Which NFL teams do best in the cold?
Teams like the San Francisco 49ers were among the best-performing teams in the cold, while the Cleveland Browns were one of the worst, according to data from SportsWeather.
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5 NFL games in which the weather was a key participant.
It's about the time in the NFL season when winter weather really starts to become a factor in terms of wins and losses.
The cold weather not only affects regular season games but, over the years, it seems to have adversely affected playoff outcomes as well.
Teams like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills are used to playing in cold weather, so their records typically do not falter.
Meanwhile, teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings struggle once the temperatures drop.
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Teams like Minnesota and Detroit struggling in cold weather may come as a surprise, as they are cities with winters that experience cold temperatures. But the thing to remember is that they play in domes.
And for that same reason, dome teams have been known to struggle in the playoffs as well.
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens walks off the field in the rain against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium on November 15, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images / Getty Images)
So what teams perform the best and worst in the cold?
Well, thanks to SportsWeather, we know the exact teams and their percentages on how they are affected by the cold weather. SportsWeather is a company that manages massive volumes of variable inbound weather data while comparing it against years of historical performance by players and teams in all weather conditions.
We're going to list the NFL's five best and worst cold-weather teams based on winning percentages in games below 34 degrees since the year 2008. And you might be surprised who's the best performing team in the cold during this span.
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Teams who have not played in 10 or more cold-weather games since 2008 are exempt from the list.
Those teams are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) and Atlanta Falcons (1-6).
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie bobbles a kickoff in the rain in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Oct 10, 2021 at GEHA Filed at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
(Scott Winters / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
Best Performing NFL Teams in the Cold
- San Francisco 49ers - Record: 22-6; Winning Percentage: 79%
- New England Patriots - Record: 35-12 Winning Percentage: 74%
- Green Bay Packers - Record: 53-22; Winning Percentage: 71%
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Record: 44-20; Winning Percentage: 69%
- Kansas City Chiefs - Record: 28-22; Winning Percentage: 56%
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks toward Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Demarcus Robinson while scrambling in snowy conditions during the game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday December 15, 2019 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
(Nick Tre. Smith / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
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Worst Performing NFL Teams in the Cold
- Los Angeles Rams - Record: 2-8; Winning Percentage: 20%
- Cleveland Browns - Record: 14-34; Winning Percentage: 29%
- Las Vegas Raiders - Record: 5-11; Winning Percentage: 31%
- New York Jets - Record: 13-27; Winning Percentage: 33%, Miami Dolphins - Record: 7-14; Winning Percentage: 33%, Detroit Lions - Record: 6-12; Winning Percentage: 33%
- Tennessee Titans - Record: 10-17; Winning Percentage: 37%