The Miami Dolphins are visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round, and the two teams are going to have to play through the elements.
On the surface, cold weather on Sunday at Heinz Field would favor the Steelers over the Dolphins, who are coming from a beautiful climate that barely dips below 60 degrees. However, with the styles of the two teams, perhaps Miami doesn’t mind going into the deep freeze.
With the weather set to be around 16 degrees with a wind chill hovering below zero, look for ball security to become even more of a factor. A cold football has been likened to carrying around an ice cube, so a hard hit or a swipe at the ball could knock it loose.
Pittsburgh wants to throw the ball much more than the Dolphins, who are willing to pound the ball between the tackles with Jay Ajayi. This is why Miami could be willing to deal with the elements, hoping that it slows down the passing game of the Steelers, which features the lethal connection of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.
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The winner will move into the AFC Divisional round. Pittsburgh would go to Kansas City while Miami would head further north to New England.