Rams vs. Bears expected to be played in freezing temperature

By looking ahead to the Rams’ divisional round playoff game against the Chicago Bears, Kobie Turner was forced to look back.

In anticipation of the Antarctic temperatures on Sunday at Soldier Field, Turner relived the Rams’ visit to the New York Jets last season for a Week-16 game played in a sub-20-degree environment.

“I tried to be a big dog or whatever,” Turner said.

The 6-foot-2, 294-pound defensive tackle demonstrated his masculinity by refusing to wear thermal clothes under his uniform. He might have looked like a man, but he felt as if he were dipped in liquid nitrogen.

“I paid the price for it,” Turner said with a laugh. “Will not be doing that this game.”

Somewhere on the list of Angeleno caricatures, between love for vegan restaurants and dog spas, is how locals here freak out over less-than-perfect weather.

The Rams swear they will defy the stereotype, even though Soldier Field is expected to be even colder than MetLife Stadium was last season.

“We’re not going to sit here and waste our emotional energy on things that we can’t control,” Coach Sean McVay said. “I don’t have a weather machine. We do have a lot of guys that have been accustomed to playing in these types of situations, whether it’s previous teams or whether it be just where they played their college ball in outdoor stadiums.”

The most notable of them is quarterback Matthew Stafford, who spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions playing in the NFC North.

“I think each game is kind of unique,” Stafford said. “You can’t just bunch them all together. Played in Philly back in the day, six inches of snow on the ground, played another game where it’s just cold and dry. You just gotta go figure out what the elements are, how it’s gonna affect the ball.”

Stafford sprained his right index finger last week in the Rams’ 34–31 playoff-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers, but said he wouldn’t wear any protective gear on his throwing hand.

The cold-weather expert will be prepared for the elements in Chicago, as he plans to wear a scuba suit he brought with him when he was traded to the Rams before the 2021 season.

Stafford passed for only 110 yards in the game against the Jets last season, but the Rams won. Less than a month later, he gave the Philadelphia Eagles the greatest scare of their Super Bowl run, as he led the Rams down the field in the middle of a snowstorm to nearly reverse a 28–22 deficit on the final drive of the game.

Receiver Davante Adams is another frozen-field veteran, as he spent the first eight years of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” Adams said. “It’s going to be cold.”

Adams’ Sunday best will be something Turner could only dream of wearing. Adams plans to play bare-armed.

“I’ve never worn sleeves in a game in my career,” Adams said.

For the Rams, the degree of difficulty for their upcoming assignment will be increased by the conditions at home.

When they gathered for practice on Wednesday at their Woodland Hills training facility, the weather was perfect.

The sky was clear. The temperature was in the low 80s.

“You know, what we’re going to do is get the biggest cold plunge ever and see if we can take it for three hours,” McVay said.

Asked if kicker Harrison Mevis could prepare for the challenging conditions, McVay playfully replied, “Not unless we can go into an ice freezer the size of this (field).”

Because footballs feel harder in the cold, McVay suggested the Rams could practice this week with a giant rock.

While McVay was the jokester, Stafford played the part of the romantic, making reference to the classic games that were played in the snow.

“There’s something to it, right?” Stafford said. “It feels right when football’s outdoors, you’re playing it late in the year.

“So I’m embracing it. I know our team is as well. I’m looking forward to it.”