I was just checking the weather in Green Bay. Two years ago almost to the day, I was there doing a story on how that charming little football hamlet, all decked out for the holidays, was taking the prospect of the Packers finishing out of the playoffs for the first time in umpteen years.

I'll tell you I've been in some cold places, but the combination of arctic chill and wind in Green was unbelievable. It hurt to walk to your car.

So I was reminded of that as Dallas lost to Philadelphia Sunday. The Cowboys and Packers are both 12-2 and Dallas still has the tie-breaker edge for the home field in the NFC playoffs, but Tony Romo's throwing thumb was hurt against the Eagles (it's getting better), Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode limped off, DE Chris Canty got a scare on a knee injury that appears OK and safety Roy Williams (right) is suspended for Saturday's game against Carolina for breaking his namesake rule, the horse-collar tackle, for the third time this season. Dallas finishes the season in Washington against the Redskins, who may still have a shot at the playoffs by then. 

One slip in these last two games and the NFC championship could go through Lambeau Field. Hello, Ice Bowl II. 

So, getting back to the weather. Right now, it's in the low 30s in Green Bay, which is seasonally balmy. The temperatures in January range from an average high of 24 to an average low of 7. Now, it's no longer the case that the Packers and Brett Favre are invincible at home in January.  That spell was broken in January 2003 when the Atlanta Falcons beat Green Bay at Lambeau, 27-7, on a 31-degree day. It was the Packers' first playoff loss ever at their legendary home field.

And we don't want to ignore the fact that this is a different type of Packers team. Offensively, it's built on the pass and bad weather doesn't help that one bit. Still, that Lambeau mystique is powerful mojo and that definitely puts pressure on the Cowboys going into the home stretch.

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