The Vikings and Seahawks are playing in insanely cold weather for their NFC wild card game. It’s so cold in fact, that there have only been two games in the history of the NFL with more frigid temperatures.
It's -6 at the stadium with a -25 wind chill. It's officially the coldest game in #Vikings history, 3rd coldest in NFL history.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2016
With that kind of weather, Ticketmaster suggested to fans attending the game at TCF Bank Stadium that they should print their tickets in advance, since their phones might not work in such cold weather.
The team is doing what they can to keep things manageable by using this massive heater.
It’s bad enough for the players, but at least they are moving and pumped with adrenaline to keep themselves warm. The real sufferers are the poor folks who have to cover the game, such as Fox 9 reporter Dawn Mitchell, who had to resort to trying to warm up her camera batteries in front of a heater just to get it working.
Another casualty of the cold is the Vikings’ famous Gjallarhorn, which they use to announce the arrival of the team onto the field.
The #Vikings #Gjallarhorn is shattered from the cold temps before today's #SEAvsMIN game. pic.twitter.com/0MceMuekPl
— KARE 11 (@kare11) January 10, 2016
Thankfully, Minnesota came prepared with a backup.
Next Gjallarhorn up.
The 2009 version is 1-0 in the playoffs. #ForgeAhead pic.twitter.com/f6WybnHXXL
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2016
It’s been seven years since the good folks of Minnesota have had a home playoff game, so no weather was likely to keep them away from the stadium for this one. But, still, you have to wonder if at least some attendees are second-guessing their decision not to watch the game from the comfort of their own home, with no possibility of freezing to death.