It is easy to downplay the cold when one is in a 68-degree locker room or a cozy auditorium.

The thought of anguish is easier than the experience. Just ask lifelong marathoners who, on mile 24, always swear it will be the last one they ever run.

That is why it is hard to believe the Seattle Seahawks who say Sunday’s forecasted subzero temperature in Minneapolis won’t be a factor — even if they believe it themselves. But the bigger mystery is: Will it be a disadvantage?

How Mother Nature will affect Seattle’s odds of beating the Minnesota Vikings has been a talker since the initial forecast came out. It has been the predominant question in news conferences, too.

So let’s break this down fact-or-fiction style to find out. We have to know whether the weather really matters.

Fact or Fiction? The Vikings have the inherent advantage because they live in the cold every day.

We always heard about how Peyton Manning, who spent most of his career playing home games in a dome, would fold once the thermometer dipped below 40 degrees. But was this really because he was spoiled by warmth, or was it because he was facing top-flight defenses in the playoffs? I ask because I’m not sure most people realize how ridiculous NFL players’ pain tolerance is. Richard Sherman was talking Wednesday about how he once finished a game after snapping his wrist in half and breaking his thumb. Linebacker Bobby Wagner has played on a broken foot, and Michael Bennett said his big-toe injury Sunday was a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. These guys may hate being out there Sunday, but their bodies have endured harsher torment. Final verdict: Fiction.

Fact or fiction: The cold will neutralize the passing game, removing the Seahawks’ advantage at quarterback.

Russell Wilson was the top QB in the NFL in the second half of the season, but if you are giving him football-shaped icicles to throw, can he be all the much better than the next guy? Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, the Seahawks’ radio color analyst, says yes — that Wilson’s experience at Wisconsin prepared him for this moment. But Moon also emphasized that you do have to prepare differently when Mother Nature is feeling particularly frosty. “The cold can psych you out,” said Moon, who once played a game in Canada at minus-22 degree Celsius. “You start worrying about all the clothes you wear, and suddenly you can’t move comfortably at all.” Fellow Hall of Famer Steve Largent, a former Seahawks receiver, said the heat lamps and evolution of gloves allow today’s receivers to better cope with the cold, but was almost certain the ball will hit the ground more than usual Sunday. “Expect a low scoring game,” Largent said. Final verdict: Fact.

Fact or fiction: If this comes down to who the better rushing team is, Minnesota will have a leg up.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson just won the third rushing title of his career with 1,485 yards. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have continued pounding the ball even without Marshawn Lynch, who did not travel with the team to Minnesota. But, in addition to winning the scoring defense title, the Seahawks kept Peterson to 18 yards on eight carries when they met last month. Also consider that, even with Lynch out for more than half the year, the Seahawks led the NFL in rushing and got 102 yards out of Christine Michael last week. Plus, Peterson is a home-run rusher — a midlevel yards-after-contact running back who makes his mark with 50-yard scampers. The Seahawks, meanwhile, pound the ball up the middle in 3- to 5-yard bursts. Dishing out that kind of punishment in zero-degree weather? (Wait for it …) That’s just cold. Final verdict: Fiction.