Saturday’s record-cold Kansas City Chiefs game left 10 fans hospitalized for weather-related concerns, according to multiple outlets.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Fire Department confirmed to USA Today that Saturday’s game resulted in 69 “patient contacts” and 10 hospitalizations due to the cold. According to the outlet, seven patients were admitted for hypothermia and three for frostbite, while five additional people were hospitalized for non-weather-related issues.
Chiefs PR confirmed that the game marked “the 4th coldest kickoff temp in NFL history” with a wind chill of -27 degrees, making it “the 3rd coldest kickoff wind chill in NFL history.” The Kansas City Fire Department confirmed its 69 calls at Arrowhead Stadium during the game to Fox 4 KC, and said that approximately half of those were hypothermia concerns. The game resulted in a 26-7 victory for Kansas City, behind stellar performances from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes, 28, suffered a cracked helmet during the ice-cold matchup. The helmet’s manufacturers, VICIS, said the freezing temperatures were “bound to test” the equipment’s limits in a statement on social media. “It was a first for me,” Mahomes told reporters after the game regarding his cracked helmet. Kelce, 34, added, “it was shocking how cold it was.” “You’re by the heaters, you’re in the locker room and then when you go out on the field it’s like — the temperature drops right now. And you feel it in your hands, you feel it in your toes, your face. Everyone saw Coach Reid’s ‘stache, like, I could feel my mustache hardening up,” he shared.
Kelce said that the freezing temperatures had him “running over to heaters to warm up my hands and feet to try and get feeling back,” which was “probably the first game” he’s ever had to do that. “It was that freaking cold,” he added. The superstar tight end also shared a horror story from one of his teammates, whose preparations for the freezing temperatures “backfired.” Though he kept the player’s identity a secret, he said that one guy wore two pairs of socks with two foot warmers inside his shoe and “ended up getting two golf sized blisters on the top of his feet.” “It was nuts, man,” Kelce said. Next, the Chiefs will travel to upstate New York to face off against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
