The Green Bay Packers play in the Frozen Tundra, but they have a roster built to dominate indoors.
They're at their best when they can air it out and not lean on the ground game. The offensive line loves to pass protect, but run-blocking has been an uphill battle all season. Jordan Love likes to hit home-run shots downfield, and he's one of the best in the league at it.
That play style suits the controlled environment of a dome. Love even admitted he prefers playing indoors to in the elements.
It's not the cold that will bother the Packers in this week's playoff showdown with the Chicago Bears. They've got plenty of experience in that. It's the wind. The potential rain and snow. Conditions that suit a team willing to lean on its offensive line, hand the ball off, and play old-school football. That better describes Saturday night's hosts, not the 2025 Packers.
Wind, rain, and maybe even snow could hit Packers-Bears playoff game in NFC Wild Card Round
According to NFLWeather, temperatures could reach as low as 32 degrees in this game, feeling like 21 degrees. The cold isn't the problem, but the 31 mph wind gust could be. So, too, could the 41 percent chance of precipitation, potentially rain or snow.
It's not that the Packers can't play well in these conditions, just that it doesn't suit them. It forces teams to become more run-heavy, which plays directly into the Bears' hands.
Chicago's defense is vulnerable through the air. Love knows that. So does Malik Willis. Brock Purdy and Jared Goff enjoyed 300-yard passing games against the Bears in their two-game losing run.
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It's fair to wonder if they have any answer to the Love-to-Christian Watson connection. Based on the Week 14 matchup at Lambeau Field, the answer is no. They connected on all four targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Testing, windy conditions affected Love during the Week 16 meeting at Soldier Field. A potential touchdown pass caught the wind and veered dramatically.
The Bears, meanwhile, are built to run.
Only the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens averaged more rushing yards per game than Chicago in the regular season. Green Bay's run defense is partially responsible for that, having allowed 307 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to Baltimore.
That's undoubtedly how the Bears will attack Jeff Hafley's defense, a heavy dose of the run mixed in with play-action passes. A windy forecast with potential rain in the air makes that a good formula.
Green Bay's offensive line has made improvements in the run game, and Chicago's run defense has also looked shaky, allowing 134.5 rushing yards per contest this season, the sixth-worst record in football.
The Packers rushed for 192 yards against them in their most recent meeting, although much of that was The Malik Willis Factor. He ran for 44 yards, and his ability to take off caused enough uncertainty to the defense that it opened up the ground game for Emanuel Wilson. It was much harder work in Week 14 at Lambeau, with Green Bay managing 117 yards on 26 attempts.
The offensive line play is the difference, though, and the Packers don't want to get into a low-scoring battle of the run games. Before Week 18, Pro Football Focus ranked Chicago's front five as the No. 2 unit in the league, with Green Bay down at No. 28. Admittedly, that was without Zach Tom, who should return this week, but there's still a noticeable gulf.
Can the Bears hurry up and build their new dome in Indiana before Saturday? It would undoubtedly help the Packers.
Unfortunately, the early forecast at Soldier Field likely favors the home team.