Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins was the fourth coldest game ever, and Travis Kelce has the wounds to prove it. In the most recent episode of his podcast “New Heights,” viewers immediately noticed the marks of the battle…against the climate. The player never mentioned what had happened to him, although he did talk about the difficult conditions they faced in the NFL Super Wild Card Round match, in which the temperature dropped to -4°C with a -27°C wind chill.
The lowest temperature recorded for an NFL game is the -13 degrees and -48 wind chill of the infamous Ice Bowl, played in December 1967 at Lambeau Field between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. In 1982, Riverfront Stadium hosted the Freezer Bowl between the Chargers and Bengals at -9 degrees and a -59 wind chill. In 2016, the Vikings hosted the Seahawks at TCF Bank Stadium at -6 degrees and -25 wind chill.
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Kelce’s injuries from the cold
During the most recent broadcast of “New Heights,” which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, it was briefly seen that Travis’s hand was covered in little cuts, which fans noticed immediately. “Wtf happened to Travis’ hand?” wanted to know one, while someone else exclaimed, “Oh my god, Travis’ hand is so scratched, like did his football glove do that?” “I mean, I noticed he was in pain during [coach] Andy [Reid]’s speech in the lockers, but wtf his poor hands!!” lamented another.
As expected, the “Swift Connection” soon appeared when a fan said: “So which cat did this to Travis’ hand? Benji, Olivia, or Meredith?” referring to the cats of the player’s girlfriend, singer Taylor Swift.
Big Yeti, Travis Kelce, is a cold weather beast! 🐻❄️
Even after the game, Trav never bothered to put on a coat.
I guess he really is that 🔥🔥🔥#chiefskingdom Kansas City pic.twitter.com/UdEZWe9Qhi— Da🦦Otterside (@DaOtterside) January 14, 2024
Travis Kelce vs. the freezing weather
Although he is used to playing in the cold weather of Kansas City, not even Kelce could ignore the discomfort caused by the low temperatures. The weather was so severe that at any opportunity he had to “run over to the heaters” to thaw his hands and feet.
He recalled, “When you go out on the field, it’s like, the temperature just drops right now, and you feel it in your hands, you feel it in your toes, your face… I could feel my mustache hardening up.” He explained that there are certain sections of Arrowhead Stadium where it feels colder, for some reason, “I don’t know if it’s just the way the wind hits the stadium or whatnot – [but] it’s colder, it’s icier.”
The tight end indicated the field was so cold, “You knew that it was going to be hard when you hit the ground regardless.” Although he did not give further explanations, it would not have been unusual for his injuries to have been caused during a fall on the frozen grass.
