Here's what to know about today's game against Tampa Bay
GREEN BAY ‒ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and snow seem to go together in the Green Bay Packers memory.
It's not supposed to snow Sunday, when the Buccaneers come to Lambeau Field for a noon game against the Packers, but it's hard to forget the Snow Bowl of Dec. 1, 1985, which was played in a blizzard that slowed the Packers down not at all, but brought the Buccaneers to a screeching halt
In that spirit, the Packers opened Ariens Hill in the Titletown district for snow tubing this week. The nearby skating rink also is open, "weather permitting." In the case of Ariens Hill, if nature doesn't provide the white stuff, snow-making machinery can.
Tubing and skating are $15 plus tax each on game days. Titletown, like Lambeau Field, is cashless.
Titletown opens four hours before game time, which will be 8 a.m. Sunday. Ariens Hill is a 46-foot high, man-made structure with two tubing lanes. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall, and only one rider per tube is allowed.
As to the Snow Bowl, the Buccaneers, who at the time were in the NFC Central division with the Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, were only 2-10, despite having future Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young as their starter. The Packers were 5-7 and led by sometimes-hall-of-fame-level quarterback Lynn Dickey.
In a game in which even indominable Packers fans couldn't get to the stadium — only 19,856 made it to Lambeau Field — Dickey threw for 299 yards and ran for one touchdown, Packers running backs Eddie Lee Ivery and Gerry Ellis ran for more than 100 yards each, and receiver James Lofton caught six passes for more than 100 yards. All told, the Packers racked up 512 total yards to Tampa Bay's 65.
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Young passed for 53 yards and ran for 31 more, but was sacked five times for minus-42 yards. Any way you look at it, it was a thumping.
That wasn't the only time Dickey and the Packers embarrassed the Buccaneers. Two years earlier, on Oct. 2, 1983, the Packers scored a team-record 49 points in the first half on the way to a 55-14 victory. Dickey, who played only half the game, threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and had a quarterback rating of 121.5.
The Packers all-time record against the Bucs is 34-23-1.
Weather forecast for today's Packers game
The weather forecast from the National Weather Service calls for drizzle before 3 p.m. with a chance of sprinkles between 3 and 4 p.m. Otherwise it will be cloudy with a high of 42. Winds will be 6-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. There is snow in the forecast but that's not likely until early Monday.
Fans will get Santa hats
Despite the warm weather, it is Christmas week. Fans will receive Santa hats as they enter the stadium.
Who is singing the anthem and performing the flyover?
Former American Idol competitor Franki Moscato will perform the national anthem and a flyover will be performed by a KC-135 from the 126th Aerial Refueling Squadron of the 128th Aerial Refueling Wing with the U.S. Air Force, based at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee.
High school choirs will sing to fans before game
Speaking of singing, choirs from De Pere, Preble and Southern Door high schools will perform holiday songs outside the Miller Lite, Kwik Trip and Oneida Nation gates to entertain fans as they enter Lambeau Field.
There will be opposing fans, but fewer than lately
According to secondary marketplace Vivid Seats, 15% of Sunday's crowd will be Buccaneers fans. That's fewer than we've seen with other teams, such as the Lions and Chiefs, but it's still about 11,000 people, so there will be a certain creamsicle tinge to the Lambeau Field bowl.
Parking prices range from $15 to $60
Parking in the Lambeau Field lots is $50 this season, a $10 increase from last year. That mostly affects season ticket holders because few spaces remain for non-season ticket holders.
Parking in surrounding yards and business lots ranges from $15 to $60, depending on proximity to the stadium. The $15 lots can be about a half-mile from Lambeau.
While Packers' operations are cashless, including everything in Lambeau Field, yard and business-lot parking often requires cash.
Lambeau Field parking lots open four hours before game time, which for Sunday's game will be 8 a.m.
Green Bay Metro provides free shuttle service
Green Bay Metro offers four free shuttle routes, with buses leaving to and from Lambeau on the half-hour from 8-11 a.m. and again from the end of the game until 4:30 p.m. Routes to Lambeau Field run from Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, downtown Green Bay, the far east side and points in between.
Lambeau Field is 4.4 miles from the airport and 3.4 miles from downtown Green Bay.
Tailgating allowed in Lambeau parking lots
Tailgating is allowed anywhere in the Lambeau Field parking lots, and in a number of private lots surrounding the stadium. The center of the tailgating universe at Lambeau Field is in Lot 1 on the east side of the stadium, near the Oneida Nation Gate.
Lambeau Field ranked as the best place to watch football
USA Today ranked Lambeau Field as the best stadium in the NFL.
"Lambeau Field remains every bit the old school experience you want it to be, rising from the suburban grid of Green Bay to welcome NFL pilgrims to its hallowed grounds. Between the history of the Hall of Fame and the frigid aluminum bench seats that freeze your Leinenkugel’s in the can each December, it’s perfect roughneck football. Go Pack Go," wrote reporter Christian D’Andrea.
Leave cash at home for Packers games
Lambeau Field is cashless. Everywhere.
Restaurants, ticket office, Hall of Fame, concession stands, seat rentals and parking lots — if the Packers run it, credit cards and digital pay are the only options.
As previously mentioned, there is no available last-minute stadium parking, but if there was, that would be cashless, too. However, if you are parking in the yards or lots not operated by the Packers, your cash will be accepted and, in most cases, required.
How to watch or listen to the game
On television, the game will be broadcast on CBS, with Andrew Catalon doing play-by-play and Tiki Barber and Matt Ryan providing analysis. A.J. Ross will report from the sidelines.
Fans can listen to the game on the Packers radio network, whose flagship station is WRNW-FM, 97.3, in Milwaukee. In Green Bay, WIXX-FM, 101.1, carries the game. Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren call the game.
What's the Lambeau Field carry-in policy?
The Packers' carry-in policy limits items that can be brought into the stadium and how they can be carried.
On the no-go list are bags, backpacks, coolers, strollers, umbrellas, duffel bags, large purses, noisemakers of any kind, fanny packs, food and beverages, selfie sticks, video cameras and still photo cameras with lenses over 12 inches.
What is allowed are clear bags not exceeding 12-by-6-by-12 inches or a 1-gallon, clear plastic bag, additional clothing, blankets, small clutch purses the size of a woman's hand, small cameras, binoculars and cellphones if carried loosely or in an approved clear bag.
The Green Bay Police Department offered this information: "Officers are continually turning away prohibited bags and items at the gate that will slow the lines down and cause fans to return (items) to their vehicles or discard the prohibited items."
Population
Green Bay is the smallest market in the NFL, with a metro area population of 321,591, compared to Tampa's 3.1 million.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanP
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Fans can go snow tubing and skating before Packers-Bucs game Sunday
