Green Bay Packers and San Francisco meet again

A shorter flight for the San Francisco 49ers this time, but they will need to repeat yet another impressive National Football League playoff game in the cold and windy conditions and possibility of snow at the NFC’S top-seeded Green Bay Packers Saturday.

This is game two of the doubleheader that kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS, with the 4th-seeded Cincinnati Bengals facing the top-seeded AFC Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Ten.

Back in September, Green Bay won a 20-18 thriller over San Francisco at Levi Stadium, and now they kick off again at Lambeau Field, with the frozen tundra being an advantage for the Packers.

The Pack is 13-5 is slated for a 6:15 p.m.start on FOX and has been having a big stretch run behind veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After a preseason mix-up regarding his playing time, Rodgers has been finding the range with a capable run of receivers and inserting the option when needed.

“We have plenty of respect for the Niners,” he said Thursday. “They played a whale of a game at Dallas on both ends of the ball, with their defense cooling off the high-powered Cowboys’ offense and their own offense getting a splendid game from quarterback Jimmy Garappolo.”

Garappolo, who was sidelined with an ankle injury early in the season, rose to the occasion with a impressive start that brought a quick touchdown on his team’s first possession in Arlington, and followed it with a pair of field goals for a 13-0 lead.

Said Garappolo: “It was a real dogfight, a hell of an atmosphere out there at this big stadium, the fans were nuts and it was everything we thought it would be. It was fun.”

But that was before 93,470 at enclosed A T & T Stadium. This time around it will be the usual capacity turnout in Green Bay and the usual low temperatures with always the threat of snow. Temperatures could drop to 10 degrees on Saturday.

Thus, it’s another traveling time for San Francisco, which is 11-7 and out of the NFC West that also has the 4th-seeded Los Angeles Rams still in the hunt and playing Sunday at 2nd-seeded defending NFL champion Tampa Bay. The third team in the NFC West to gain the playoffs was the Arizona Cardinals, who lost last week at the Rams.

The Buccaneers are 12-4 and still in the hands of the ageless Tom Brady, now 44, and this is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on NBC.

In the other Sunday contest at 4:30 on CBS, it’s the 3rd-seeded Buffalo Bills (12-5) heading for the 2nd-seeded Kansas Chiefs (13-5), the title game runner-up last year.

From these Elite Eight, the only one missing is 3rd-seeded Dallas, and the 6th-seeded 49ers carrying the lowest seed, with the conference championships lining up the highest seed versus the lowest seed. On Sunday, the seeds are the two number twos and the 3rd and 4th seeds.

The Super Bowl will be played at sparkling-new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, home of the Rams, on Feb.13. The only team to ever win it on its home field was last year’s Bucs doing it in Tampa Bay. And look who the Rams tackle next, and also in Florida.