NFL Playoff Game Expected to Be Historically Cold

For those cynical fans who believe hell will freeze over before the Minnesota Vikings win a championship, your time might have finally arrived. The forecast is calling for some incredibly cold temperatures when the Vikings take on the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. The Minnesota Star-Tribune reports the temperature at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium at game time is supposed to be right around zero degrees—at the warmest. If that holds true, it would be one of the 10 coldest games in NFL history. ESPN is a little more optimistic, calling for a whopping high of 1 degree. Though the network also points out it will feel like -23 degrees with the wind chill.

The Vikings, who are waiting for their new stadium to be built, are playing an outdoor home playoff game for the first time in nearly 40 years, ESPN reports. The stadium will be providing free hand warmers and coffee, and fans are encouraged to bring blankets and cardboard or newspaper to put under their feet. According to the Star-Tribune, the coldest game in NFL history is known as the "Ice Bowl." Green Bay and Dallas played for the 1967 championship with the temperature hovering around -13 degrees (with a wind chill of -50 degrees). And while it won't get that cold Sunday, the inevitable Seahawks victory might make it feel that way for Vikings fans. (More NFL stories.)