The Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams are set for one of the coldest NFL games this season with temperatures in the teens with the “feels like” temperatures dipping below zero degrees. That’s just part of the story though. NFL teams are prepared for bitter cold temperatures. Not just with heated fields, but with improved technology that actually keeps players warm during the game itself.
One of the most improved pieces of technology is the heated benches. The benches players sit on are heated and have improved technology to make it extremely comfortable despite uncomfortable temperatures. They also come with helmet warmers as well as feet warmers, keeping players as warm as possible in between their snaps.
Here’s all the technology northern teams have had to adopt thanks to a climate not suitable for outdoor sports. You’d be surprised at how comfortable players are despite temperatures below freezing.
What different types of technology exist to keep players warm on the sideline?
- Heated benches (with heated helmet holders and foot warmers)
- Radiant heaters
- Portable blowers
- Compression gear
- Insulated sideline jackets
- Heated handwarmers
The heated benches have evolved, especially with the helmet warmers to keep them at an appropriate temperature so players can still put them on and they don’t crack as easily like what happened with Patrick Mahomes a few years ago in the playoffs. But that’s just scratching the surface of the advanced technology NFL teams use.
They also have the big jackets you see, primarily quarterbacks, wearing on the sidelines. They’re fleece-lined and waterproof, which is ideal for near sub-zero temperatures and possible snow. With massive wind gusts, it makes it a little more bearable with those jackets.
How much do cold weather franchises invest in advanced technology
Though it’s hard to find how much teams invest in sideline technology, one piece of technology that is widely used among cold-weather franchises is the heated fields, or radiant heating. The Kansas City Chiefs installed one a few years back and it cost upwards of $2 million. It’s a boiler system that has piping that lines the field beneath the surface.
Essentially, it’s a system that makes the playing surface more bearable with frigid temperatures, keeping the grass field temperatures around 50-60 degrees. The Bears have a heated playing surface.
How will the weather affect divisional round games in the NFL
The temperatures will be cold all weekend with the Sunday night game between the Rams and Bears being the coldest, with temperatures under 20 degrees at kickoff. The New England Patriots will have a stark difference in temperatures at around 38 degrees during the day. Though there will be some possible snow, it won’t be nearly as cold as the Chicago game. Sunday’s games will be the coldest games of the weekend with Denver hovering around 53 degrees on Saturday and Seattle around 51 degrees with a low of 37.
This weekend won’t nearly be as cold as the wildcard weekend which saw just about every game be affected by the cold, save for the Carolina Panthers-LA Rams game. That said, for the games that will have some miserable weather, at least the franchises have invested into some sideline comfort that will make the game less insufferable.