GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Sunday's NFC championship game at Green Bay isn't likely to be the coldest ever in the NFL, although temperatures are expected to be near zero at kickoff.
The coldest game in NFL history was the 1981 AFC championship game, played Jan. 10, 1982, at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. The temperature was minus-9, and the wind chill plunged the readings to minus-59 as the Bengals beat San Diego 27-7.
Next was the Ice Bowl on Dec. 31, 1967 for the NFL title at Lambeau Field. The Packers beat Dallas 21-17 on Bart Starr's quarterback sneak in the final seconds. It was minus-13 that day and the wind-chill factor was estimated at minus-48.
The temperature was 3 degrees with a wind chill of minus-17 on Jan. 12, 1997 when the Packers beat the Carolina Panthers, 30-13, to advance to Super Bowl XXXI.
Projections for Sunday are temperatures reaching a high of 3 degrees, and with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m., the thermometer almost certainly will register below zero during what amounts to a night game. But the wind is not expected to be significant.
In Sunday's early game between San Diego and New England at Foxborough, Mass, a 24-degree temperature is forecast for the 3 p.m. EST kickoff, with a wind-chill of 13. Hardly frigid compared to Green Bay.
The coldest game ever at Gillette Stadium was on Jan. 10, 2004, when the Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans in 4 degree temperatures.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
