ENGLEWOOD — Jeremy Crawshaw never experienced real snow until being drafted as the Broncos punter. “I’m like a 7-year-old running around in it and enjoying it,” said Crawshaw, a native Australian who starred at the University of Florida. “I love it. I welcome it. I enjoy the cold more t han the heat.” Careful what you wish for, Aussie. The Broncos host the Patriots at 1 p.m. Sunday for the AFC Championship. Temperatures are expected to approach historic lows in franchise history for a home football game. 9NEWS senior meteorologist Chris Bianchi forecasted 17 degrees at kickoff with 10-20 mph winds and a 40% chance of flurries. The Broncos have played only nine games in their history — home or away — with a kickoff temperature at or below 17 degrees. “A second wave of snow will move through on Sunday afternoon and into Sunday night,” Bianchi posted Friday morning on social media. “That could impact the Broncos game with a little snow, especially at the end of the game.” Players in the Broncos locker room had differing reactions to expected frigid conditions at Empower Field. “It’s like being back in the Midwest. It’s a little bit warmer (in Denver) than the Midwest, to be honest. It really doesn’t bother me,” said cornerback Riley Moss, an Iowa native who played for the Hawkeyes in college. “The guys that are from Florida and stuff, down South, it will bite a little bit.” Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey is from Texas and played for the Longhorns in college. “I’m not too fond of the cold,” Humphrey said. But a common refrain among Broncos in the locker room was a commitment to excellence no matter the conditions. The Patriots will be dealing with the same cold and possible snow. “Honestly, with a game of this magnitude, if you allow the cold to bother you — you’re kind of in the wrong profession,” Moss said. “Go out there, fly around and compete. You don’t really even feel it.” Humphrey added: “Once you get that blood flowing, you’re good.” Crawshaw loves the cold. But he’s arguably the most impacted player by severe weather based on his single job responsibility — punting the football. “When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress like it usually does,” Crawshaw told The Denver Gazette. “So, honestly, this week is lots of contact. Try and (punt) it with good location and good hang time. All of the fundamentals. And that’s pretty much it. … I haven’t played in any crazy conditions like we might expect on the weekend. I’ve had some cold games (in college) like Mizzou late in the year and a night game.” Crawshaw anticipated the change of seasons in Denver. He made a plan to be prepared when the cold hit. “I like to go outside and get my hands real cold at night, and then come back in and do ball drops, so when we get to the moment, it’s familiar, and not something we panic or try to get over in the moment,” Crawshaw said. “There are things we’ve been doing to get us acclimated to that. We’ve had some cold practices, too. It would snow the night before and everyone else is going into the indoor. I said: ‘No, I’m going to punt outside.’ “Because I need to get work in it.” The Pro Football Writers Association named Crawshaw to its All-Rookie team this season. The sixth-round pick finished the year averaging 47.6 yards per punt, with 30 of 75 pinned inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. In the divisional playoff win over Buffalo, Crawshaw booted a 55-yard punt in overtime that flipped the field at a key moment. His next challenge is proving capable of handling the elements with a trip to the Super Bowl hanging in the balance. “It’s nothing that I’m stressed about at all,” Crawshaw said. “It’s just another game and we know what we need to do.” COLDEST BRONCOS HOME GAMES ON RECORD 9 degrees: Dec. 10, 1972 — Broncos 38, Chargers 13 13 degrees: Jan. 12, 2013 — Ravens 38, Broncos 35 (OT) 16 degrees: Dec. 28, 2015 — Broncos 20, Bengals 17 (OT) 16 degrees: Dec. 3, 2006 — Seahawks 23, Broncos 20 17 degrees: Dec. 21, 2008 — Bills 30, Broncos 23 *According to the Broncos media guide, temperatures are listed in Fahrenheit. ...read more read less