Highmark Stadium

How this venue plays

This is an open-air venue, so the game is exposed to its environment and the forecast is part of the projection. Wind is the largest single effect, pulling down the passing and kicking games; cold suppresses offense more gradually; and rain shows up mostly in ball security and play calling.

Sitting this far north, the venue also swings hard by month. An early-season game here is a different environment from a December one, and the model reads the forecast for the specific date rather than applying a season-long average.

The measured effect of these conditions on a specific game appears alongside that game once the season is live.