Frozen In Time

Photographer Simon Bruty braved the conditions at Lambeau for 49ers-Packers to capture another postseason classic on the frozen tundra

Emily Kaplan | Jan 6, 2014

Frozen In Time

Frigid fans congregated at the Lombardi statue.

Colin Kaepernick and Jim Harbaugh. One went sleeveless.

Those aren’t real icicles, but they might as well be.

Michael Crabtree was the most effective Niners weapon, with eight catches for 125 yards.

Niners and Packers scramble for a loose ball.

Randall Cobb, in his second game back from a broken leg, looked spry on a kickoff return.

Tramon Williams picked off Kaepernick early in the second quarter.

When necessary, Aaron Rodgers resorted to the flip pass.

Rodgers found Jordy Nelson in the end zone for a five-yard TD that put the pack up 7-6 in the second quarter.

And Nelson, who’s been there before, tossed the ball casually to an official afterward.

The Niners regained the lead on a 10-yard Frank Gore touchdown run in the second quarter.

Gore ground out 66 yards on 20 carries.

Nelson was Rodgers’ favorite target, catching seven passes for 62 yards.

Kaepernick, who beat the Packers in the playoffs last year, was in charge again.

LaMichael James ran into some green on a return.

Kaepernick added 98 rushing yards to his record 181 against the Pack from last year.

Even the zebras were bundled. Temp at kickoff was 5 degrees.

Kaepernick dived to extend a scramble as Vernon Davis leapt to avoid contact with defenders.

Gore was his typically physical self.

As was Packers rookie Eddie Lacy, who bulled his way to 81 hard-earned yards.

James Starks broke into the open for a 10-yard scamper.

Cobb, showing little effect from his injury, caught two big passes.

John Kuhn had a sub-optimal Lambeau Leap after his fourth-quarter TD plunge put Green Bay up 17-13.

The boys from the Bay wisely bundled up during a break.

Kaepernick was just 16 of 30 passing, for 227 yards...

... but threw perfectly to Vernon Davis for a 28-yard fourth-quarter score.

More muscle from Eddy Lacy. On a day when passing conditions were less than ideal, the Niners outrushed the Pack, 167-124.

Kaepernick ran on some designed scrambles but also took off on his own when necessary....

As on the play of the game, the 11-yard sprint around the left side on 3rd-and-8 with 1:13 left.

Kaepernick’s scramble set up Phil Dawson’s 33-yard attempt.

The snap was clean.

As was Andy Lee’s hold.

Dawson’s kick slipped through the arms of the on-rushing Davon House.

The Packers corner was offside on the play in any event, and Dawson would have gotten another try.

But he didn’t need the second chance...

...as the kick sailed inside the right upright.

Dawson spent his first 14 seasons with Cleveland and had only played once before in the postseason.

His third three-pointer of the day gave the Niners the victory.

A happy kicker didn’t seem to mind the sub-zero wind chill afterward. Carolina should be warmer.

Photographs by Simon Bruty | Sports Illustrated/The MMQB

After 11 hours of flight cancellations and delays, Sports Illustrated photographer Simon Bruty arrived in Milwaukee at 11 p.m. on Saturday to discover that the airline misrouted his luggage. That was going to be a problem. Bruty, assigned to cover Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game at Lambeau Field, desperately needed his suitcase, which was stuffed with winter clothes.

Bruty has covered bitterly cold games before (see: 2008 NFC Championship in Green Bay, where gametime temp was minus-1).

“When it gets cold like that, it’s just a question of, are you prepared,” Bruty said.

As long as there is no snow—as there was in the Week 14 whiteout between the Eagles and Lions—and he is wearing enough warm clothes, Bruty can shoot just fine. “[Colleague] Al Tielemans had it way worse in that Philly game because visibility was a problem,” Bruty said.

Luckily, Bruty’s luggage arrived Sunday morning. After a pit stop at the airport, followed by bundling up (three layers under his down jacket; hand warmers nestled in his gloves and boots) he “felt toasty” the entire game.

The only encumbrance was the weather’s toll on Bruty’s camera. Batteries tend to drain quickly in the cold. But Bruty, a 29-year veteran, kept spare batteries inside his jacket, alongside handwarmers for several seamless switches.

As for his favorite shot? Bruty doesn’t know; as of Monday afternoon he hadn’t yet seen his take. “When I was shooting I didn’t want to scroll through the camera because it would drain the battery,” he said. “And since then I’ve spent all my energy warming up.”

Published Jan 6, 2014

EMILY KAPLAN