San Francisco at Green Bay

This game may turn out to be the Ice Bowl II. The projected game time temperature in Green Bay will be -2 with that falling to -10 by game's end. Toss in the wind and wind chills will be approaching -30. When all is said and done, this could be the coldest NFL game ever. The playoff games closest to this were the original Ice Bowl between Dallas and Green Bay, a 1980 AFC Championship game between Oakland in Cleveland in 1980, a game in Cincinnati in 1981 between the Chargers and the Bengals and the 2007 Giants/Packers game. In those four games, an average of just 35.3 total points per game were scored. Bodies, including fingers will be stiff here and the ball will be hard as a rock. This game is going to come down to who can run the ball the best. Both of these teams have backs made for the playoffs. Green Bay will run a lot of Eddie Lacy while the Niners will counter with a heavy dose of Frank Gore. I just think that there will be more running than passing which will make for a shorter game, but also makes for eight defenders in the box. And, the fact remains that Aaron Rodgers still has some rust to shake off. San Francisco has held teams to just 16.2 points per game on the road this season. Green Bay's defense has issues for sure, but for the most part that has manifested itself on the road. While the Packers allowed over 30 points per game on the road this season, at home they were respectable, allowing just 22.6 per game. The Packers' defense should be better by default with Rodgers on the field as the three-and-outs should be minimized, meaning better field position and more rest. Either team can win this game but either way I expect a lower scoring game than expected. Take the UNDER in the Ice Bowl II.