Kansas City Chiefs defeat Miami Dolphins in conditions so cold that head coach Andy Reid’s mustache freezes
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 26-7 at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, in conditions so cold that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s mustache froze over.
The temperature at kickoff was -4 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -20 degrees, making it the fourth coldest game in National Football League history, according to the Peacock broadcast.
Pictures of Reid with icicles in his facial hair have since gone viral on social media.
Amid the brutal conditions, the Kansas City offense hit the ground running, marching down the field on the opening drive and capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Rashee Rice. Rice would go on to finish the game with eight receptions for 130 yards.
The Chiefs never looked back, shutting down the Dolphins offense completely.
Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker went 4 for 4 on field goals and running back Isiah Pacheco ran it in for a three-yard rushing touchdown to put the game on ice (literally) in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes finished the game with 262 yards and a touchdown.
Taylor Swift was in attendance and braved the frigid temperatures wearing a #87 Kelce jacket in support of her beau Travis Kelce. Kelce finished the game with seven receptions for 71 yards.
At the end of the game, the temperature was -9 degrees and felt like -28 degrees, according to the broadcast.
Players could be seen huddling by pitch-side heaters and many made the most of heated benches in a bid to keep out the cold.
Mahomes downplayed the weather, saying “it is what it is” when asked about it on the Peacock broadcast after the game.
“We’re in Kansas City, at Arrowhead,” Mahomes said. “We are going to play in some games like this. So, our mentality was to come out here, play football and see what happens.”
Still, Saturday’s conditions are rivaled by the coldest NFL game on record: the December 1967 “Ice Bowl” in Wisconsin, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys amid -13 air temperature and a -48 wind chill, according to the NFL.
Earlier on Saturday, the Houston Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns 45-14.
It was a historic day for rookie Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Stroud’s three touchdown passes tied a rookie record in a playoff game. The 23-year-old former second-overall pick also became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game in NFL history.
The NFL playoffs continue on Sunday with the Green Bay Packers heading to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Matthew Stafford will also make his grand return to the city where he started his NFL career when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Detroit Lions.
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to a snowy Orchard Park, New York, to take on the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles.
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