Football is unpredictable enough even when it’s played indoors. Today’s matchup between the Panthers and the 49ers could be impacted by mother nature more than your average NFL game.
Northern California is in the midst of a pretty serious weather crisis. Local utilities are cutting power for around two million customers in the region over concerns about infrastructure failure due to extreme winds. According to USA TODAY, a broken PG&E wire was found near where one of the larger ongoing blazes started. That’s what they’re trying to avoid, hence the blackouts. The high winds and raging fires are so bad that mandatory evacuations are underway in some counties.
The well-being of those people is the most important thing to consider. Our thoughts are with everyone being affected.
As for today’s game, fans need not worry about a blackout at Levi’s Stadium, which is apparently run on solar power. However, the weather could still be a big factor, especially the wind. According to the Athletic’s 49ers beat reporter Matt Barrows, gusts may reach up to 40 mph.
When the wind is blowing that hard, it obviously makes passing more difficult. Kyle Allen and Jimmy Garoppolo may be limited to throwing screens, slants, hitches and other short routes that don’t require the ball to be in the air for long. Both teams prefer to run the ball in any case – this just gives them more incentive to pound the rock.
Another factor at work is the smoke in the air. Santa Clara county residents have even been given a warning about poor air quality.
The over/under is 41.5 points, which sounds generous given the circumstances and the defenses involved.
