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Icy Patriots, Packers to turn up the heat

New England Patriots linebackers Tedy Bruschi, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, stretch before practice begins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday. The Patriots will play the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship game at Foxborough today. PHOTO: AP

Undefeated New England and surprise Green Bay are favored to advance to Super Bowl 42 with triumphs today in bitter cold conditions even as visiting rivals are poised to pull upsets.

New England, two triumphs shy of the first unbeaten National Football League title run since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, will play host to San Diego while the Packers will entertain the New York Giants in sub-zero (minus 17oC) conditions.

"It takes away some of the physical gifts you have but it strengthens the mental," Packers quarterback Brett Favre said. "That's what games like this come down to."

Winners in the winter chill will meet Feb. 3 in Super Bowl 42 at a warm domed stadium in the Arizona desert.

The Patriots set a one-season NFL points record this season and quarterback Tom Brady threw a one-season record 50 touchdown passes, but the quest for perfection has taken their title quest to another level.

"There is a little bit of heightened intensity and there should be," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

The Patriots have won 17 games in a row and are on the brink of playing for their fourth NFL title in seven seasons.

"We've gone on a lot of streaks before. A lot of guys have won titles," said New England defender Tedy Bruschi. "The bigger the games get, the more you feel it."

Patriot receiver Randy Moss, who set a one-season record with 23 touchdowns, has been the subject of what he says was extortion in an alleged assault and battery case. Moss admits a relationship with the woman but denies hitting her.

But Brady and his teammates have been good at shrugging off distractions all season.

"You know you have to set aside whatever else is going on and focus and you have a responsibility to your teammates to do what's expected of you," Brady said. "It's almost like this (team) is a safe haven for everybody as well."

The Patriots and Packers have the best home playoff records in NFL history, Green Bay going 15-2 and New England winning 10 of 11.

Both hosts will try to repeat victories from the second week of the season, when the Patriots defeated San Diego 38-14 and the Packers beat the host Giants 35-13.

Not since Green Bay beat Dallas 21-17 in the 1967 New Year's Eve "Ice Bowl" at minus 25oC have the Packers played host to anything so frigid on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

"This game may not be as cold but it's going to be close.," Favre said.

"Concentration should be at its highest level regardless. It will be cold. It's easy to lose focus. The individuals and teams that can focus for those three hours will be better off," he said.

The Packers seek their first Super Bowl title since 1997, when three-time NFL Most Valuable Player Favre sparked Green Bay past New England.

But the Giants, who last reached the Super Bowl in 2001 and last won it in 1991, led the NFL with 53 sacks and have won nine in a row on the road. That includes some experience with cold and icy weather.

"If it's cold or windy you can make adjustments and deal with it when the time comes," said Giants quarterback Eli Manning. "We've played in wind, snow, cold. Whatever they throw at us. Whatever the conditions are we will be fine."

"Both teams are going to be cold," New York's Antonio Pierce said. "It comes down to being mentally tough and not letting that effect you."

The Chargers, who have won eight in a row, face New England with quarterback Philip Rivers questionable with a strained knee ligament and rusher LaDainian Tomlinson weakened by a hyperextended knee that could limit his elusive moves.

"I'm concerned. I'm real concerned," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "You can only withstand so many hits. We're getting ready to play the best team in the NFL. We need to rally the troops and get everyone as healthy as we can be."

San Diego boasts one of the NFL's top teams at forcing turnovers and that concerns Belichick, whose team rarely gives away the ball.

"They set the pace for ball disruption. They've done a good job of coming up with the ball defensively," Belichick said. "We've got to protect it."
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