This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
First down
San Diego at Cincinnati, 11 a.m., Ch. 2 • That the Chargers and Bengals are playing has nearly been obscured by the continued outcry from Steelers fans about the blown call that may or may not have prevented Pittsburgh from making the playoffs. Silly me thought it was Pittsburgh being a mediocre team that kept it from the playoffs. No matter. The Chargers are likewise mediocre and will be out soon enough. And does anyone see the Bengals beating the Broncos or Patriots? So it all works out in the end.
Second down
San Francisco at Green Bay, 2:30 p.m., Ch. 13 • Apparently the Midwest can get pretty cold — especially in the winter! Who knew?! I, for one, was in the dark about this phenomenon until about 26,000 media sources simultaneously broke the news that Green Bay, Wis., will be really, really cold on Sunday. Never mind that not one of them has devoted a second of analysis to Colin Kaepernick's domination of the Packers' defense or Aaron Rodgers' return changing the Niners' gameplan. Who cares?! It's cold in the winter!