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Game day update: The Patriots-Titans game should avoid snow, but it could get soggy in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The latest weather report as of mid-day has rain until around 6:00 p.m., then overcast for a couple hours, and then a better than even chance of rain once the game gets underway. The temperature should stay at just over 40 degrees, and while it will feel colder, it won’t be cold enough for snow. The wind is never expected to exceed seven miles per hour, so that should not impact the game.
This weekend we have two games in the great outdoors and two under a roof. Weather is always worth looking into, as perfect conditions are better than not-so-perfect conditions but weather can often be overstated when trying to factor its impact on games, especially the fantasy statistics that come out of those games. Extreme weather will have an impact but quantifying what is extreme can be difficult.
The fantasy community usually uses 20 mph winds as the number to look for when downgraded a passing game, while rain and snow aren’t as impactful unless the wind is there as well. Of course, if a field has been saturated and gets torn up, it will slow down offenses. And if the rain comes down hard enough, it can be impossible to keep the ball from being a little slippery. And a lot can depend on how wind acts inside a stadium and how well the field was covered and drains. For the most part, we can feel good about playoff game fields in normal rain events.
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Playing in Foxborough in January is always iffy business and it looks like we will have some weather to deal with in the northeast Saturday night.
The game starts at 8:15 pm ET, with an 80 percent chance of rain mixed with snow in the forecast. The good news is that wind speed isn’t predicted to go above 5 mph and the temperature should stay above freezing, keeping the precipitation and the players from freezing as well. Snow could be mixed in as the temperature drops Saturday night, but there shouldn’t be any snow accumulation. Precipitation accumulation appears to be low as well, with a tenth to a quarter inch possible for all of Saturday, meaning downpours don’t appear likely. Maybe the rain helps running backs slip out of a tackle or two, but on the whole, there’s no real reason to downgrade or upgrade anyone based on the weather at this time.