When the Patriots and Bills met in Buffalo in early December, New England tossed the ball just three times into 55-mile-per-hour winds en route to a most unusual 14-10 victory.
In the rematch a few weeks later at Foxborough, Mac Jones completed just 14 of 32 passes and threw two interceptions in a 33-21 win at Buffalo. Josh Allen was 30 of 47 for 314 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a completely different player in more typical weather conditions.
On Saturday night, in the rubber playoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m., temperatures are expected to be in the single digits, with winds of up to 5 to 10 miles per hour. Reports show it should feel like minus 10 degrees.
Even if snow is not expected, it will be freezing. Allen has historically struggled in the cold, most recently throwing three interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons with temperatures in the 20s a few weeks ago.
Here’s a look at the forecast for Saturday night, courtesy of the National Weather Service:
- Generally clear
- A minimum around 1
- Wind chill values as low as minus-15
- Wind southeast around 8 mph
Wind chill advisories are back in effect tonight until 7:00 a.m. Sunday. Wind chill values of -10 degrees Fahrenheit or colder are predicted for most areas south of Lake Ontario. Wind chills of -20 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit are expected east of Lake Ontario. https://t.co/0XbKOxqvXv pic.twitter.com/GE5E5Ud7pq
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) January 15, 2022