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Battling the cool fall weather after four weeks of warm temperatures is going to be a challenge in itself for the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but another pest has already made itself known before kickoff.
Midges swarmed FirstEnergy Stadium in the hours before kickoff, foreshadowing an atmosphere reminiscent of the then-Cleveland Indians’ playoff game against the New York Yankees 15 years ago. Players from both teams were trying to brush the insects off.
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick warms up for the Browns game as insects swarm around him, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
"Terrible," one Chargers player was overheard saying as they headed back to the locker room.
A security guard at the tunnel told The Associated Press that he swallowed two bugs already.
The midges hatch along Lake Erie several times a year and can get thick enough to cover windows on cars and homes, as well as the press boxes inside the stadium.
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick brushes flying insects away before the Browns game Oct. 9, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Former Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain had to deal with the midgets in Game 2 of the American League Division Series in 2007. It seemed like no matter how much bug spray was used, the midges just wouldn’t leave Chamberlain alone.
Jacoby Brissett and Justin Herbert will be among the key playmakers dealing with the bugs.
Midges swarm the mound as manager Joe Torre of the New York Yankees talks with relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain during the second game of American League Divisional Series in Cleveland on Oct. 5, 2007. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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The Browns and Chargers both enter the game 2-2 and need a crucial victory early in the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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