Several Chicago Bears players and coaches have either warmed to the idea that they’ll host the Cleveland Browns in bitterly cold conditions Sunday at Soldier Field — or they push it out of their minds entirely.

“There’s nothing really to talk about,” defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Al Harris said. “Both teams are going to be out there. Whatever. If it’s 100 degrees or it’s negative 100, both teams are out there.”

The National Weather Service on Thursday forecast a high near 13 degrees and a low of around 5 for central Cook County on Sunday. The report for the area adds that “widespread subzero air temps should push wind chills into the 15- to 25-below-zero range,” but those wind chills should “gradually ease.”

Brrrrr down: A look at the coldest Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field

The players come from different backgrounds, naturally, so they’ve had a wide range of experiences — and feelings — about cold-weather games.

Grady Jarrett, defensive tackle: The veteran defensive tackle played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium (formerly the Georgia Dome) for 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Bears last offseason. So when asked if he remembered his coldest game, he piped up, “Yeah, I do.”

“Had to be probably 2022 in Baltimore,” he said. The game-time temperature at M&T Bank Stadium was 17 degrees with a wind chill of 2, according to NFL records.

“I don’t know what happened that week, but every game was super, super cold that week,” Jarrett said. “And we just happened to be in Baltimore. It was clear as day, but I mean, that thing was so cold.”

Jarrett allowed himself to wear a full sleeve instead of a half-sleeve to brace for the cold, and “that thing was still coming through.”

But he said there wasn’t anything he or the team could’ve done to better prepare for the elements.

“What, we’re going to a freezer and practice?” he said.

Ravens fans dress warmly and festively for game against the Falcons on Dec. 24, 2022, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

Jarrett said he’s taking a similar mindset with Sunday’s game.

“It’s Chicago, man. It’s cold here every day,” he said.

He dresses lighter in practice to try to acclimate to December games in Chicago — there are three left on the schedule.

“I ain’t got a choice, man,” Jarrett said. “I’m really trying to just embrace it, to be honest.

“And it’s been a cool thing to be a part of this part of the year (after) spending my whole career in a domed stadium. But being a part of elements and letting it be in your advantage versus being the team going to visit it, it’s been cool being on the side of it.”

Theo Benedet, offensive tackle: You can take one guess how the Vancouver, British Columbia, native feels about this cold-weather business.

“I’m fired up because I think that’s an advantage for me personally and for the whole team because you know we train in this all the time,” he said. “It’s just Soldier Field. No one knows the weather, the wind there, better than us, so I’m excited.”

The Bears offense leaves the field during the first quarter of a 35-13 loss to the Bills on Dec. 24, 2022, at Soldier Field. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Take his opinion with a grain of rock salt. Typically it’s the offensive linemen who are sleeveless in even the most biting climates.

“Well, I’m afraid they have more insulation than the other players,” Benedet said with a laugh.

But he added there’s another reason he and the other big guys up front embrace a forecast like Sunday’s: “It’s running-the-ball weather. So it’s a chance for us to really impose ourselves on the game, take the game over and control it.”

Bundled up Bears fans wait for the start of a game against the Eagles on Dec. 18, 2022, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Caleb Williams, quarterback: Yes, he did play quarterback for USC, but he also has “Iceman” as one of his nicknames. If the cold or wind affects him even slightly, he’s certainly not letting on.

“I’ve played in some cold games already here and I’ve played in some cold games before,” said Williams, who’s in his second season with the Bears. “I believe that weather and the elements don’t bother me.

“So just being able to get warm, get my body warm and then go out there and deliver good balls to my guys and let them go make plays.”

Kyle Monangai, running back: It was snowing during Monangai’s final game at Rutgers, a 41-14 romp at host Michigan State. The temperature was 24 degrees.

“I had played in some, like, light flurries, but that was consistent snow. It was very cold,” he said.

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Monangai recalled wearing extra layers and gloves and using hand warmers but said footing was a problem.

“East Lansing, the grass isn’t as good — no shade to them — but I’ve got to wear the right cleats, the right footing, to make sure you’re cutting within yourself, you don’t slip and slide. That’s really the only difference.”

He doesn’t anticipate having to make similar adjustments for Soldier Field.

“Nah, man, we do a good job,” he said. “I think Soldier’s got good grass, and we’re used to it more than anybody, obviously. We know how to properly place our feet to cut well, so we’re not too worried about it. It’s just going to be cold.”

Colston Loveland, tight end: Loveland said coaches preach that they look at the cold as an advantage: “They like to tell us that’s where we thrive.”

Even though he played for the Michigan Wolverines, “it never got too cold, man. We didn’t play past Thanksgiving, so never had — probably like a 35-degree game maybe or something, 30-degree game, so not too bad.”

Still, he’s well familiar with how chilly the Midwest can get, so he doesn’t do anything special to prepare for cold-weather games.

“Just wear a coat and sit on the bench if I get cold, really,” Loveland said. “They’ve got the heaters and everything there, so they make it pretty good for us.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/chicago-bears-cold-weather-soldier-field/