Packers Left Out in Cold

Who knew the Jacksonville Jaguars were a cold-weather team?

Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes, Fred Taylor rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown and Rashean Mathis picked off two Brett Favre passes, helping the Jaguars (8-6) stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race with a 28-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Temperatures were in single digits and the wind chill was well below zero.

“A team that plays in Florida in the 80s and 70s, you just can’t condition your body for the temperatures you are going to feel,” Jaguar Coach Jack Del Rio said. “But you can condition your mind and I felt we were ready from that standpoint.”

Said Packer Coach Mike Sherman: “They have the talent to play in any conditions.”

Jaguar safety Donovin Darius was ejected for a helmet-stripping, clothesline hit that sent wide receiver Robert Ferguson to the hospital with 4:41 remaining. Ferguson temporarily lost feeling in his legs, but regained feeling in an ambulance.

For once, it was the Packers who played as if they couldn’t wait to get inside.

Favre turned over the ball four times and fell to 31-4 at home after Dec. 1, losing for only the second time in 40 cold-weather games at home.

Nevertheless, the Packers (8-6) became the ninth team in NFL history to reach the playoffs after a 1-4 start. They clinched before kickoff because Chicago, Dallas, Carolina and New York all lost in the run-of-the-mill NFC.

“We’re in the playoffs?” Packer lineman Mark Tauscher responded incredulously. “I’ll take your word for it.”

The Packers fell into a tie with Minnesota atop the NFC North after the Vikings edged Detroit, 28-27. They travel to Minneapolis for a Christmas Eve matinee that will decide the division.