TODAY: The Packers reach the halfway point in their season, bidding for a third straight win and a .500 record. The team has not won three in a row since a six-game streak, Oct. 17-Nov. 29, 2004, when Green Bay also opened the year 1-4...Dick Jauron, one of six former Packers coaches now serving as an NFL head coach, meets the Packers for the 12th time...The Packers are 9-2 all-time against Jauron, having won seven straight. Chicago's head coach from 1999-2003, and Detroit's interim head coach in 2005, Jauron served as defensive backs coach under three Packers head coaches: Forrest Gregg (1986-87), Lindy Infante (1988-91) and Mike Holmgren (1992-94)...The Packers, who are tied for the NFC's third-best road record at 2-1, have never won in Buffalo, dropping four total visits (1979, '88, '94 and 2000)...Green Bay tries to take both inter-conference games in AFC stadiums for the first time in three years. The team won at San Diego and Oakland, respectively, Dec. 14-22, 2003. The Packers knocked off Miami at Dolphin Stadium Oct. 22.
WINLESS CITIES: The Packers franchise has won in 27 of the 31 current NFL cities (New York has two teams). They're slowly chipping away at that list, having registered their first win in Miami, where they'd previously been 0-6, on their last road trip (Oct. 22). And today, the team has another opportunity to erase a city off that list as Green Bay has lost all four contests in Buffalo.
-Brett Favre, meanwhile, has played in each of the 31 current NFL locales at least once. Of those 31, he has won in 22 and hopes to increase that number this afternoon.
GREEN BAY'S FOUR WINLESS CITIES
Denver 0-5-0
Buffalo 0-4-0
Indianapolis 0-3-0
Nashville 0-1-0
BRETT FAVRE'S NINE WINLESS CITIES
*Dallas 0-8-0
*Philadelphia 0-6-0
Buffalo 0-2-0
Indianapolis 0-2-0
Kansas City 0-2-0
Baltimore 0-1-0
Denver 0-1-0
Nashville 0-1-0
Pittsburgh 0-1-0
*-includes playoffs
RUNNING BACK RECEIVING RECORDS: Ahman Green, already the franchise's all-time leader among running backs with 320 career receptions, can take another step today in his quest to cement his legacy as the top all-around back in Packers history.
-Green needs just 15 receiving yards to erase Gerry Ellis' name in the Packers record book; Ellis compiled 2,514 receiving yards during his Packers career (1980-86), most among Packers backs. Green, who enters with 2,500, would take Ellis' No. 15 spot on the overall all-time receiving yards list.
Most Receptions, Career, Back
320 - Ahman Green, 2000-06
309 - William Henderson, 1995-2006
271 - Dorsey Levens, 1994-2001
267 - Gerry Ellis, 1980-86
242 - Edgar Bennett, 1992-96
Most Receiving Yards, Career, Back
2,514 - Gerry Ellis, 1980-86
2,500 - Ahman Green, 2000-06
2,360 - William Henderson, 1995-2006
2,079 - Dorsey Levens, 1994-2001
1,920 - Edgar Bennett, 1992-96
-Green also needs 171 rushing attempts to surpass No. 1 Jim Taylor (1,811). Green enters with 1,641.
-He could become one of only three players ever to lead the Packers in rushing for six seasons, joining Clarke Hinkle (7) and Jim Taylor (7). Green has led the team five seasons.
-Green needs 666 rushing yards to surpass No. 1 Jim Taylor (8,207). Green enters with 7,542.
-And, he needs 561 rushing yards to reach 1,000 and surpass Taylor's record of five overall 1,000-yard seasons. Green also has five.
TOUGH AFTER THE OPPONENT'S BYE: This week, the Packers travel to Buffalo following the Bills' bye week.
-Green Bay has won five straight and six of its last seven over opponents coming off bye weeks. The last time the Packers lost such a game was Oct. 15, 1998, at Detroit.
-The five wins during the current streak were at Arizona (Sept. 24, 2000), vs. Miami (Nov. 4, 2002), at Chicago (Sept. 29, 2003), vs. Seattle (Oct. 5, 2003) and at Washington (Oct. 31, 2004).
-Two weeks before that '98 Detroit loss, Green Bay also won at Carolina (Sept. 27, 1998), one week after the Panthers' bye.
GREEN, FAVRE PROTECTING BALL WELL: Ahman Green has not fumbled since Sept. 24 at Detroit. Since that last fumble, the running back has 41 offensive touches (39 carries, two receptions).
