This Sunday’s NFC Championship Game promises to be one of this year’s most dramatic gridiron contests. A trip to Glendale, AZ, and Super Bowl XLII aside, the forecast of flurries, below-freezing temperatures, and a subzero wind chill seem to hearken the Ice Bowl.
On game day, 70,000-plus Packer-Backers will flock from every corner of Wisconsin, believing that they’re going to witness a historic piece of Packer history. With Brett Favre running the show, in the most “Brett Favreish” of conditions, on the hallowed grounds of the Frozen Tundra, there are more than enough reasons to justify their confidence.
But this Packer fan is still uneasy.
The emergence of Ryan Grant brought tremendous balance to a Packer offense that began the 2007 season fantastically one-dimensional. Since Week Eight, Grant has showcased the entire repertoire: breakaway speed, sticky hands, and most importantly, the willingness to hit holes with some pop and to fight for every yard.
Although I would’ve loved to watch Favre step back and try to gun his way to victory every week, the reality is that this team wouldn't be one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl without the balance provided by their improved run game.
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The Pack were near perfect in less than perfect conditions against Seattle last week, holding Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks to just 28 rushing yards. Green Bay’s 42-20 win wasn't even as close as the score would indicate.
In fact, 17 of the Seahawks' 20 points were the direct result of Packer errors. Grant’s two fumbles led to Seattle's only two touchdowns, and Brandon Jackson’s penalty for roughing the kicker on a Ryan Plackemeier punt gave Seattle an automatic first down, which led to a field goal in the second quarter.
And still, I’m nervous about this weekend—because although Favre is proven in wintry conditions, the new generation of Packers is not.
They handled the snow exceptionally well against the Seahawks, but the fact is that last weekend’s game was not uncomfortably cold, and visibility was a non-issue the entire first half. Perhaps even more notably, there was little or no wind.
A better indication of what this weekend’s title game will be like might have been the Week 16 Packers-Bears matchup at Soldier Field. It was extremely cold, and violently windy.
Grant ran for 100 yards on 14 rushes and one touchdown—not bad overall, but that one TD came on a 66-yard breakout run. So aside from that one big play, Grant ran for only 34 yards on 13 rushes—just over 2.6 yards per carry.
As Green Bay’s 35-7 loss showed, that wasn’t enough even to beat the Bears, let alone a red-hot Giants team that has won nine straight on the road.
Eli Manning and the Giants have also shown that they’re at their best when they’ve got nothing to lose. With all the attention on Favre, the Packers, and Lambeau Field, and being on the wrong end of a 7.5-point Vegas spread, the G-Men will be ready to play.
My prediction?
It’ll be close the whole way.
The cold and wind will give the edge to the Giants running game, as they’ll get big-time playoff performances from both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw—but Favre will throw for 200+ and two touchdowns.
Final score: 24-20 to the Packers.
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7 months ago
Brett Favre has been through a few of these in his day. Green Bay 24 NY Giants 17
7 months ago
I agree that it's going to be a close, classic cold weather game. Expect big performances from both star (who'd have thought??) running backs.
Predictions:
Favre: 25-39, 242 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Manning: 20-33, 187 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Grant: 22 rushes, 111 yards, 1 TD
Jacobs: 28 rushes, 178 yards, 1 TD
Final Score: Green Bay 27, New York 20
Make the most of the commercials guys—you're not going to want to miss a second of this one.
7 months ago
Ahh i say old farve goes out and plays a hell of a game and wills the pack to win in the cold. But i do agree that the young pack may not be ready which is why donald driver and brett farve will carry this team on their shoulders and beat the giants 21-17. Packers comeback in the 4th. I have a feeling the Farve will go out like another one of my favorite players of all time Jerome "The Bus" Bettis and win one last super bowl then retire on top of the league.
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