Mother Nature sure seems to like attending Patriots-Bills games this season. With the playoff matchups for Super Wild Card Weekend set, these two AFC East rivals are scheduled to go head to head for the third time this year when New England travels to Buffalo to face the Bills on Saturday night. 

If you remember, the weather was very much a factor in the first matchup between these two teams at Highmark Stadium, and it appears like these clubs could be playing in the elements once again. The temperature is expected to be just five degrees at kickoff, according to weather.com, and it’s expected to fall to about three degrees by the end of the game. While it’s going to be extremely cold, there is a very low chance of precipitation with about six mph wind. 

Anticipating a chilly night, the Bills’ Twitter account offered some tips to their fans on how to stay warm while cheering on their team. Saturday night is the first playoff between the two teams since 1963. The then-Boston Patriots defeated the Bills 26-8 en route to an appearance in the AFL Championship Game. 

Of course, this isn’t as bad as it was back in Week 13 when there were 40 mph winds. In that game, the Patriots attempted just three passes in the eventual 14-10 win where they opted to run the ball 46 times for 222 yards. Under more normal conditions in Foxborough for their Week 16 game, the Bills defeated the Patriots 33-21. 

With that in mind, weather becoming a factor in this could be more beneficial to the Patriots, who are 4.5-point underdogs heading into this playoff matchup. If wind, precipitation, or merely the cold weather can limit Josh Allen’s ability to throw the football, that should keep New England within striking distance, while playing into their preference of running the football.