Rachel Wold
Sunday’s wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings will have Russell Wilson and the Seahawks facing near zero degree temperatures at TCF Bank Stadium when kickoff time arrives.
Wilson, however, isn’t concerned about playing the cold.
“Fortunately I have big hands [10¼ inches], so that helps, too,” he said, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.
“When it comes to throwing, you want to be comfortable. You want to do what you always do. For me, that’s what I’ve always done, just throw with my bare hand.”
According to Kapadia, Wilson will use hand-warmers to to keep his hands toasty between plays rather than wear a glove on his throwing hand.
It was determined by ESPN Stats & Information that Wilson has played only one sub-zero game outdoors. That came in 2014 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Missouri when the Seahawks lost 24-20.
However, he said he’s used to playing when it’s cold due to night practices during his tenure with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Overall, Wilson is a resilient and resourceful quarterback. He and the Seahawks head into Sunday’s game heavily favored to walk away with the win against Minnesota. Furthermore, those large hands of his have completed an average of 71.61 percent of his passes in his last seven games, including a 274 passing yard, three touchdown game at TCF Bank Stadium in Week 13.
A little cold doesn’t look like it is going to bother a confident Wilson.
“You get used to the cold. It shouldn’t be a big deal at all.”
If the temperature drops even further below zero, this Wild Card game could challenge the NFL’s record for the “Ice Bowl” that took place at a negative 13 degrees back in 1967.
