The Los Angeles Rams will be practicing in near-perfect weather in Thousand Oaks this week, with the forecast calling for sun and high temperatures between 73 and 80 degrees. Those are ideal conditions as they prepare for the New York Jets, but there’s just one problem. The forecast looks very different in East Rutherford where the game will be played on Sunday.
As of now, it’s expected to be around 24 degrees at kickoff, which is also the high of the day. With 8-10 mph winds, it’s going to feel even colder than 24.
Being a West Coast team, the Rams don’t often play cold-weather games, so Sunday will present a new type of challenge for Sean McVay’s group. Since McVay took over in 2017, the Rams have only played one game with a colder temperature at kickoff, and that was their 24-12 loss to the Packers in 2022 when Baker Mayfield was under center.
Since 2017, the Rams have played four outdoor games where the temperature at kickoff was 35 degrees or lower. They’re 1-3 in those games, with the lone win being a 23-20 victory over the Broncos in 2018 – a game in which Todd Gurley carried it 28 times for 208 yards, making up for Jared Goff’s 201-yard and zero-touchdown performance against a Case Keenum-led team.
The Rams also lost to the Packers, 32-18, in the 2020 playoffs and to the Bears, 15-6, in 2018 – the infamous game that created a blueprint for slowing down McVay’s offense.
| Rk | Team | Date | Temperature ▼ |
Day | G# | Week | Opp | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAR | 2021-01-16 | 35.0 | Sat | 2 | 19 | @ | GNB | L 18-32 |
| 2 | LAR | 2018-12-09 | 29.0 | Sun | 13 | 14 | @ | CHI | L 6-15 |
| 3 | LAR | 2018-10-14 | 25.0 | Sun | 6 | 6 | @ | DEN | W 23-20 |
| 4 | LAR | 2022-12-19 | 15.0 | Mon | 14 | 15 | @ | GNB | L 12-24 |
All four of those games have one thing in common, though. Matthew Stafford wasn’t the quarterback for the Rams. It was either Mayfield or Goff under center, so the Rams have yet to play a game with Stafford where the temperature was 35 or below.
Stafford, having spent most of his career in the NFC North, has played plenty of games where it was quite cold. His record in those games is much better than the Rams’ 1-3 mark, too.
In his career, Stafford is 5-6 in such games, with all five of his wins coming against the Packers or Bears. He’s never played in an outdoor game this cold, though – assuming the forecast stays the same. The coldest game Stafford played was a 31-0 win at Green Bay when the temperature was 26 degrees.
Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion in that game and was replaced by DeShone Kizer.
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Team | Date | Temperature | Week | Opp | Result ▼ |
Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | |
| 1 | DET | 2018-12-30 | 26.0 | 17 | @ | GNB | W 31-0 | 21 | 33 | 63.6 | 272 | 3 | 0 | 120.0 |
| 2 | DET | 2017-11-06 | 35.0 | 9 | @ | GNB | W 30-17 | 26 | 33 | 78.8 | 353 | 2 | 0 | 132.4 |
| 3 | DET | 2020-12-06 | 35.0 | 13 | @ | CHI | W 34-30 | 27 | 42 | 64.3 | 400 | 3 | 1 | 109.4 |
| 4 | DET | 2016-01-03 | 31.0 | 17 | @ | CHI | W 24-20 | 28 | 39 | 71.8 | 282 | 3 | 0 | 119.4 |
| 5 | DET | 2017-11-19 | 33.0 | 11 | @ | CHI | W 27-24 | 21 | 31 | 67.7 | 287 | 2 | 0 | 120.2 |
| 6 | DET | 2012-01-01 | 31.0 | 17 | @ | GNB | L 41-45 | 36 | 59 | 61.0 | 502 | 5 | 2 | 103.8 |
| 7 | DET | 2012-12-09 | 33.0 | 14 | @ | GNB | L 20-27 | 27 | 45 | 60.0 | 251 | 1 | 1 | 74.7 |
| 8 | DET | 2017-12-24 | 35.0 | 16 | @ | CIN | L 17-26 | 19 | 35 | 54.3 | 189 | 1 | 1 | 69.1 |
| 9 | DET | 2014-12-28 | 27.0 | 17 | @ | GNB | L 20-30 | 20 | 41 | 48.8 | 202 | 3 | 0 | 89.2 |
| 10 | DET | 2009-12-06 | 34.0 | 13 | @ | CIN | L 13-23 | 13 | 29 | 44.8 | 165 | 1 | 2 | 49.8 |
| 11 | DET | 2013-12-08 | 27.0 | 14 | @ | PHI | L 20-34 | 10 | 25 | 40.0 | 151 | 0 | 0 | 60.6 |
The Rams are going to be tested by the elements on Sunday, especially against a team that’s used to playing in frigid temperatures. Fortunately, they have the ground game and physicality up front to consistently run the ball if throwing it proves to be challenging.
This isn’t a finesse team that can’t win in the cold like that team from South Beach. The Rams are actually equipped to play a grind-it-out style of football thanks to the way their offense is built.