New Orleans Saints’ Head Coach Sean Payton made a tactical error by not taking his team to Chicago three days before their NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears. He should have allowed the team time to get used to the cold, snowy weather, rather than keeping them down south and having them practice indoors in preparation for their game.

I believe this could have been the reason the Saints had multiple turnovers, including an interception and a fumble by three players. It’s true that the Bears have an excellent defense, but they were aided by playing a team that had not become acclimated to the cold wintry weather.

In a similar situation, I believe when NFL teams are scheduled to play the Broncos in Denver, the head coaches should also take their teams to Denver three days early so they can get used to the thinner mountain air. As anyone who has ever participated in athletic competition in the Colorado Mountains will tell you, thin air makes the ball travel faster and makes players’ breathing more difficult.

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