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Sports 1B Weekend January 4-5 , 2014 49ers' frigid road in playoffs starts with Pack GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — As a reward for finishing the regular season tied for the second-best record in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers get what may be one of the coldest playoff games in league history. Doesn't seem fair to the defending NFC champions. But the playoff-tested 49ers are up for the challenge of hitting the road, trying to return to the Super Bowl. It starts Sunday with a wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers at frigid Lambeau Field. ''Even when you have a home playoff game it's not easy. We understand that it's all about the team that's playing the best at the moment and that's how you do it,'' safety Donte Whitner said. ''It doesn't matter where we play.'' Well, maybe this weekend it might. The high temperature on Sunday might be in the single digits — if the 49ers (12-4) and Packers (8-7-1) are lucky. The wind promises to make it feel even colder. The coldest game on record is the 1967 championship game, known as the ''Ice Bowl'' won by the Packers 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau on New Year's Eve. The temperature dipped to minus-13, and the wind chill that day made it feel like minus-48. ''Cold weather in Lambeau Field, it's a tough place to play,'' Packers fullback John Kuhn said. ''I'm sure they've got all kinds of ideas and plans of how they're going to prepare for the weather, so it's going to come down to execution on game day and whoever does that best.'' Five things to watch ahead of Sunday's game: WARM-WEATHER TEAM?: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shared his trick for playing in the bitter cold: ''Eat a lot of chicken noodle soup.'' San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis liked that one: ''Chicken noodle soup's pretty good, can't argue with that. Give me a 'W' and that will take care of all the warmth I need.'' The 49ers took the practice field on New Year's Day with the temperature in the mid-60s. Sunday's high in Green Bay is projected to be 8 degrees. Coach Jim Harbaugh spoke of ''keeping it simple'' on the road regardless of thermometer reading. ''Just get warm and make plays,'' tight end Vernon Davis said. CAPTAIN COMEBACK: Funny how one player can change the Packers' playoff outlook. When that guy is Rodgers, anything is possible. Green Bay won a third straight NFC North title in large part because of the fourth-quarter drive led by Rodgers last week in a 33-28 win over the Bears. It culminated with a stunning 48-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb on fourth-and-8 with 38 seconds left. That left collarbone that kept him out for nearly two months is fine now. He's healthy just in time to face a nasty defense that's ranked fifth in the league. STOPPING BOLDIN: Among the tall tasks for the AP photo Workers clear ice and snow from the seats at Lambeau Field on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in Green Bay, Wis. in preparation for Sunday's NFL football wild-card playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Packers' defense will be dealing with receiver Anquan Boldin. Green Bay got thoroughly embarrassed by Boldin in Week 1, when the wideout had 13 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown. He finished the regular season with 85 catches for 1,179 yards and seven TDs. The 49ers also have Michael Crabtree back after the receiver missed the opener with an Achilles tendon injury. ''Both of their receivers are strong, they're good with the ball in their hand after the catch,'' defensive coordinator Dom Capers said Friday. ''You've got to tackle them because they'll run through arm tackles.'' SPY GAME: In two games, Colin Kaepernick has beaten the Packers with his arm and his legs. Kaepernick was on the passing end of Boldin's big day in September. A year ago, he had a quarterback playoff record of 181 yards rushing against the Packers out of the read-option. Making things tougher for the Packers is that they'll be without linebacker Clay Matthews (right thumb), the defender Capers would have employed to ''spy'' on Kaepernick. ''If you're going to spy a guy, you've got to have a guy that can match