On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. It appears the “Frozen Tundra” will live up to its name for the NFC Championship. However, the biggest narrative heading into the game is the “G.O.A.T. Contest,” with Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers.
Brady headed south to Tampa this season, happy to play in warmer weather at the end of his career. He does not get that luxury for the NFC Championship.
Let’s take a look at how both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have fared in career games of under 28 degrees, with the Green Bay weather forecasted to be 27 degrees.
Comparing Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the Cold
No, this won’t be a dissection piece calling a player bad at football, like we did last week with Jared Goff. However, comparing these two players in the cold is very interesting.
While Brady has not played in any games under 28 degrees this season with the Buccaneers, he obviously spent two decades with the New England Patriots.
| Player | Game | Result | Pass Rtg | Cmp % | Pass Yds | Pass TD | Pass Int | Big Pass 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodgers | 2014-12-28 | DET 20 @ GB 30 | 139.6 | 77.3 | 226 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Rodgers | 2015-01-11 | DAL 21 @ GB 26 | 125.4 | 68.6 | 316 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Rodgers | 2016-01-03 | MIN 20 @ GB 13 | 80.8 | 63.6 | 291 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Rodgers | 2016-12-11 | SEA 10 @ GB 38 | 150.8 | 78.3 | 246 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Rodgers | 2016-12-18 | GB 30 @ CHI 27 | 87.0 | 61.3 | 252 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Rodgers | 2017-01-08 | NYG 13 @ GB 38 | 125.2 | 62.5 | 362 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Rodgers | 2019-12-15 | CHI 13 @ GB 21 | 78.2 | 48.5 | 203 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Rodgers | 2020-01-12 | SEA 23 @ GB 28 | 113.7 | 59.3 | 243 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Brady | 2015-01-10 | BAL 31 @ NE 35 | 99.3 | 66.0 | 367 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Brady | 2015-11-29 | NE 24 @ DEN 30 | 99.3 | 54.8 | 280 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Brady | 2016-12-18 | NE 16 @ DEN 3 | 68.2 | 50.0 | 188 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brady | 2017-12-31 | NYJ 6 @ NE 26 | 82.0 | 48.6 | 190 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brady | 2018-01-13 | TEN 14 @ NE 35 | 102.5 | 66.0 | 337 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Brady | 2018-02-04 | PHI 41 @ NE 33 | 115.4 | 58.3 | 505 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Brady | 2019-01-13 | LAC 28 @ NE 41 | 106.5 | 77.3 | 343 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Brady | 2019-01-20 | NE 37 @ KC 31 | 77.1 | 65.2 | 348 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Including the NFL Playoffs, Brady has played in eight games under 28 degrees at kickoff, leading his team to a 6-2 record. While the record is solid, Brady did not play great for the first few. He completed less than 55 percent of his passes in three of these first four games. However, he has been sharp in the most recent four. Brady has thrown for over 300 yards in each of these four games, and he completed at least 60 percent of his passes in three of four. The most recent game wasn’t his best showing, but his team still got the win.
Rodgers has also played in eight games under 28 degrees, leading his team to a 7-1 record. He showed more consistency than Brady over the early part of his career. Rodgers never completed less than 60 percent of his passes in his first six games, throwing just one interception to 13 touchdowns. While he as won the two recent games under Matt LaFleur, these are clearly his two worst games on the list. Rodgers completed under 60 percent of his passes in both, while also putting up two of his lowest yardage totals. Still, the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks last season was a hard-fought win, and he finished with a passer rating above 100, which most Packer fans are used to, but it is still an achievement.
Buccaneers vs Packers Weather | Green Bay Weather
It’s going to get nippy at Lambeau Field this Sunday. The Green Bay weather is currently calling for a kickoff of 27 degrees, with the temperature holding steady for the duration of the Buccaneers vs Packers NFC Championship. While the wind shouldn’t be a factor, we could see some snow falling down, making it a true Lambeau Field playoff game.
