Jarryd Hayne should count his blessings. If the San Francisco 49ers had enjoyed a better season, it would have been them rather than the Seattle Seahawks who ventured to the frozen wintry Minnesota tundra this weekend to have their -- let's not mince words here -- nuts totally frozen off in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
Word is, this was the third coldest NFL game every played. How cold? Well, the forecast high was 0 degrees Fahrenheit, which equates to minus 17.7 Celsius. But if you throw in the wind chill factor, it would have felt more like about -30C.
Ever huddled in the outer at the MCG on a cold windy Melbourne July day? That, friends, is freakin' Hawaii compared to this.
It was so cold that they had to heat up the beer to turn it from frozen to drinkable.
It was so cold that a time-honoured Minnesota Vikings symbol just kind of snapped. Guess that's why they call it a cold "snap", eh?
It was so cold that technology started to fail.
And it was so cold that... yeah, holy cold. What they said.
Exposed flesh develops frostbite after exposure to temperatures of -20F (-28C) for half an hour or less. That's why fans looked like this.
And this.
And this.
Inexplicably this 87-year-old former Vikings coach turned up in a polo shirt but that's because coaches are mad.
But was it worth it? Was the devotion of the frozen hordes rewarded by their team? Alas, no. It all came down to this kick. Let's just say the kicker got a frosty reception afterwards. And that Minnesotans can now put their hopes on ice until next season.
For the record, the NFL has no temperature limit for cold weather games. That makes them pretty much alone in the sports world: even skiing's governing body, the FIS, calls events off if it's too frigid.