GREEN BAY, Wis. Mark Messier Oilers Jersey . -- Under pressure in subzero weather, Colin Kaepernick kept his cool. Facing a blitz on third-and-8, the elusive San Francisco 49ers quarterback scrambled 11 yards out of trouble to set up Phil Dawsons 33-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 win Sunday over the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild-card game. Doesnt matter where or when -- the 49ers keep figuring out how to beat Green Bay. "Didnt think we were going to pull it out, did you?" coach Jim Harbaugh said. When its Kaepernick and the 49ers facing the Packers, the game is never over. Even in the meat locker that was Lambeau Field, where the temperature at kickoff was 5 degrees, with a wind chill of minus-10. No sweat for Kaepernick. He went sleeveless, and didnt wear gloves. "Ive played in cold-weather games before," he said. "I feel like its more mental than anything." San Francisco plays at Carolina next Sunday in the divisional round. Kaepernick threw for 227 yards, including a 28-yard TD pass to Vernon Davis, and ran for another 98, while Michael Crabtree had eight catches for 125 yards for San Francisco. In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the 49ers (13-4) threw the final punch. Kaepernick escaped a blitz to get to the 27 with 1:13 left. "Just trying to figure out a way to get that first down," Kaepernick said. "Had a play called, we didnt get the look that we wanted. It worked out for us." Dawson nailed the winning kick five plays later -- but only after nearly being blocked by edge rusher Davon House. He was whistled for being offside on the play, but the 49ers declined the penalty with the win in hand. Mason Crosbys 24-yard field goal tied it at 20 for the Packers (8-8-1) with 5:06 left before the 49ers final drive. Until then, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did his best to turn into "Captain Comeback" again. After a slow first quarter, Rodgers finished 17 of 26 for 177 yards and touchdown. "Very disappointing, personally," Rodgers said. "Its frustrating not to play your best game in tough conditions. Defence holds them to 23 points. We should win that game." Kaepernick connected with a spinning Davis down the seam for a score with 10:39 left. The TD quickly answered John Kuhns 1-yard run that briefly gave the Packers a four-point lead. That touchdown was set up after Rodgers, in the clutches of a 49ers defender, somehow managed to escape a sack on fourth-and-2 and found Randall Cobb for a 26-yard gain to the Niners 4. Eddie Lacy ran for 81 yards on 21 carries for the Packers, while Frank Gore had 66 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for the 49ers. But it was Kaepernick who was the difference-maker once again in San Franciscos fourth straight win over Green Bay. He finished 16 of 30 with the touchdown and an interception. For the second year in a row, the Packers season has started and ended with losses to the 49ers. The latest edition of whats turned into a chippy and heated rivalry took place on the worn, frozen turf of Lambeau Field. An injury-filled season for the Packers came to an end. A depleted Packers defence -- already playing without linebacker Clay Matthews -- lost two more starters Sunday in cornerback Sam Shields and linebacker Mike Neal -- but still managed to hold its own against the Niners. "Im just very proud of this team as far as their ability to continue to overcome adversity," coach Mike McCarthy said. "It hit us at every turn, it hit us again today and these guys just keep fighting and fighting." In a memorable playoff debut last January, Kaepernick ran for a quarterback playoff-record 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the season opener in September, the strong-armed quarterback threw for a career-best 412 yards and three scores. This time, he did his damage on the ground and through the air. Kaepernick tore through the Green Bay defence for a 42-yard run, getting a break at one point after House whiffed on a tackle, to set up Gores 10-yard touchdown run that helped give the 49ers a 13-10 halftime lead. "It was unbelievable, the way he was getting the edge. I mean, just clutch," Harbaugh said. "Colin Kaepernick, I think we can all agree, is a clutch performer." Notes: It was the seventh-coldest game at Lambeau Field since 1959, and the fourth-coldest post-season game at the stadium. ... Kuhn has scored a touchdown in each of the last five postseasons. ... After a big day in the season opener against Green Bay, Anquan Boldin was held to three catches for 38 yards. Marek Mazanec Predators Jersey . Tracey Kelusky and Kyle Buchanan each had a pair of goals for the Wings (4-9), Ryan Ward had a goal and three assists and Garret Thul, Brodie Merrill and Pat Saunders added single goals. Philadelphias Jordan Hall chipped in with five assists while Crowley tacked on three for a nine-point performance. Scott Hartnell Blue Jackets Jersey . -- Jordan Jeffersons LSU teammates heard the boos when the embattled quarterback stepped out on the field for the first time since his suspension was lifted this past week.