Panthers practice in snow preparing for NFC Championship Game (photo)

Preparing for the cold conditions they’ll face in the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers practiced on a snowy field Friday preparing for Sunday’s game.

Peeping that skyline in the distance, it sure looks like some nasty weather coming in on top of the snow already on the ground.

Winter Storm Jonas is currently hammering the east coast and is expected to persist through until Saturday night, when the winter storm warning is expected to expire in North Carolina.

Ice and freezing rain are a bigger problem than heavy snow down south, per NBC Charlotte. And, while the sky is expected to be clear for Sunday’s NFC title game, temperatures will still be in the 30s.

Ron Rivera comes from the old school line of thinking. He was coached by Mike Ditka and has brought that hard-nosed mentality to the Panthers. No doubt practicing outside in the freezing conditions will be a boon for his team.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have no way to replicate the conditions in the desert.

Advantage, Panthers.