The 49ers could find themselves in California dreaming of what could be a particularly brutal winter day this Saturday.
San Francisco travels to Green Bay to try to pull off its second straight upset victory. The sixth-seeded 49ers beat the Cowboys in the wild-card round of the 2022 NFL playoffs and now hope to continue their unlikely playoff streak by beating the top-seeded Packers.
The Packers and 49ers have met in the playoffs multiple times over the past decade. The game between them in the 2022 NFL playoffs may be the coldest of them all.
Green Bay is set to have single-digit weather in store for the Packers and 49ers, while wind and possibly snow will also be in the forecast. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a very cold night.
The Packers got the better of the 49ers in Week 3, when Green Bay won 30-28 on “Sunday Night Football.” However, that game was played in San Francisco on a day when the temperature dropped to 58. Can they repeat their success in potentially sub-zero weather? They certainly have an advantage over the 49ers, who are used to playing in hot weather.
Here’s a look at the forecast for Saturday night’s clash between the Packers and 49ers.
Packers vs. 49ers weather updates, forecast
The Packers-49ers game is almost certain to be played during single-digit weather, at most. While the daytime high for Green Bay is 22 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s expected to drop significantly to about 4 degrees Fahrenheit around game time (8:15 p.m. ET), according to weather.com. It could be warmer than expected, but not warm enough to have a significant impact on field conditions.
And of course it could be colder. There are expected to be around 10 mph winds during the competition, so wind chill could make players feel even colder. It can even create conditions similar to sub-zero temperatures, as we saw with the Patriots-Bills game in Orchard Park, NY last week.
Between the wind and the cold, kicking the ball should be an adventure, and throwing the ball may not be as easy as it usually is. Jimmy Garoppolo is also dealing with thumb and shoulder injuries, so the cold could affect him disproportionately compared to Aaron Rodgers, especially since Garoppolo is used to playing in warmer climates.
One more note: we could see some snow on Saturday night. Is not probable, per se, but there’s going to be morning snow in Green Bay. There will be a 47 percent chance of precipitation in the morning and only a 17 percent chance in the evening, but maybe there could be a flurry. Add snow to the equation and things could get even more unpredictable in this case.
Whatever happens, this contest will be affected by the cold. If you add wind and snow to the mix, this could end up being another classic Green Bay weather game.
BENDER: Breaking down Aaron Rodgers’ playoff record, results