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, With a lot of playoff games this year already going deep into overtime, weve all heard talk about how no player wants to be the one who makes a mistake prompted by exhaustion that leads to the game-winning goal. But to what extent does all this extra play time affect the officials? How much do they feel the physical and mental fatigue caused by a game heading into its second or third overtime period, and is this related to the perception - real or imagined - that officials tend to "swallow their whistles" in OT? Best,Mark Hill Mark: Fatigue was much more of an issue to contend with in the one referee system when we chased the play from end to end and didnt get much of an opportunity for a rest. A refs best friend can be a moving puck. Whenever possible, I attempted to force players to "move it"! Aside from enhancing the entertaining value of the game another upside of sustained action was that players gave and received hits with less likelihood of retaliation and scrums developing. On occasion I wore a heart monitor and during three to five minute runs without a whistle the readings would be sustained between 165-175 bpm. By comparison the highest my heart rate ever got in the two referee system was 98 bpm. There should be no reason (in the two-ref system) where physical fatigue might negatively impact the decision making process for an official regardless how many overtime periods are played. The mental aspect of a referees performance is a whole different kettle of fish! While players dont want to become the "goat" by making a bad play or mistake, the referees internal struggle is all about rendering a decision that might be perceived as a game ending bad call. (You notice I said perceived.) The best remedy in dealing with this pressure is for the official to maintain a rock solid focus of concentration by remaining in the moment and react to call penalties whenever they occur. Once a ref stops refereeing and puts his whistle away he becomes a spectator instead of an enforcer of the playing rules. Each referee can feel intense pressure to make sure any call he makes is viewed as a "must call" in the late stages and overtime. The referees best work is done well in advance of the late stages of a game by maintaining the expected standard of enforcement and to keep the players in check throughout the entire game. Tie Domi Rangers Jersey. The best deterrent against infractions being committed is "fear" a ref can instill in players that he will call the penalty whenever it is committed. When that is achieved players tend to play much more disciplined. The onus is placed more squarely on the players not to commit infractions once the referees enforce the rules more consistently and when expectations are met. I notice a difference in these playoffs as to which referees the players respond to and those they take full liberties with. Once the penalty standard slides and obvious infractions are let go it is extremely difficult for the referee to make a call in the late stages unless it involves a scoring opportunity, a puck over the glass or a major infraction. At times such as this the referee crew become spectators and fly on a wing and a prayer in hopes that the players will not do something really stupid that might force a call. If the referee chooses to turn his whistle into a fossil the worst thing he can do is upset the apple cart with a penalty call that doesnt have a direct bearing on the play or is of less quality than what he previously has let go. We saw a prime example of this with fewer than two minutes remaining in Game 4 of the Habs-Lightning series. While it is difficult to deny that the trip by Cedric Paquette on Michael Bournival was a legitimate foul, given the countless infractions that were not penalized, the referee(s) were subjected to justifiable ridicule for calling a trip in the corner of the rink at that time of the game. It is important to note there have been some real solid performances by the zebras in games thus far. The officials we notice most however are ones that stop refereeing the game and employ a standard of enforcement that resembles shifting sand. This isnt a result of fatigue; physical or mental. There is an answer to this dilemma. The referees have to be given clear direction by the Officiating Management to know and maintain the expected penalty throughout the entire game. In this regard the officials need to be better coached and held accountable when the expected standard is not met. Finally, when the officials do the job and make the tough calls they need to know they will be supported. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
