Michigan State Spartans linebacker Darius Snow (23) waits between plays as the snow falls during a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Rutgers Scarlet Knights on November 30, 2024 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.
(Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What’s Thanksgiving weekend without football?! Am I right?
Late November football always comes with the chance for bitter cold and snow. Mother Nature is throwing in everything but the kitchen sink through Sunday.
There are three Sunday games that look interesting, weather-wise.
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
(1 p.m. ET at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio)
This is certainly a forecast you expect in the Great Lakes at the end of November. Rain, maybe mixed with or changing to snow, very windy and cold.
If you have the Cleveland Browns second-ranked defense by both yards allowed and sacks on your fantasy team, you have to be licking your chops for this game. Even with the 49ers third-ranked passing attack, the recent turnovers from starter Brock Purdy coupled with the Browns defense performance at home makes the Browns D a must start.
Oh, and there’s the whole “California team playing in cold weather” factor, too.
(FULL FORECAST: Cleveland, Ohio)
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets
(1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey)
No this isn’t exactly a battle of the titans, but rain, perhaps even a clap of thunder, could move in during the game.
So, for fantasy purposes, you may want to stick with just the running backs for both the Falcons and Jets. A wet ball with falling rain could mess with each team’s struggling passing games.
(FULL FORECAST: East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
(4:25 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
This game may have similar weather to the game in Cleveland: cold, windy with some showers possible.
One big question for the game and for fantasy football owners is the condition of Acrisure Stadium’s notoriously bad grass field. While we’re not forecasting a soaking, some rain before the game Sunday could make the field an issue once again late Sunday afternoon.
And it further complicates some mixed signals. The Bills third-ranked offense will face the Steeler’s sixth worst defense, but fifth best defense for sacks and fourth best for turnover margin.
In this case Bills quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook III may be the only real safe options for fantasy owners.
(FULL FORECAST: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Tiffany Savona is a meteorologist for weather.com with more than 15 years of experience in forecasting the weather across the country.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
