Something called a “bomb cyclone” (meteorologists are the original click-baiters) will affect portions of the West Coast on Sunday and Monday. That’s where this week’s Sunday night and Monday night games will be played.
Currently, it’s looking like rain and high winds could affect Colt-49ers tonight in Santa Clara, with rain also in Seattle on Monday night for Saints-Seahawks.
“We’ve had the wet ball stuff going,” Saints coach Sean Payton told reporters on Saturday regarding his team’s preparations for the game in Seattle. “We’ve played there before in inclement weather, certainly it sounds like more. I think the wind is a big factor here. The rain can be. We talk about it every day. You understand how your game shifts oftentimes, it’s not unusual for the weather. We’re seeing the same forecast [as you guys] every day.”
Payton added that the playcalling “absolutely” changes in those situations, and it sounds like he’ll have to be ready to adjust the approach to the weather they ultimately get.
That same issues apply for the Sunday night game. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday that they practiced with wet balls, and that they’re expecting it to indeed be wet and windy.
“Jimmy [Garoppolo] wanted to try it out and work some different gloves and stuff to see,” Shanahan said. “Nate [Sudfeld] gave him some ideas on some things that he’s used and they tried that out. So, it seemed like they enjoyed it, but that stuff, really just for the quarterbacks, they can change a couple things, but that’s all up to them and that stuff’s all different. Everyone else, you deal with it and you see what type of game it is. You see who’s staying in the ground the best, who your best mudders are and you figure that out as the game goes and you lean on them.”
The 49ers had a game like that two years ago in Washington. It looks like they may be getting one of those tonight. It keeps down the scoring, but based on the amount of water and mud and stuff, it can be fun to watch on TV.