Matthew Stafford, Rams get ready for a snow game in Philadelphia

Matthew Stafford has experienced it. The rest of the Rams have not.

In 2013, Stafford’s Lions and Eagles played a snow game in Philadelphia. Based on the current forecast, Stafford’s Rams will play a snow game in Philadelphia.

As of now, temperatures will be dropping through the day from an overnight high of 36. The snow will be the strongest before and during the game. The total prediction is four to five inches.

The shifting forecast was a topic for Stafford and others who spoke to reporters on Thursday. And Stafford was typically low key about the growing possibility that snow and cold will be a factor.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Stafford said. “Every weather situation I’ve been a part of is kind of different. You go out there and see what you can do and what you can’t do. I’m sure that Sunday will be no different.”

“I haven’t played in a true snow game,” receiver Cooper Kupp said. “I played at Eastern Washington. We played in very cold games, but never anything with actual snow on the ground. We’ll see what ends up happening, but you just handle it. You handle whatever it’s going to be. A couple weeks ago we were watching the old famous snow game that Matthew played in and [Lions receiver] Calvin [Johnson Jr.] was hyperventilating with the snow. I was telling Matthew that’d be so cool. That’s such a unique thing to play in. All the games and all the stuff that goes into it comes down to who wants it or who’s going to find a way to get it done. That’d be cool. Who knows what’s going to happen. I’m excited whatever the conditions are. I know we’ll handle it the right way.”

For receiver Puka Nacua, snow will be a new thing, too.

“I can’t really think of how it’s going to affect me,” Nacua said. “We have the ability to wear your seven stud cleats out there. We’re going to be prepared in the ways that we can. It’s exciting. I think the game of football is meant to be played physically. I think that’s what Sunday will permit.”

The worst conditions he’s seen came just last month, in New Jersey against the Jets.

“Honestly, I don’t think I had feeling in my feet until halftime,” he said. “We went in for halftime and I was like, ‘Oh, there are my toes.’ I felt like I was running on four by fours the whole game. That one was pretty cool. Maybe some in youth football back in Utah where we played in a little bit of snow. They have the heat warmers and stuff that they were putting their seven studs in. We’ll be ready to run the ball and do whatever needs [to be done] to win.”

Coach Sean McVay has been monitoring the situation, and he’s confident the team will be ready.

“The weather [forecast] has changed in the last couple of days,” McVay said. “We’ll see what it is, but we are aware of that. I think the biggest thing is just being mindful of, if the surface is affected, that our cleats aren’t an issue. That’s a big part of it. [Senior director of equipment] Brendan Burger does a great job with that. Matthew has had experience handling that ball. I know this, if it does snow or if it does rain, we have to be mindful of what we need to do to adjust and adapt, but there’s no way it can be as cold as it was at the Jets game.”

Cold is one thing. Snow is another. And it’s just another challenge for the Rams, who have found a way to deal with all sorts of adversity in 2024. If the snow is falling and sticking, however, it could become the biggest challenge they’ve faced this season — especially with the season riding on the outcome.

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