Seattle Seahawks to face a second foe in Kansas City
It will be downright nasty for the Seattle Seahawks in Kansas City for Saturday’s game, and not all of it has to do with the Chiefs.
As if squaring off against Patrick Mahomes and the NFL’s best offense wasn’t enough, the Seattle Seahawks have a second opponent on Saturday afternoon, Mother Nature.
The Kansas City Chiefs are tied for the best record in the AFC. They have the number one offense in the league and the fourth most sacks. Additionally, playing at Arrowhead Stadium is never a picnic, even in the best circumstances.
There is an added detail for this week’s matchup that makes things even tougher for the Seahawks, the weather. An arctic wave is traveling across the country, and Kansas City will be in the heart of it all.
This is Thursday’s forecast from The Weather Channel:
Watching a potential winter storm. Snow during the morning will taper off and give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 6F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 70%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
Then it gets bad. The temperature doesn’t rise to over 10 degrees until close to kickoff, with Saturday’s high expected to be 11 degrees. Additionally, 10 mph gusts will make it feel much colder.
In short, the conditions will very cold and icy. While the Pacific Northwest is no picnic in winter, conditions aren’t as extreme as they will be on Saturday.
Passing the ball in cold and icy conditions is dicey, to begin with. Receivers can slip on their routes, and the ball feels like a frozen rock when it hits their hands, leading to drops.
It will be up to the Seattle Seahawks running game to carry the load. That’s a problem with the way their ground game has performed recently.
Coming from Michigan State, the weather shouldn’t phase Seahawks lead-back Kenneth Walker too much. Hopefully, the offensive line will give him the room he needs to operate.
How much of a factor do you think the weather will be on Saturday?