-Brett Favre now has thrown 106 passes since his last interception, the final play of the third quarter at Philadelphia (Oct. 2).
uBefore his active streak, the last time he went three consecutive games without a pick was Oct. 7-20, 2002.
-If he goes without an interception against Buffalo, he will have strung together four games with zero INTs for the first time ever within a single season. On two previous occasions, he went four straight without a pick: Dec. 16, 1995 - Sept. 9, 1996, and Dec. 23, 2001 - Sept. 8, 2002.
-During that 1995-96 streak, he established his career's longest stretch by throwing 163 passes without an INT. The franchise record is 294 by Bart Starr from 1964-65 (complete list on Page 355 of the Packers 2006 Media Guide).
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS MATTER: The Packers under Mike McCarthy have established their identity as a run-oriented offense. And this year, as in previous seasons, when the team gets into the end zone, they tend to win more than they lose.
-Since a rash of injuries to their wide receivers forced the Packers into a run-oriented offense early in the 2003 season, the team is 20-10 (.667) when rushing for at least one touchdown. Green Bay has won 17 of its last 23 games with one-or-more rushing TDs.
WHEN FAVRE HITS CENTURY MARK: Elias Sports Bureau, the NFL's official statistician for half a century, never intended for its passer rating to reflect efficiency on a game-by-game basis. The company implemented the system to reflect efficiency over an entire season, or an entire career.
-Nonetheless, in games when Brett Favre compiles at least a 100.0 rating, the Packers are 71-7 (.910) and 2-0 this year. They're 40-0 at home (1.000) and 31-7 (.816) on the road.
30 POINTS: The Packers in 2005 were 2-0 when reaching 30 points and 2-12 in the other contests. This year, they're 3-0 with 30-plus points and 0-4 without.
-Over a longer stretch, the team has won 11 consecutive games when reaching 30, and 16 of its last 17.
-Its only loss in that 14-game stretch was Sept. 26, 2004, a 45-31 shootout at Indianapolis.
PUNT BLOCKS: Jon Ryan was 13 years old the last time the Packers had a punt blocked. It happened Sept. 10, 1995, at Chicago, when the Bears' Anthony Marshall got to Craig Hentrich. Only one other team has a longer active stretch of punts without a block (Elias):
Punts - Team - Streak began
846 - Cleveland - 11/28/93
826 - Green Bay - 09/17/95
375 - St. Louis - 10/22/00
337 - Buffalo - 09/15/02
318 - Dallas - 11/28/02
307 - San Diego - 10/13/02
297 - Tennessee - 11/24/02
282 - Houston - 12/29/02
TURNOVERS: The Packers in their three wins have a cumulative plus-two turnover ratio. In their four losses, the margin is minus-four.
-The Packers have committed no more than one turnover in each of their two wins on the current streak (one at Miami and none vs. Arizona).
-No other NFL club has a better winning percentage since 2000 when committing one turnover or less (Elias Sports Bureau). Over the seven-year stretch, including 2006, Green Bay is 41-4 (.911) in such games.
NOVEMBER: This decade, Brett Favre and the Packers have played their best football after the October-November calendar change. Even in 2005, when the club sustained a 4-12 record, three of the team's four wins came in the season's final two months. The NFL's best records since 2000, Nov. 1 and later (Elias Sports Bureau):
Club: W - L - T - Pct
New England: 39 - 13 - 0 - .750
Philadelphia: 37 - 16 - 0 - .698
Pittsburgh: 37 16 1 .694
Green Bay: 36 - 17 - 0 - .679
Denver: 31 - 18 - 0 - .633
Indianapolis: 34 - 20 - 0 - .630
Seattle: 33 - 20 - 0 - .623
Baltimore: 32 - 20 - 0 - .615
Tennessee: 29 - 22 - 0 - .569
Tampa Bay: 30 - 23 - 0 - .566
POOL REPORTERS: As appointed by the Professional Football Writers of America, Mark Gaughan (primary) of the Buffalo News and Chuck Pollock (alternate) of the Olean Times-Herald are Ralph Wilson Stadium pool reporters.
NEXT WEEK: Green Bay goes back on the road for its annual grudge match at the Metrodome with the Vikings; kickoff Sunday is noon CST on FOX...Meanwhile, the Bills travel to Indianapolis to meet Peyton Manning and the Colts Sunday, also an early kickoff, on CBS.
