It was a story of extreme weather as the NFL finished up the 2024 playoff wildcard round this past weekend. In Kansas City, the hosting Chiefs secured their spot in the divisional round by beating the Miami Dolphins 26-7, in conditions far from the Dolphins’ usual South Bay weather. Videos on social media showed how the refrigerators in the concourse were used to heat up beverages instead of keeping them cold. At kickoff, the temperature was a meager negative four degrees, but the open-domed Arrowhead Stadium offered little protection from the wind. The windchill was negative 27 degrees, making it the third-coldest kickoff windchill ever, according to the Chiefs.Â
The weather was even more extreme in Buffalo, New York, where the Bills faced the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, January 15th. After their game had to be postponed from its intended Saturday kickoff due to dangerous weather conditions, social media was once again full of videos of the highly unusual circumstances. The clips showed volunteers shoveling snow from the seats of the Highmark Stadium in the early morning ahead of the game. Once again the hometown team came away with the victory, as the Bills beat the Steelers 31-17.
By winning their respective games, the Bills and the Chiefs now face each other in the divisional round next weekend, with the Bills hosting in what could very well be a repeat of the snowy circumstances of the wildcard games. Other results from the weekend include the Texans routing the Browns 45-14, the Packers beating the Cowboys 48-32, the Buccaneers beating the Eagles 32-9, and the Lions getting their first playoff win in 32 years by beating the Rams 24-23.Â
