Forecasts say bad weather conditions could impact 2 AFC wild-card games

When you stage football playoff games in January, miserable weather is always a possibility. The extended forecast isn't friendly for a couple of NFL playoff games this week.

The Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play in domes, so those teams won't be bothered. There is a 58% chance of precipitation for the Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Monday night according to Yahoo Weather, but with temperatures between a high of 70 and a low of 62. It shouldn't be that bad, though that could change if there's a rainstorm.

But the forecasts for Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills will change the preparation for all the teams involved.

Extreme cold forecasted for Kansas City

Dolphins-Chiefs should be a fun game between two top quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Patrick Mahomes. The weather might bother both offenses, however.

The Yahoo Weather forecast for Kansas City on Saturday is a high of 16 and a low of -2. With kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kansas City, almost two hours after sunset, the temperature will probably be closer to below zero by kickoff if the forecast holds. That would make it one of the coldest games in NFL history.

There is a very low chance of precipitation, which helps, but the key will be the wind. If it's about zero degrees with a significant wind, that will make conditions very tough for both offenses. It also might not help a Chiefs receiving corps that has struggled to catch the ball in good weather conditions.

Potential bad weather in Buffalo too

When the Bills get a home playoff game, a bad weather game is always possible.

It seems like the Steelers and Bills will be playing through some poor conditions for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. Yahoo Weather says the high will be 25 degrees with a good chance of snow. The forecast has a 63% chance for precipitation. There is a high wind warning for mid-week in Buffalo, and Weather Channel says predicted winds are 15 to 25 mph for Sunday.

High winds affect offenses more than cold or precipitation. The combination of high winds with cold temperatures and precipitation could make for a low-scoring game. That's one reason the total for the game in betting circles has seen a big drop. The over/under for total points opened at 43 and is all the way down to 35.5 at BetMGM, which is low for an NFL game and a huge shift in less than 24 hours.

Weather is always a factor worth monitoring for NFL playoff games. Early in the NFL's wild-card week, two games are in danger of being impacted.