A Very Wild (Card) Weekend

Yesterday the Packers took care of the Vikings to advance to the Divisional Round in the 2012 playoffs.

A very satisfying win over what may be our most heated rival, and even better there's lots of uniform-related stuff to talk about from the game, all of which may be found in this one gorgeous photo:

First of all, the Packers followed their now-standard practice and brought the captain's patches back for the postseason. Six seasons, and I still hate those.

The Packers also wore the Sandy Hook Elementary memorial decal on their helmets for the third straight week. Five of the eight playoff teams wore the decal; the Texans and Ravens removed it this week, and the Redskins never adopted it in the first place. Mike McCarthy was also wearing his matching pin:

Man, I wish the Packers would do something about those contrasting compression sleeves.

Several players, including fan-favorite John Kuhn, favored a bicycle-shorts style to their pants.

This will presumably change when the NFL mandates knee pads beginning next season.

Finally, Charles Woodson returned to the team wearing a new facemask:

Before going out with an injury in Week 7, Woodson wore a standard mask. See the inset photo from last season - this is the same style he was wearing when he broke his collarbone in St. Louis.

I don't know what the intended effect of the new mask is, although I doubt it would do much to protect his collarbone. Intimdation? His play on the field seems to take care of that enough.

Next up: San Francisco. The Packers will be in their road whites, and I for one can't wait to see them.