JERSEY CITY, N.J. – As the first Super Bowl to be intentionally played in cold weather creeps closer, the thought of a Super Bowl at Sports Authority Field at Mile High seems to keep popping up.
Super Bowl XLVIII will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday and has been viewed as a cold-weather experiment of sorts. Of the 47 previous Super Bowls, only four have been played in northern cities and each of those was indoors. Of course, that changes Sunday.
So far in New Jersey, the weather has been cold but the forecast for the weekend shows warmer weather – a projected high of 49 in East Rutherford on Sunday, with temperatures expected to drop into the 30s during the game.
"I think the owners, 31 others and Pat Bowlen – that make the decision on where the game is to go each year, and they pick them several years out, as you know – would view Sunday in bad weather as a question mark for the future of outdoor, cold-weather games," Broncos President Joe Ellis told Chris Hall of Broncos TV on Friday.
"I think we're fortunate to have some good weather coming our way on Sunday. Nothing can take away from the week here in New York and New Jersey, where the people have been spectacular. They've put on a terrific event."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked Friday morning about the potential of a Super Bowl in Denver, given the success of the week so far in New York and New Jersey, and he credited that success to the support of the community and the logistics in place.
At this point, the sites have already been set for the next three Super Bowls. Super Bowl XLIX will be in Glendale, Ariz., Super Bowl L will be in the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and Super Bowl LI will be played in Houston, Texas.
Finalists have already been announced for the location of Super Bowl LII and it will either be played in Minneapolis, Indianapolis or New Orleans – all indoor locations.
If the weather is in question for a Denver-host Super Bowl, proponents would quickly point to the AFC Championship game about two weeks ago where the sky was clear and the temperature at kick off was 63 degrees.
"Probably our finest hour in Denver for the Broncos in terms of weather, play on the field and a glorious finish – and you get to hold up a trophy," Ellis said of the AFC Championship Game. "That was a spectacular day and I wish we could promise that to the owners when we're submitting our bid."
