WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – When the Rams took the practice field for their walkthrough Wednesday, mostly clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s greeted them.
When they take the field Sunday in downtown Chicago, a difference of potentially 70 degrees awaits them for their primetime kickoff.
The amount of time it took you to read those two sentences is about the amount of time they will spend concerning themselves with that aspect of Sunday's divisional round environment.
Really, less, if at all.
Head coach Sean McVay acknowledged what lies ahead Sunday night at Soldier Field, but said it isn't something the team is focused on as their playoff preparations continue this week.
"What we're going to do is we're going to get the biggest cold plunge ever and everybody's going to see if we can sit in that thing for three hours," McVay jokingly told reporters Wednesday. "Here's the thing, and this is what I've been pleased with, I think we've handled those things well. We're not going to sit here and waste our emotional energy on things that we can't control. 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 that we can control. Let's be present in that three-and-a-half-hour window. Let's control the things that we can't control. When you're not on the field, stay warm. Then when you're out there, your adrenaline kicks in. Let's be mindful of the ball is a little bit slicker. It feels like a rock. Other than that, let's freaking roll."
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams are two veterans of frigid temperatures from their days playing in the NFC North, but like McVay, refused to make a bigger deal of it than what it is. Stafford said he will wear a scuba suit underneath his uniform as he's done throughout his career, while Adams will go sleeveless like he's done throughout his career.
"Not really," Adams said, when asked whether he shares any insights about playing in Chicago after spending many years as a Green Bay Packer. "It's pretty self-explanatory. It's going to be cold. Different people have tricks of the trade, but I just go out there. I've never worn sleeves in a game in my career. It is what it is. It's going to be freezing out there, but you just got to figure it out."
Stafford said he's played in some games where it's been cold and dry, and others like a road game at Philadelphia where there was six inches of snow on the ground. It's no different than gauging the elements like they did last week in Carolina with the wind, and figuring out how it will affect the ball, then go out and play.
"It is what it is," Stafford said. "We don't care what the weather is here or what it is there. We just go play. We have to prepare and have a good week of preparation. We're going to do that to give ourselves the best chance to go out there and succeed."
Some players show their indifference to the cold like Adams' sleeveless approach, or in the case of outside linebackers Jared Verse and Byron Young for the Rams' December 2024 road game against the New York Jets, taking the field for pregame warmups shirtless.
Verse, though, said that was the idea outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, who signed with the Buffalo Bills last offseason. Verse does not intend to repeat it.
"The cold doesn't really phase me," Verse said. "I mean, I'm from Ohio. I lived in New York, I used to play in the hail... That New York game was something else."
For Nacua, the elements bring back memories of playing EA Sports' Madden NFL video game and turning on the snow "because it looks cool in the setting." He doesn't know if the forecast will bring snow, but he's going to be prepared regardless of what the weather looks like this Sunday.
"I will be wearing that jacket, no matter what," Nacua said. "Wherever they set up the heat, (senior director of equipment Brendan Burger) will be put to use, every heat pad that we own, I will be taking full advantage of it. But I'll also be ready to handle this game of football."
