Sean McVay Brushes Off Concerns About Chicago Weather Ahead of Rams-Bears Clash

The coach did not seem worried at all.

McVay and his Rams are heading to Chicago for a divisional round matchup on Sunday. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Rams might be a warm-weather team, but head coach Sean McVay is not worried about his California squad as they head to Chicago for a divisional round contest this weekend.

According to Accuweather, the forecast in Chicago on Sunday calls for a high of 22 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 2 degrees, with a RealFeel temperature of 3. There is also a chance of snow. Yikes. Even the most seasoned of cold-weather veterans would have a tough time with this one.

But McVay's confidence, as he explained, is because the Rams dealt with tough, cold weather last season, too, in games vs. the Eagles and the Jets.

“You know [how the ball feels in the cold], but last year was a great example, we had two really cold games,” McVay told reporters on Wednesday, asked if the forecast will have any impact on his offensive planning. “Fortunately, [quarterback Matthew Stafford] has played in these conditions. So it doesn’t change. There’s a couple things you have to be mindful of, but you start talking about wind, rain, and how that affects your footing, stuff like that, we always kind of adjust and adapt. [The Bears] have got to be able to play in those same sort of elements—they have a little more experience, but we’re not going to allow that to be an excuse. I think you do have to have a feel, but I think the way that our guys play, I think it suits us well in any sort of conditions, and that's kind of what we've always said."

The coach added that he simply can't control the weather, so there is no sense worrying about it, while also making clear that there are a lot of guys on the team who know how to handle these conditions, too.

“We’re not going to waste our emotional energy on things we can’t control,” 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 where they played their college ball in outdoor stadiums. We talk about mental toughness all the time and really controlling the things we can control. ... Let’s control the things we can control. When you’re not on the field, stay warm, and then when you’re out there, your adrenaline kicks in. And then let's be mindful of, obviously, the ball is a little bit slicker, it feels like a rock, but other than that, let’s freakin’ roll."

For his part, Stafford sounded equally unconcerned, noting that adverse conditions are nothing he hasn't dealt with before.

"You just kind of figure it out as you go," the QB said. "Each [game] is its own unique set of circumstances."

He added later: "We don't care what the weather is here, what the weather is there, just go play. Gotta prepare, have a good week of preparation. We're gonna do that to give ourselves the best chance to go out there and succeed."

Well, that's that. Sounds like these guys aren't worried at all. Still, hopefully they bundle up for Sunday's game, slated for 6:30 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.

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