Today features 11 of the week's 15 remaining games. Many of you (and/or your opponents) will be moderately-to-heavily impacted the weather, in what's become one of the most unique (nearly) nationwide cold fronts in modern times.
The Browns-Saints game might get snow, with winds up to 28 MPH. In Chicago, where the Bills take on the Bears, the grounds crew has been working to remove snow from the field and protect it from icing ahead of today's contest. The other non-dome matchups will feature sunny, freezing conditions. Most will have wind gusts between 30 and 40 MPH.
Simply put, the outcomes are unusually tough to predict, because they hinge largely on which team will adjust better to the extreme weather.
So I want to zoom in for a moment on the nightcap, which might include sub-zero temperatures. It typifies what we could see across the NFL today. And yet, it could be one of the most unusual contests of the season.
As most of you know, NFL great Franco Harris passed a few days ago. In a bittersweet coincidence, his "Immaculate Reception" was exactly 50 years ago yesterday. In that game--also against the Raiders--the Steelers faced 4th-and-10 with about 20 seconds remining. Terry Bradshaw's pass should have fallen incomplete. Game over. Raiders advance to take on the undefeated Dolphins in the AFC title game.
Instead, Harris made a heads-up play for the ages, catching the ball off a ricochet right before it would have hit the ground, and then running it in for the game-winning touchdown.
This was the Steelers' first postseason win in the franchise's 40-year history. Harris was a mere rookie. Although Pittsburgh didn't win their first Super Bowl for another two years, his TD marked the dawn of their 1970's dynasty.
The Steelers and Raiders met in each of the next four postseasons. No other teams have played each other in that many consecutive playoffs. And the last time these teams met in the postseason was January 1, 1984--Harris's final game in a Steelers uniform.
Tonight's matchup between these two highly decorated teams isn't just a battle to see who can remain in playoff contention. It's also a throwback to a rivalry that began a half century ago with one of the most improbable game-winning plays in professional sports history. In 1972, Harris joined a team led by a youthful core that included Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, L.C. Greenwood, and Mean Joe Greene. All future stars. All future Super Bowl champions.
Today's Steelers also have a youthful core. The Raiders have the fourth oldest roster. It will be an emotional, intense faceoff that could have major implications heading into next year, and beyond. Harris's memory assuredly will loom large, as it should.
Good luck today.
The Browns-Saints game might get snow, with winds up to 28 MPH. In Chicago, where the Bills take on the Bears, the grounds crew has been working to remove snow from the field and protect it from icing ahead of today's contest. The other non-dome matchups will feature sunny, freezing conditions. Most will have wind gusts between 30 and 40 MPH.
Simply put, the outcomes are unusually tough to predict, because they hinge largely on which team will adjust better to the extreme weather.
So I want to zoom in for a moment on the nightcap, which might include sub-zero temperatures. It typifies what we could see across the NFL today. And yet, it could be one of the most unusual contests of the season.
As most of you know, NFL great Franco Harris passed a few days ago. In a bittersweet coincidence, his "Immaculate Reception" was exactly 50 years ago yesterday. In that game--also against the Raiders--the Steelers faced 4th-and-10 with about 20 seconds remining. Terry Bradshaw's pass should have fallen incomplete. Game over. Raiders advance to take on the undefeated Dolphins in the AFC title game.
Instead, Harris made a heads-up play for the ages, catching the ball off a ricochet right before it would have hit the ground, and then running it in for the game-winning touchdown.
This was the Steelers' first postseason win in the franchise's 40-year history. Harris was a mere rookie. Although Pittsburgh didn't win their first Super Bowl for another two years, his TD marked the dawn of their 1970's dynasty.
The Steelers and Raiders met in each of the next four postseasons. No other teams have played each other in that many consecutive playoffs. And the last time these teams met in the postseason was January 1, 1984--Harris's final game in a Steelers uniform.
Tonight's matchup between these two highly decorated teams isn't just a battle to see who can remain in playoff contention. It's also a throwback to a rivalry that began a half century ago with one of the most improbable game-winning plays in professional sports history. In 1972, Harris joined a team led by a youthful core that included Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, L.C. Greenwood, and Mean Joe Greene. All future stars. All future Super Bowl champions.
Today's Steelers also have a youthful core. The Raiders have the fourth oldest roster. It will be an emotional, intense faceoff that could have major implications heading into next year, and beyond. Harris's memory assuredly will loom large, as it should.
Good luck today.