NFL Divisional Round: Could the cold be a factor for the playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers?

GREEN BAY, Wis. — For much of their history, the Green Bay Packers were unbeatable at home in the postseason.

The Packers, buoyed by the minuscule “frozen tundra” temperatures, won each of their first 13 playoff games at Lambeau Field. Some of that mystique has faded since the Packers suffered their first playoff home loss to the Atlanta Falcons in 2003, as they’ve gone 7-6 since the start undefeated.

Green Bay’s next chance to win a playoff game at home comes Saturday night in the NFC divisional round when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers visit Lambeau for the first time in the postseason since on January 5, 2014.

Whether the weather really matters in a game like this was a popular topic this week as the Niners prepared for the Packers. That was especially true for Garoppolo, who, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game with starting temperatures below 40 degrees.

For the start of Saturday night (8:15 pm ET), the temperature, according to weather.com, is expected to be around 10 degrees and drop overnight, although it’s not likely to be on the list of temperatures. 10 coolest games. As a point of reference, the last time the 49ers played a playoff game in Green Bay, the starting temperature was 5 degrees.

Since 2014, 101 quarterbacks have started a game with starting temperatures below 40 degrees, meaning this will be Garoppolo’s first, at least in the NFL. Not that I’m too worried about it.

“I’ve lived in it all my life, so there are different ways [to get ready for it]Garoppolo said. “I think for people who grew up and played in it for a long time, there are ways to prepare for that, things you know going into it. I think our team, we have a good mentality going into this and we know what it’s going to be like on Saturday, so it’s going to be an amazing atmosphere.”

Prior to Saturday, the closest Garoppolo came to throwing a pass in what is loosely defined as a “cold-weather” NFL game was during his time as Tom Brady’s backup with the New England Patriots. The Patriots had 13 games with a starting temperature below 40 degrees during his tenure, but he played just three snaps in those games, all on his knees.

Despite that, Garoppolo is no stranger to playing soccer in cold weather. He grew up in Arlington Heights, Illinois, just three hours from Green Bay, and spent his high school and college career (Eastern Illinois University) playing regularly in the cold. More recently, that included a couple of FCS playoff games in 2013 that had an average low of 8 degrees on those days. Garoppolo threw for 561 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in those games combined.

On the other hand, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 34-12 since 2014 in games played below 40 degrees. His playoff record for such games is 4-1.

Of greater importance to Garoppolo is how the weather affects his injured right (throwing) thumb and shoulder. He has a torn ligament in his thumb and a sprained shoulder. The cold combined with those two injuries could affect Garoppolo’s ability to catch the ball and will be worth watching when he gets hit.

Garoppolo suffered the shoulder injury last week against the Dallas Cowboys and said it had an impact on every pitch he threw after it happened, similar to the throbbing pain he feels in his thumb after any pitch.

“It’s a shoulder injury, so any type of pitch you’re going to feel it and it’s going to change things,” Garoppolo said. “It’s similar to when I was dealing with the thumb for the first time, my body is learning and I have to adapt.”

As for the rest of the 49ers, the thought of cold weather doesn’t seem to faze them much. Coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged he doesn’t “do well” in the cold, but said it’s up to each player how they handle it themselves, whether that means wearing long sleeves, long underwear or whatever else is available to try to stay warm. .

“The weather is cold, but that’s no reason to affect a game,” Shanahan said. “Wind is a much bigger factor. Rain is a bigger factor.”

Tight end George Kittle flashed back to 2013, when he was in Iowa and the Hawkeyes played Michigan on a minus-28 day and a wind chill.

Kittle offered some advice on how best to handle it all.

“My key to staying hot is to just play, play a lot of plays and keep the blood moving,” Kittle said. “Heated seats and sideline heaters are probably really nice. But hey, it’s football, you can’t really use the cold as an excuse.”