
The temperature was expected to reach 18 degrees at kickoff. That is tied for the fourth-coldest game in Los Angeles Chargers history. Brr.
You get the idea, it was absolutely freezing across the NFL. In Kansas City, Chicago, Cincinnati, New England, New York and Philadelphia especially.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a heated field.
It was so cold in Ohio that the turf field at Paycor Stadium froze overnight. A layer of ice covered the playing surface with more than three hours until kickoff.
Fortunately, the Bengals installed an underground heating system during a major renovation in 2024. Once the system is officially activated, a network of pipes under the turf circulates hot water to prevent the ground of freezing, provide player safety and keep the field playable in winter conditions like Sunday.
The layer of ice melted off within a few minutes of activation and the field was ready to go.
Cincinnati is not the only team with this feature! The Eagles, Packers, Chiefs, Bills, Bears, Ravens and Broncos also keep their field as warm as possible during the winter.
That is a big help. To get tackled in single-digit temperatures already hurts enough. To get tackled in single-digit temperatures onto a field that is frozen hard would be insufferable. We’ve come a long way from the 1967 NFL Championship Game, also known as The Ice Bowl!