Playing your sport at the highest level is already tough enough, but throw in intense weather conditions and you might as well be playing a different sport altogether. Throughout the last century, particularly in football, we’ve seen players endure the roughest of climates for the fall to winter seasons.

In the NFL there are multiple times where both fans and players had to sit through intense rain, fog, and snow, as well as boiling heat and cold temperatures. We are going to take a look at some NFL games where Mother Nature had a major impact on the result.

NFL “Freezer Bowl” – January 10, 1982

Kicking off our list of crazy weather games in the NFL is the fondly-remembered 1982 AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. The game took place at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. In this match, the Bengals won 27-7 in -9 degrees Fahrenheit temperature, partly due to their experience with freezing temperatures and thrashing winds. The team from Sunny San Diego didn’t know what they were getting into!

NFL Snowvertime “Snow Bowl” – December 10, 2017

In this game, the Indianapolis Colts would battle the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, New York, in 16.7 inches of snow! Around 9 inches of snow fell during the game alone! Most games getting this much snow would either be canceled or postponed. But, this wasn’t the first time Buffalo had this problem, however, as in 2014 Highmark Stadium accumulated upwards of 7 feet of snow, forcing the originally scheduled game against the Jets to be postponed and moved elsewhere. With their experience in dealing with the mass snowfall, the Bills managed to win the game in overtime 13-7, solidifying a playoff spot for the first time in 17 years.

NFL “Fog Bowl” – December 31, 1988

Interestingly, the NFL “Fog Bowl” is the only weather-impacted game on this list without temperature or precipitation affecting the game at all. Just as it sounds, the 1988 NFL “Fog Bowl” between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles was the foggiest NFL game to ever happen in the NFL, also making it one of the top 5 most memorable weather-impacted games in NFL history. During the 2nd quarter of this game, it was reported that people could only see 20 yards away from them! The Bears ended up winning 20-12 despite how many yards the Eagles gained through the fog, emerging from the gloom with a win that few of the spectators got to see a whole lot of!

Hottest NFL game ever – September 19, 1971

In September 1971, the Los Angeles Rams would take on the New Orleans Saints at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. One thing the players did not expect was that they were about to play the hottest game ever recorded in NFL history. Reaching scalding temperatures of around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the Saints would clinch a 24-20 win. With no shade in sight during this game, the astroturf most likely contributed to heat radiating off the field, turning up the heat for those unfortunate players.

NFL “Ice Bowl” – December 31, 1967

Over half a century has passed since the infamous NFL ‘Ice Bowl’ Championship between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, a game that holds the record for coldest NFL game ever in the history of football. The Packers would take home the championship despite the numbing cold at Lambeau Field, taking the game 21-17. Still, both teams were required to play in -13 degree Fahrenheit weather on the chilliest of New Year’s Eves, leading the NFL “Ice Bowl” to go down in history as the coldest game in NFL history.