Kaepernick in terms of running,'' Capers said. ''Doesn't do any good if you can't catch him.'' EASING EDDIE: Rookie running back Eddie Lacy apparently won't let a sprained right ankle slow him down. Coach Mike McCarthy said his 1,100-yard rusher looked good this week in practice. The ankle has bothered Lacy for much of the past month, though the bruising back keeps on barreling over defenders. It presents the 49ers with an unwelcome dilemma: focus on Rodgers or Lacy? ''He's hard to bring down. You have to pick and choose your poison,'' Whitner said. ''He takes a load off Aaron Rodgers.'' Colts try to tamp down pressure for Chiefs game INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colts coach Chuck Pagano has kept it loose all week. He's been cracking jokes, encouraging laughter and trying to put football in perspective. He does not want Saturday's playoff game to change the routine, so he is imploring the Colts to make this business as usual — even with the Chiefs coming to town for a wild-card game. ''It's no time to pressure up. It's no time to Tehama Tracker Saturday's schedule GIRLS BASKETBALL Corning at Enterprise Tournament Mercy at American Christian Academy tournament BOYS BASKETBALL Mercy at American Christian Academy tournament WRESTLING Corning at Joe Rios Tournament in Chico NBA Charlotte at Sacramento, 7 p.m. NHL San Jose at Colorado, noon Sunday's schedule NBA Golden State at Washington, 3 p.m. NHL San Jose at Chicago, 5 p.m. Monday's schedule GIRLS BASKETBALL Red Bluff at Chico, 7:30 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Sutter at Corning, 3:15 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Sutter at Corning, 3:15 p.m. Sports on TV Saturday COLLEGE FOOTBALL 10 a.m. ESPN — BBVA Compass Bowl, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, at Birmingham, Ala. 11 a.m. ESPN2 — NCAA, FCS, championship, North Dakota St. vs. Towson, at Frisco, Texas GOLF 11:30 a.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Tournament of Champions, second round, at Kapalua, Hawaii MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 9 a.m. ESPN2 — Cincinnati at Memphis 10 a.m. FS1 — St. John's at Georgetown 11 a.m. CBS — National coverage, Michigan St. at Indiana FSN — Butler at Xavier NBCSN — Cornell at St. Bonaventure Noon FS1 — Creighton at Seton Hall 1 p.m. CBS — National coverage, Duke at Notre Dame ESPNEWS — Temple at UCF 2 p.m. ESPN2 — Virginia at Florida St. 2:30 p.m. NBCSN — Yale at St. Louis MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY 4:30 p.m. NBCSN — Notre Dame at Boston College MOTORSPORTS 7:30 p.m. FS1 — AMA Supercross, at Anaheim, Calif. NBA BASKETBALL 5 p.m. WGN — Atlanta at Chicago NFL FOOTBALL 1:30 p.m. NBC — Playoffs, Wild Card game, Kansas City at Indianapolis 5 p.m. NBC — Playoffs, Wild Card game, New Orleans at Philadelphia PREP BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN2 — Prime Prep (Texas) vs. Whitney Young (Ill.), at Wheeling, W.Va. PREP FOOTBALL 10 a.m. NBC — All-American Bowl, at San Antonio SOCCER 4:30 a.m. FS1 — FA Cup, third round, Manchester City at Blackburn 7 a.m. FS1 — FA Cup, third round, Leeds at Rochdale WINTER SPORTS 1 p.m. NBCSN — Olympic trials, speed skating: men's and women's 500 short track, at Kearns, Utah WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2 p.m. FS1 — DePaul at Creighton 4 p.m. FS1 — West Virginia at Oklahoma St. Sunday COLLEGE FOOTBALL 6 p.m. ESPN — GoDaddy.com Bowl, Arkansas St. vs. Ball St., at Mobile, Ala. GOLF Noon NBC — PGA Tour, Tournament of Champions, third round, at Kapalua, Hawaii 1 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Tournament of Champions, third round, at Kapalua, Hawaii MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Noon FS1 — Southern Cal at UCLA 1:30 p.m. CBS — San Diego St. at Kansas 2 p.m. FS1 — Oregon at Colorado 4 p.m. FS1 — Providence at Villanova NFL FOOTBALL 10 a.m. CBS — Playoffs, AFC Wild Card game, San Diego at Cincinnati 1:30 p.m. FOX — Playoffs, NFC Wild Card game, San Francisco at Green Bay NHL HOCKEY 5 p.m. NBCSN — San Jose at Chicago SOCCER 5:55 a.m. FS1 — FA Cup, third round, Chelsea at Derby 8:30 a.m. FS1 — FA Cup, third round, Swansea City at Manchester United WINTER SPORTS 1 p.m. NBC — Olympic trials, speed skating: short track, at Kearns, Utah WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 10 a.m. NBCSN — George Washington at Saint Joseph's Noon. NBCSN — Dayton at Saint Louis 1 p.m. FSN — Kansas at Baylor Monday COLLEGE FOOTBALL 5:30 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN CLASSIC/ESPNEWS — BCS National Championship, Florida St. vs. Auburn, at Pasadena, Calif. GOLF 1 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Tournament of Champions, final round, at Kapalua, Hawaii get outside of anything you've done at this point,'' Pagano said. ''You come in, you meet, you have a walkthrough, you practice well and then you play well. Don't do anything different. Just understand what's at stake. It is oneand-done. That doesn't mean go play tight and those types of things and put any added pressure on yourself. You do that and you're not going to play well.'' Pagano has seen what happens when teams play tight. So have Colts fans, more times than they care to count. It's not easy making a playoff week seem normal. There are all sorts of potential distractions — ticket requests, travel plans, holiday celebration, even unforeseen medical emergencies. Last year, just before their wild-card game at Baltimore, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was hospitalized. Indy managed only three field goals in a 24-9 loss as a bunch of Colts made their postseason debuts; Arians turned out to be OK and wound up getting hired by the Cardinals. But the Colts' youngsters learned some key lessons that have helped this time around. ''There can be a little more focus during the week. There can be some more distractions. That's where you really need to sort of hunker down,'' quarterback Andrew Luck said. ''As far as playing the game and practice, we've gotten to this point doing some things well. Let's keep doing those.'' Now, it's the Chiefs' turn. Coach Andy Reid and new general manager John Dorsey followed the same plan Pagano and Ryan Grigson used to rebuild the Colts — new coach, new GM, new quarterback, new roster. Kansas City, like the Colts, went from 214 to 11-5 and back to the playoffs with nearly two dozen first- or second-year guys. A few of the playoff veterans now find themselves explaining to teammates what to expect Saturday. ''I know my first time, I acted like a rookie. I was excited and fumbled the ball twice,'' AFC rushing champ Jamaal Charles said. ''Now I'm going in my second time and seeing other people, becoming a vet, 27 years old, I really want this, I really want to go far, and if I have to put the team on my back, I will.'' Former Colts coach Tony Dungy usually told players something else — most playoff games are lost rather than won and the teams that fare best stick to the plan. Translation: Trying to do too much will only get you and your teammates in trouble. Many of Dungy's pupils, including NFL sacks champs Robert Mathis, still abide by that philosophy. Mathis has spent the last two Januarys telling teammates all they really have to do is match their opponents' intensity, pay attention to the details, do their jobs and trust teammates to do theirs — the same approach Indy has used all season. But when it comes from the mouth of someone who has played in Super Bowls and won one, the words carry more clout. ''You can be too loose to where you're overconfident, arrogant. But you can be too tight to where you're wound up and you can't play football that way,'' Mathis said. ''You have to have fun. This is a kid's game so you have to approach it as such. Have fun. Just do what you got here. That's what I always tell my young guys. Do what got you here and you'll be all right.'' Exhibit 1 came in the last playoff meeting between these teams. Back in January 2007, Indy's heavily maligned run defense faced one of the most feared rushers in football, Larry Johnson. Instead of being run over, Mathis & Co. limited Johnson to 32 yards on 13 carries, won 23-8 and a month later won the Super Bowl in rainy Miami. The trick is finding the right balance when the stakes are so high. ''Nine years, three postseason appearances. You're very fortunate when you get here,'' Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. ''My message to the young guys is you have to take advantage of this. You never know when you'll get back. It's not the time to play uptight. It's the time to go all out.''