Snow Bowl Sequel Trending As Unlikely For Eagles-Rams

Potential major snow now looks unlikely for Sunday's playoff game in Philadelphia.
A worker shovels snow out of the seats prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.
A worker shovels snow out of the seats prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. / Howard Smith-Imagn Images
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PHILADELPHIA - Thoughts of a full-fledged “Snow Bowl 2” are dimming as Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams grows closer.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET and there is expected to be some snow during the game but a much more manageable amount that will likely accumulate to two inches or so.

More so, the wind should not play much of a factor, scheduled to be out of the NNW at 6 to 10 miles per hour. The wild-chill factor or so-called “real feel” is expected to be minimal on a kickoff temperature of about 33 degrees.

Light snow may be mixed with sleet early in the game and turn to all snow by about 4 ET. The light accumulating snow should happen from 5 to 7 ET so the guts of the game will be in a snowfall.

The snow is expected to taper by 7 ET with rapidly falling temperatures and winds, resulting in extreme cold long after the game has ended at 9 ET.

From a Philadelphia perspective “The Snow Bowl” refers to a Dec. 8 2013 Week 14 game where the Eagles topped the Detroit Lions, 34-20, behind LeSean McCoy’s 217-yard rushing performance in what was a blinding snow at the time.

The Lions quarterback that day was Matthew Stafford, who will be leading the Rams into South Philadelphia this Sunday. 

Stafford was not effective in the snow, finishing 10 of 25 for 151 yards, prompting many in and around the Delaware Valley to cross their fingers for a sequel.

Right now that seems unlikely. 

AccuWeather has its current snow forecast at 1 to 3 inches (51%), and coating to an inch at 45%. The other outcomes are negligible: over 6 inches at just 1%, 3 to 6 inches at 2%, and little-to-no accumulation at 1%.

Rams coach Sean McVay was asked about the potential conditions and whether the Rams will be ready for them .

"I'm not sure how to answer that," the coach said. "I think we're well suited to go play at our best at 3:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, whatever the elements are. We have to be able to adjust and adapt
accordingly.

"What I talked about that I think is really important is, what do those conditions mean in terms of affecting the style of play or the way that the game unfolds? Is it a footing issue or is it a ball handling issue? We have to be able to adjust and adapt accordingly. Once you're out there, I want these guys being totally immersed in the moment."

McVay pointed back to the rain game his team played at San Francisco on Dec. 12, an ugly 12-6 win for the Rams.

"Now you start talking about that compared to what San Francisco was, even though it wasn't quite as cold, but the inclement [weather] forced you to adjust and adapt," the coach said. "We've [got] contingency plans accordingly. We can't simulate what that weather is like out here, but that's not going to be an excuse for us to not be locked in. That's the way we're approaching it.”

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen