49ers/Packers Playoff Preview, by Chuck Strom

If there never was a reason before to eliminate divisions in the NFL conferences and go to a playoff structure seeding teams strictly by their regular season record, there is now. There is something unjust about a team tied for the second-best record in the NFC being rewarded by a first-round playoff game in the most inhospitable environment possible. As we have all heard, the San Francisco 49ers, with their 12-4 record, will travel to Green Bay on Sunday to play the Packers, whose record at 8-7-1 qualifies only by the narrowest margin possible as a winning season. Not only will the Packers get to play in front of their home fans, assuming they show up (the game, incredibly, is not yet sold out), but the temperature is expected to be negative 12 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff, which, if nothing else, will provide them with an additional psychological advantage that they don’t deserve.

My guess is that the game will be close and relatively low-scoring. The weather will play a part as it renders the football to the consistency of an icy brick. What the weather doesn’t accomplish, the 49er defense along with 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s recent inconsistency will likely do the rest. If Aaron Rodgers (we should all know who he is by now) manages anything like his pre-injury form, the prospects for the 49ers could be dim. This game reminds me of the 2001 season, when that year’s 49ers, at their peak from Bill Walsh’s three-year return as general manager of the franchise, also went 12-4 and had to travel to Green Bay for the playoffs due to losing their division to the St. Louis Rams, then known as the Greatest Show on Turf. The game was close, but the Packers prevailed and then followed up their victory with a blowout loss to the Rams, with Brett Favre throwing six interceptions and saying after the game that he was surprised he hadn’t thrown more, since during the game his entire plan was to “keep chucking” the ball.

I hope the 49ers manage to get by the Packers, because it would be great to see them get another shot at the Seattle Seahawks, assuming they finally figure out a way to deal with the noise in what is currently the loudest stadium in the NFL. Mostly, I hope the Packers manage to sell out their game, because otherwise it would also be unjust if the state of Wisconsin had to settle for listening to its beloved team on the radio. The resulting public relations backlash, however, would serve the NFL right. Its TV blackout rule is archaic and needs to be abolished. As Gregg Easterbrook has written in his recent book, The King of Sports, the NFL has since developed many more creative ways of extorting money from its fans, not to mention many municipal governments, and it could stand to leave to those of us outside the one percent a few crumbs.

– Chuck Strom