Matt Barkley hails from California and played college football at USC. So no, he certainly wasn't bred for the weather in Chicago on Sunday, when it was so cold (11 degrees) the logos on the Bears' and Packers' helmets were actually falling off.
He did, however, prepare for the conditions ... by wearing a wetsuit under his uniform.
"I've worn a wetsuit in water, but not on a football field," Barkley said after the game, per ESPN. "It ended up working out well. It did not restrict my play."
It's actually less weird than it sounds. As ESPN's Michele Steele reported, Barkley stole the idea from Matt Cassel, who stole the idea from Tom Brady.
Bears QB Matt Barkley told me he's wearing wetsuit under jersey today to keep warm -- tip he picked up from Cassell who learned it from TB12
— Michele Steele (@ESPNMichele) December 18, 2016
The wetsuit worked. Barkley, filling in for Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer, led a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback against a superior Packers team, who ended up winning 30-27 with a last-second field goal.
In all, Barkley went 30 of 43 for 362 yards, two touchdowns, three picks, and an 81.7 rating. That's not an incredible stat line, but it's certainly not bad for a quarterback who hadn't registered a start before this season. In fact, he has played well enough that the Bears might want to consider bringing him back for depth next year.
