Not even the hardest-to-the-core Packers fans could have predicted Green Bay’s ascent into the NFC championship game before the start of the NFL season.
The Packers (14-3) host the New York Giants — winners of nine consecutive road games — Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay with the conference title at stake.
Weather reports show a high temperature of 4 degrees, and with the windchill expected to dip temps below zero, it’s sure to be a cold one for the 5:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Packers dismantled the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 in last week’s divisional game after quickly falling behind 14-0.
It’s amazing to think that Brett Favre was this close (take your thumb and index finger and put them as close as they can be without touching) to retirement at this time last year.
I’m not going to count my chickens, but it would be fun to watch Favre and the Packers take on unbeaten Tom Brady and New England in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3. But the Giants and San Diego — which faces New England on Sunday for the AFC championship — will be tough.

A great alternative to ultimately meaningless college football bowl games came on New Year’s Day when the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres clashed in an outdoor affair in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The game was on NBC, but I missed it because I was counting inventory at my dad’s sporting goods store. I was, however, able to sift through photos from the game and watch highlights while assembling the sports section at work that night.
I also caught a few minutes of the game two days later on HDNet. It was sweet. I remember when the Edmonton Oilers played the Montreal Canadiens outdoors in 2003. It didn’t air live on cable TV, so I watched it at my grandpa’s house, where he had a dish. Watching the game brought me back to my not-so-long-ago childhood, where I saw numerous outdoor hockey games. The only difference was my brother wasn’t playing goalie in either NHL game.
It was great to be able to see these NHL guys playing like they did when they were kids. Just like in 2003, the stadium on Tuesday was packed (73,000-plus fans). I hope the NHL can make the outdoor game a yearly event. It’d be nice to see an All-Star game outside, or have more than one outdoor game each season.
To make it feel more realistic, the game should be interrupted by a hockey dad booting the players off the ice so a squirt team could practice in their place.

Photo by Dave Sandford / Getty Images