When it's game time in Chicago in January, it tends to be a cold state of affairs for whichever sporting event is happening. Today's NFC Championship Game is no exception.
According to weather.com, Chicago is forecast to have a chilly day for the showdown between the Bears and the Packers, with temperatures at the 3 p.m. Eastern (or 2 p.m. Central) kickoff hovering around 18 or 19 degrees. The high for Chicago is a positively balmy 20 degrees, and though there are "AM snow showers" in the forecast, it seems unlikely that there will be snow during the NFC Championship Game, as precipitation chances in the afternoon plummet to a mere 10 percent.
So don't expect a "Snow Bowl" in only the second playoff meeting between the NFL's two oldest rivals, and don't be surprised if the hard, cold field does nothing to the Packers' precision passing attack. Soldier Field's reputation for being a terrible place to play a football game might be saved by a lack of moisture, as snowy or muddy grass would have been the worst-case scenario for both teams.
But, though Aaron Rodgers has proved capable of systematically erasing and eclipsing memories of Brett Favre for Packers fans, he hasn't played a playoff game in this type of cold weather yet. Will he thrive?