When the Houston Texans took the field at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh last Monday night, the temperature at the time of kickoff was 32 degrees, making it the second-coldest game that Houston has played this season. The coldest, a primetime win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on the first Sunday of December, was played at 27 degrees.
This means that when the Texans step onto the field in chilly Foxborough this afternoon, they won't necessarily be caught off guard by the elements that are generally unfamiliar to a team that plays not only in the Lone Star State, but in a dome.
There will be one key difference this time around, and it will likely be to the delight of any football fan who doesn't have any sort rooting interest in the second of two AFC Divisional Round matchups to be played this weekend. Friends, it looks like we're getting a snow game to decide who will head to the Mile High City to face the Denver Broncos next Sunday afternoon, and who doesn't love a snow game?
More appropriately, as it relates to the Houston Texans and New England Patriots, the question we should probably be asking is 'Who doesn't mind a snow game?' or perhaps even more directly, 'What team is better equipped to handle a snow game?'
The answer to either of these questions will likely end up playing a huge role in determining whether it's the Patriots who return to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in seven years, or the Texans getting there for the first time in franchise history.
But as the Texans look to make history on Sunday afternoon, one thing they aren't thinking about is the weather.
“You sit there, and you got to concentrate.. You got to look the ball in and catch it. No differently than rain or whatever else you’re playing in element-wise. It’s about playing in a grounded state where you got your feet underneath you and being able to focus and concentrate," Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said this week, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. "That’s what we’re trying to do. Elements are the elements. Playing this time of the year and you get to play outdoors, it’s a great opportunity to play in the playoffs.”
“We haven’t even talked about it. It’s really not on our radar. You can’t really, obviously, predict the weather or handle it or anything else," Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke added. "We’re going to prepare to go play a ball game, whatever the conditions.”
By now you're certainly aware of the less than stellar track record that dome teams have playing outdoors on the road in the month of January. As Fansided's Asher Fair pointed out, dome teams are 0-15 playing outdoors on Conference Championship weekend since 1970. The Texans are still one week away from getting their crack at the Denver Broncos, but the point stands. Historical precedent suggests that the Texans have their hands full against the Patriots.