The first weekend of the NFL playoffs saw a couple of games heavily impacted by the weather, but could we see the same in the Divisional Round? After there was snowfall in Baltimore on Friday, the excitement started to build that we could be in for a weather-impacted contest between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens on Saturday afternoon.
In our NFL weather report, we examine the latest Baltimore weather forecast and assess whether we could see the game heavily impacted.
What Is the Baltimore Weather Forecast for the Texans vs. Ravens Game?
- Temperature: 22–25 degrees
- Precipitation:Â <10% chance of precipitation during the game
- Wind: 15-18 mph sustained westerly winds with gusts up to 31 mph
The weather forecast is from the National Weather Service and correct as of 2:15 p.m. ET on Friday, January 19.
Unfortunately, for anyone wanting to see a snow-impacted game on Saturday, it looks like they will be disappointed. The snow we saw falling in the area on Friday is not forecasted to continue into Saturday, and any that did fall should be cleared up in plenty of time ahead of kickoff.
Where we may see the weather impact the game is the combination of 25-degree temperatures and winds that could be whistling through the stadium at sustained speeds of 15-18 mph. When you then throw in the wind gusts that are forecasted to be between 28-31 mph, we could start to see an impact on the game.
The sustained winds of 15-18 mph will not have a major impact but will rather prove to be a nuisance for kickers and the deep passing game. The gusts being that strong could cause real issues, but it is hard to predict. Those gusts will rise and fall throughout the game, so it can be hard to predict exactly how and when they will hit the game.
The combination of the temperature and the winds will cause some issues for the passing and kicking games. What we could see is some misfires if QBs struggle to grip the ball or get caught out by a gust. Additionally, we may see head coaches hesitant to go for long field goals, which could result in more fourth-down attempts.
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However, we saw similar conditions in Buffalo last week, and there was not a noticeable impact in that game in terms of what we expected from a performance perspective.
Tyler Bass missed a couple of field goals, but we did not see a major impact on offensive performance.
Therefore, from a fantasy and betting perspective, there is no major adjustment to be made here. The Ravens’ offense is likely to operate in a run-heavy manner, with Zay Flowers and Isaiaih Likely getting opportunities in the passing game. Their offense should be less impacted by any conditions than the Texans.
We have generally seen Houston rely more on the deep passing game, with C.J. Stroud taking shots to the likes of Nico Collins. With Noah Brown now joining Tank Dell on the injured reserve, we could see this offense lose a dimension. They still have both Dalton Schultz and Brevin Jordan, but at wide receiver, they need Robert Metchie III or Robert Woods to step up and be counted.
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