Tag: AccuWeather

Hurricane Eta rain bands in the forecast for Saints-Bucs in Tampa Bay

The Sunday weather forecast calls for wind and rain from Hurricane Zeta when the Saints and Buccaneers kick off at Raymond James Stadium.

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Rainy, windy conditions are in the forecast when the New Orleans Saints arrive at Raymond James Stadium for Sunday night’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hurricane Eta is moving into the region, pounding the Florida Keys and sending rogue rain bands through the Gulf of Mexico coastline.

Accuweather is calling for several hours of rain and an east-northeast breeze averaging 13 miles per hour, with intermittent gusts up to around 31 miles per hour. With a high temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the RealFeel temperature accounting for humidity and wind predicts something nearer to 73 degrees. So at least it won’t be a hot and muggy evening at Tampa Bay.

It recalls their 2018 meeting, when the stadium was pounded by rain in the hours before kickoff, requiring the Buccaneers field crew to put down tarps to protect the turf. That game turned into a sloppy affair with the Saints trailing big deep into the third quarter, before a Taysom Hill blocked punt sparked a furious rally back to win 28-14.

Maybe the Saints can find more magic in their second game outdoors this season. They prepared for a mix of biting cold and strong winds a week ago against the Chicago Bears, but the weather concerns ended up being less of an issue as the day wore on. Hopefully that will prove true again on Sunday night.

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What is the weather forecast for Saints-Bears at Soldier Field?

The Chicago area is under a hazardous wind advisory just before kickoff between the Bears and New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field on Sunday.

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We’re entering the eighth week of the NFL regular season, and the New Orleans Saints are in for their first experience with rough weather. Sunday’s tilt with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field is scheduled to kick off about an hour after a hazardous wind advisory expires, with 44-mile per hour wind gusts ripping through the Windy City. Sustained winds of about 24 miles per hour are expected to continue through game time.

That’s combining with a high temperature of just 38 degrees, making for an Accuweather RealFeel temperature of 23 degrees at kickoff. That’s expected to deteriorate down to a RealFeel forecast of 19 degrees as the sun sets and the game wraps up later Sunday afternoon.

But the Saints are confident they’ll handle it well, even if this game may require less pass attempts and shorter field goal tries than usual.

“I’m not used to playing up North in colder weather, but it’s a part of football,” said wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, who grew up in Florida and played at UCF in college, to Nola.com’s Rod Walker. “You just have to get used to it. It’s a mind game and you just go out there and know it’s going to be cold. You can’t psyche yourself out or put too much thought into it. You have to focus on what you have to do for the game. We all know it’s going to be cold. Sean did a great job preparing us telling us about the weather.”

That might suggest a heavier workload for running backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Kamara has been stellar this year, leading the NFL in scrimmage yards and rapidly strengthening his Offensive Player of the Year candidacy. In last year’s visit to Soldier Field with Kamara sidelined by injury, Murray racked up 150 yards of offense as a runner (27 carries for 119 yards) and receiver (5 catches for 31 yards), scoring two touchdowns.

With absences decimating the wide receiver corps — Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway are injured, while Emmanuel Sanders is still on the COVID-19 reserve — the Saints just may need to turn to their talented duo in the backfield. And if that’s the case, they’ve proven they can handle it.

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