{sportsad300}WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY & IN COMING WEEKS -
80 DONALD DRIVER:
-Has a reception in 71 consecutive games, the franchise's second-longest streak behind Sharpe's 103 (1988-94).
-Has 28 career TD receptions from Brett Favre, tied on the team's all-time combination list with No. 8 Bart Starr-Boyd Dowler (28). The Driver-Favre duo needs one to tie No. 7 Arnie Herber-Don Hutson (29), and four to reach No. 5 (tie) Lynn Dickey-James Lofton and Favre-Robert Brooks (both 32).
-With nine more catches, would reach 50 and join James Lofton (7), Sterling Sharpe (7), and Antonio Freeman (6) as one of four Packers ever with as many as five 50-catch seasons. Driver currently has four such seasons.
4 BRETT FAVRE: On the NFL's all-time passing list...
-Is expected to play in his 251st straight game, including playoffs (231 regular season). He should start his 229th consecutive contest (249 including playoffs), extending the NFL's record among quarterbacks.
-Counting all recorded consecutive-starts streaks, will tie No. 3 Bruce Matthews (229, 1987-2001).
-Needs 14 TD passes to match Dan Marino's NFL record, 420. Favre enters with 406.
Favre also:
-When facing an opponent coming off a bye weekend, has won five straight and six of his last seven. Buffalo had its bye this past week.
88 BUBBA FRANKS:
-Needs one TD reception to reach 30 career. In team history, only 11 previous players have reached the milestone, including Donald Driver this season.
94 KABEER GBAJA-BIAMILA:
-On Green Bay's all-time sacks list, needs seven to match Reggie White's career record, 681/2. Gbaja-Biamila enters with 611/2.
30 AHMAN GREEN:
-Can rush for 100 yards in three consecutive games for the first time since he had a four-game streak, Dec. 22, 2003 - Sept. 19, 2004.
On Green Bay's all-time rushing list...
-Needs 15 receiving yards to surpass No. 1 Gerry Ellis (2,514) on the team's all-time offensive backs list. Green enters with 2,500.
-Needs two overall touchdowns to surpass No. 3 Sterling Sharpe (66). Green enters with 65 in a Packers uniform, having already surpassed No. 4 Paul Hornung (62) this season.
-Needs seven points to surpass No. 8 Sterling Sharpe (396) and 66 to surpass No. 7 Fred Cone (455). Green enters with 390, having already surpassed No. 10 Clarke Hinkle (379) and No. 9 Ted Fritsch (380) this season.
31 AL HARRIS:
-Needs to return one interception for a touchdown to tie No. 5 Charley Brock, Doug Hart and Ken Ellis (all with three) on Green Bay's all-time career list. With a second TD on an interception, would match No. 4 Johnny (Blood) McNally, who returned four. Harris enters with two.
85 GREG JENNINGS:
-Can become the first Packers rookie with four TD receptions since Ed West (TE) had four in 1984. The last rookie wide receiver with at least three was James Lofton, who had six in 1978.
74 AARON KAMPMAN:
-Should start his 50th consecutive game.
-By adding at least 1/2 sack, would extend his sacks streak to five games, longest by a Packers player since Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila had a five-game stretch that covered two seasons, Dec. 24, 2000 - Oct. 7, 2001. The last player with a streak of at least five games during a single season was Reggie White, Nov. 5-Dec. 3, 1995 (five games).
16 DAVE RAYNER:
-Enters having converted all seven of his NFL?field-goal attempts under 40 yards, and 10 of his 11 from under 50 yards. From 50-plus, he's 1-for-4, including his rookie 2005 season with Indy (he actually hit a 55-yarder at Miami, Oct. 22, but a penalty nullified the kick).
9 JON RYAN:
-In every game this season, has hit two punts of at least 50 yards (14 overall punts), including 66-yarders at Detroit (Sept. 24) and vs. St. Louis (Oct. 8), and a 60-yarder at Philadelphia (Oct. 2).
21 CHARLES WOODSON:
-Needs one tackle for 500 career.
-Needs four passes defensed for 100 career.
-Has interceptions in consecutive games for only the third time during his career, and first since Dec. 20-26, 1998, as a rookie with Oakland (also Sept. 27-Oct. 4, 1998). The four-time Pro Bowler has never had three straight games with an INT.
