Just imagining the temperatures of a December game at Lambeau Field is enough to cause chapped lips. And that's when you assume that kickoff is at noon.
So beware of freezer burn when you try to picture what the Packers and Vikings will face this Sunday, when kickoff isn't until 7:30 p.m. CST, in order to accommodate ESPN's nationwide television audience.
The weather may be an unpredictable thing, but if current patterns hold true the temperature at kickoff Sunday night is almost assured of being in the low teens. At best.
That's without factoring in the wind-chill, which could create a sub-zero atmosphere if the mercury drops into the single digits as predicted.
Those may not be ideal conditions for the human body, but, like Packers quarterback Brett Favre said, "What can you do?"
That's when the game is scheduled, now both teams just need to go out and play it.
"Whether you play at noon or 7:30, it's going to be cold," Favre said. "Like I say, you get around 20 or lower, it don't really matter anyway."
Favre then smiled and added, "Watch, it'll be 30-below. We'll be wishing it was 20."
Well, the first part of that statement is unlikely, but the latter could be true.
No matter how legendary Green Bay's frigid temperatures may be, Sunday could be colder than even the Packers are used to.
In fact, if the game-time temperature is 9 degrees or lower, it will mark only the seventh time since 1959 (before which point records are not available), that the Packers will start a home game in the single-digits.
Of those games only one, a November 28 matchup with the Chicago Bears back in 1976, was played before December 16. It was 6 degrees at kickoff that day.
Of course the Packers' success in frigid temps throughout the Favre era has been well chronicled. Counting last Sunday's 30-20 triumph over the Chicago Bears in which the thermometer read 23 degrees, Favre is 33-0 in home games when the game-time temperature is below 35 degrees.
Based on that outstanding history of success, the Packers have good reason to embrace the wintry atmosphere. But while that may fire up their confidence, it will do nothing to warm their bodies.
Sixth-year safety Darren Sharper has lived through his share of Green Bay winters and thinks the blistering cold gives the Packers an edge. But asked how he would stay warm Sunday, and Sharper admitted it would be "impossible."
"You get used to your fingertips getting numb and your toes getting numb," he said. "You just have to go out and play with it and keep moving around ...
"The worst thing about it are the commercial breaks, because you're out there in the middle of the field and can't go run to the heater."
While the arctic air might knock the breath out of teams from warmer climates, against a team like the Vikings, who hail from the equally-chilly Twin Cities, the Packers may have a slightly smaller psychological edge than normal.
True, the Vikings play their home games in the controlled climate of the Metrodome, but both teams spend the majority of their practice time indoors.
Vikings head coach Mike Tice said he planned to give his team two outdoor practices this week to try and get them acclimated to the frigid air. That's something Tampa Bay or San Francisco couldn't do.
Packers GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman said he also hoped to get his team outside for as many as two practices this week.
Any more than that, can be counterproductive.
"We don't need to practice outside," Sharper said. "We won't get anything done, really, because I'd have on three layers of clothes and wouldn't be able to move."
Besides the weather itself is only part of the Packers' wintertime advantage, Sharper insists. A large part of it, he said, is understanding the footing of Lambeau Field, knowing where the turf is hard or soft, and selecting the proper cleats.
From the opponent's perspective however, the task of handling the elements in Green Bay can be just as daunting as battling the Packers.
And it might be impossible to beat a team, while losing it in the setting.
"You have to block it out," Tice said. "You can't spend your time during the game worrying about staying warm, you have to spend your time focusing on the task at hand."
Of course, long sleeves may work better than strength of mind.
Said Tice of his Sunday attire, "I'm not going to wear that dumb, black sweater-vest. I'm going to wear a jacket this week. I might even wear gloves."
Sunday night, that might not be enough.
Cold-Weather Home Games
Packers home games, 25 degrees or below, Dec. 15 or earlier (1959-2002*)
11/28/76 Chicago Bears (LF) 6
12/15/91 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/12/82 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/04/77 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/03/72 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/11/88 Minnesota Vikings (LF) 14
12/14/80 Houston Oilers (LF) 20
11/12/95 Chicago Bears (LF) 22
12/01/02 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/10/89 Kansas City Chiefs (LF) 23
12/08/85 Miami Dolphins (LF) 23
12/12/71 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/10/00 Detroit Lions (LF) 25
11/22/64 Cleveland Browns (CoS) 25
* information unavailable for some games / LF - Lambeau Field; CoS - County Stadium; CiS - City Stadium
Packers home games, 25 degrees or below, regular season (1959-2002*)
12/26/93 Los Angeles Raiders (LF) 0
12/22/90 Detroit Lions (LF) 2
11/28/76 Chicago Bears (LF) 6
12/20/92 Los Angeles Rams (LF) 8
12/15/91 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/12/82 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/04/77 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/03/72 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/21/75 Atlanta Falcons (LF) 12
12/11/88 Minnesota Vikings (LF) 14
12/24/00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LF) 15
12/30/01 Minnesota Vikings (LF) 19
12/14/80 Houston Oilers (LF) 20
11/12/95 Chicago Bears (LF) 22
12/21/69 St. Louis Cardinals (LF) 22
12/01/02 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/10/89 Kansas City Chiefs (LF) 23
12/08/85 Miami Dolphins (LF) 23
12/12/71 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/23/01 Cleveland Browns (LF) 24
12/24/95 Pittsburgh Steelers (LF) 24
12/10/00 Detroit Lions (LF) 25
11/22/64 Cleveland Browns (CoS) 25
- information unavailable for some games / LF - Lambeau Field; CoS - County Stadium; CiS - City Stadium
Packers home games, 25 degrees or below, regular season and playoffs (1959-2002*)
12/31/67 Dallas Cowboys (LF) -13
12/26/93 Los Angeles Raiders (LF) 0
12/22/90 Detroit Lions (LF) 2
01/12/97 Carolina Panthers (LF) 3
11/28/76 Chicago Bears (LF) 6
12/20/92 Los Angeles Rams (LF) 8
12/15/91 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/12/82 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/04/77 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/03/72 Detroit Lions (LF) 10
12/21/75 Atlanta Falcons (LF) 12
12/11/88 Minnesota Vikings (LF) 14
12/24/00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LF) 15
12/30/01 Minnesota Vikings (LF) 19
01/08/83 St. Louis Cardinals (LF) 20
12/14/80 Houston Oilers (LF) 20
12/23/67 Los Angeles Rams (CoS) 20
12/31/61 New York Giants (CiS) 20
11/12/95 Chicago Bears (LF) 22
12/21/69 St. Louis Cardinals (LF) 22
12/01/02 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/10/89 Kansas City Chiefs (LF) 23
12/08/85 Miami Dolphins (LF) 23
12/12/71 Chicago Bears (LF) 23
12/23/01 Cleveland Browns (LF) 24
12/24/95 Pittsburgh Steelers (LF) 24
12/10/00 Detroit Lions (LF) 25
11/22/64 Cleveland Browns (CoS) 25
* information unavailable for some games / LF - Lambeau Field; CoS - County Stadium; CiS - City Stadium
