The arctic weather outbreak is expected to stick around through the weekend in Milwaukee, which gives football fans here a good excuse to stay indoors on Sunday afternoon - though most of them weren't really looking for an excuse, anyway.
Although the season got off to a rocky start, the Packers are now winners of six in a row. The team will be in the marquee playoff game of the weekend, taking on the New York Giants late Sunday afternoon. But despite their recent successes, sports contributor Shaun Ranft's outlook isn't necessarily rosy.
"You can make the case that nobody wants to play Green Bay right now, but the big difference [in this game] is defense and the Giants have it in abundance, and the Packers do not," says Ranft.
Ranft is the managing editor of the website, The Sports Post, and he believes that ultimately, the Packers' defense will be their downfall, even if everything else goes right.
"I still don't see Green Bay getting out of the first round. [Quartback Aaron] Rogers can be Rogers, but their defense might come back to get them and this time they're not playing a team that's going to give up a lot of yards," he says.
For his part, Ranft thinks the Seattle Seahawks may well be the team that emerges from the NFC to play in the Super Bowl, setting up a potential rematch with his pick from the AFC, the New England Patriots.
But that's why they play the games. The Packers open the playoffs will be Sunday, January 8, at 3:40 pm in Green Bay.
