Minus thirteen degrees, the last play, the whole season on it. The Ice Bowl, December 1967, the Packers a yard from the end zone against Dallas with the title on the line, and Bart Starr followed his linemen into the frozen ground for the touchdown. It is the most famous cold-weather game ever played, and it is exactly the kind of January moment this franchise has been producing since before most teams existed.

The deepest postseason book there is

Green Bay’s January history is as rich as any in the sport. The Lombardi titles, Brett Favre’s run to a Super Bowl in the mid-1990s, Aaron Rodgers winning it all after the 2010 season. The trophy that every champion lifts is named for the coach who built the Packers’ January legend. Few franchises have stood on that stage as often.

The near-misses, and a recent gut-punch

It has not all been glory. The Rodgers years brought a painful collection of NFC Championship losses, the famous fourth-and-26 collapse against Philadelphia, a habit of arriving in January as a favorite and leaving early. This past season ended with a thud, an eighteen-point wild-card lead handed to the Bears in a 31-27 loss. A rough way out for a storied franchise.

The Ice Bowl, the trophy that bears their coach’s name, and a recent collapse against their oldest rival. Packers fans, your January history is the deepest in the league, which makes the near-misses sting more, not less. You have the trophies most of us only dream about. The wait for the next one is its own kind of cold.