HOUSTON – When the Texans square off with the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC divisional round playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium, they’ll be playing football in freezing-cold weather conditions.
The weather forecast for Saturday calls for a high temperature of 26 degrees and a low of seven degrees with cloudy and clear conditions and winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour.
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How do the AFC South champions handle the frigid weather? The usual approach: extra layers, sideline heaters and being mentally tough.
Of course, the Texans are a southern football team that plays its home games indoors at NRG Stadium.
“The weather can be a challenge if you allow it to be a challenge,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “For me and for our guys, it’s something we can’t control. You don’t control the weather. Wherever we have to play, we’re ready to go play. We understand we’ll be on the road.
“It’s going to be cold, that’s what we have to deal with. And it’s not a challenge for us, it’s just something the other team has to deal with as well. So, we’re ready to go. There’s no excuses about weather. We’ve got to go suit up and we’ve got to go play ball.”
Round 2 rematch: Texans to square off with Chiefs in Saturday AFC divisional round road game
'The weather can be a challenge if you allow it to be a challenge. It's something we can't control, the weather. No excuses' @KPRC2 #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans pic.twitter.com/jZK7v0durZ
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 14, 2025
In the December meeting between the Texans and the Chiefs, a 27-19 win for Kansas City at home, the weather was nearly as cold as this forecast with 30 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill of 25 degrees.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud grew up in sunny California, but grew accustomed to playing in the cold at Ohio State.
“I don’t really have anything up my sleeve,” Stroud said. “That is kind of one of the reasons I went to Ohio State was to play in the cold and get used to that. I have played in cold weather games before. It is different but it is better playing than when it’s wet and then it snows, which is better than if it rains. I am kind of used to it but at the same time, we don’t play in the cold here but I definitely have been trained by it in college.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.