On January 10, 1982, the Cincinnati Bengals hosted the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won 27–7 and advanced to Super Bowl XVI. The game is commonly known as the "Freezer Bowl" because of extraordinarily low temperatures and a reported wind-chill near −59°F (−50°C), produced by bitter winds off the Ohio River combined with single-digit air temperatures. Weather and conditions Meteorological conditions that day produced severe wind and cold. Air temperatures have been reported in the single digits above zero (°F), but the strong gusting winds lowered the effective temperature dramatically; contemporary reports and later accounts cite a wind-chill value near −59°F. Those conditions affected the field, the football, and play-calling, and contributed to limited passing effectiveness and ball-handling challenges for both teams. Key elements of the game Cincinnati built and maintained control through a balanced approach featuring running and short passing. Quarterback Ken Anderson and the Bengals' offense produced enough scoring opportunities for Cincinnati to take a decisive lead; kicker Jim Breech contributed field goals that helped pad the advantage. The Chargers, led by quarterback Dan Fouts and a high-powered passing offense, struggled to operate as effectively in the cold and wind; their usually prolific aerial attack was hampered, and they managed only a single touchdown. Special teams and turnovers The brutal conditions increased the importance of turnovers, field position and special teams play. Ball security and kicking were affected by numb hands and stiff equipment, and both teams had to adapt to an environment that was far more severe than typical NFL weather. Cincinnati's ability to manage those elements better than San Diego was a decisive factor. Aftermath and legacy The Bengals' victory sent them to Super Bowl XVI, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers. The January 10, 1982 game became a notable entry in NFL lore because of the extreme weather and the nickname "Freezer Bowl." It is routinely referenced in discussions of the coldest games in professional football history and is used as an example of how adverse weather can shape game plans and outcomes. Notes on sources and uncertainty Contemporary newspaper accounts, team records and later historical summaries consistently identify the game as the 1981 season's AFC Championship played on January 10, 1982, at Riverfront Stadium, with a final score of 27–7 in favor of Cincinnati. Reports of the −59°F wind-chill are based on weather observations and journalistic reporting from the time; wind-chill calculations and exact numerical values can vary by source and by the specific methods used to compute wind chill, but the consensus across multiple accounts is that wind-chill values that day were extraordinarily low and among the coldest recorded for an NFL postseason game.