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Dan Wetzel
Snowy weather played a role in the AFC Championship Game, bringing both sides – at least their offenses – to a near halt. The teams combined for only 48 fourth-quarter yards and zero points, giving New England a 10–7 victory over Denver. The Patriots will play Seattle in Super Bowl LX on February 8.
For some NFL fans, drunk on a regular diet of offensive pyrotechnics and late-game shootouts, it seemed counterproductive.
Thus, there were a lot of complaints on social media about how the elements shouldn’t impact such a big game and that the league championship weekend should be moved to neutral sites with domed stadiums and blah, blah, blah…
Recognizing that there is always someone complaining about something on social media, there is a risk of giving prominence to said complaint…
Please no.
Please, can we just let football still be football and not tamper with it unless it’s an algorithm-based product designed to maximize shine for an inattentive crowd?
Can football, for all its brutal violence, remain a thinking man’s game, where tactics and decisions and variables and a million little things still matter, including snow or wind or rain or sunshine or peace, or, who really cares?
All seasons are football season. The elements, or lack thereof, always affect the game.
This is one of the beauties of the game. Barring life-threatening situations – lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. – the game is played. The participants deal with it.
The game is for conditions that exist, not for conditions that can be conceptualized as ideal conditions. The absence of clear skies and wind may promote attack, but in turn, harm defense. Why should one side be given more importance? Why should passing and catching be protected over the ability to run the ball, or block better, or maintain ball security, or manage the clock?
It’s all part of the game. It was never designed to fit into a neat package, its messiness and imperfections and twists and turns add spice.
Some of the most memorable and beloved games in NFL history involve bad weather – the Ice Bowl, the Fog Bowl in Chicago, Adam Vinatieri kicking the playoff game winner through the Foxboro Blizzard. It’s a lineage of breaths coming through facemasks, celebratory snow angels and the frozen faces of middle linebackers.
A defining moment of this AFC Championship Game came in the second quarter. Denver faced fourth-and-1 at the New England 14. Instead of attempting a high-probability field goal, Broncos coach Sean Payton tried for it, but Jarrett Stidham threw an incompletion.
Bad weather was also a factor in this decision. Peyton I thought their team had momentum And getting 14 points on the board, with wind and snowfall, might have been enough to win. In the end, he should have kicked to reach 10 points. whatever. Weather forecasting was part of the equation.
One of the most attractive and addictive qualities of the game is its game strategy. What works in one competition may not always work in another. That’s why, late in the game, with a 3-point lead, New England coach Mike Vrabel kept the offense conservative, essentially daring a backup quarterback (Stidham) to beat him in the flying snow.
On a clear day, he wouldn’t have the guts to face Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
Maybe it’s not the 13-second scoring drives or the four-touchdown, back-and-forth explosions that fans love. So what? Both can be entertaining. Both are entertaining.
Sure, not every movie needs to be a superhero blockbuster, not every NFL game needs to be set for crimes to flourish. A 35-31 game is no better than a 10-7 game. Drake Mays’ perfectly executed 7-yard bootleg on third down and fifth to win the game for New England could be as thrilling and meaningful as a Hail Mary.
If you like football, you like all this.
Moving conference championship games out of home stadiums is an idea only a venture capitalist could love. Generating home-field advantage, giving longtime fans the benefit of watching their team, and boosting local economies should all be prioritized.
The Super Bowl has become such a big deal that it makes sense to play it in a predetermined and generally neutral city. There will be no way to plan for all outdoor business, entertainment, tourism and security.
Furthermore, the NFL is already trending even further away from the outdoors. Proposed domes are coming to Kansas City, Cleveland, Washington and perhaps even Chicago.
No doubt other owners would want the same, if only for the additional use of the rooftop facility – conferences, Final Fours, concerts, etc.
Climate control will become a big thing.
So let’s cherish what we have while we still have it.
Let football be football. Then let it snow.
