-TWO-FOR-THREE: Mike Sherman owns a 2-1 record in season finales as Green Bay's head coach. His Packers shaded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, 17-14, in the 2000 "closer" and defeated the New York Giants, 34-25, in 2001's finale before losing to the New York Jets in 2002's wrap-up, 42-17.
-SPEAKING OF SEASON FINALES, the Packers today will be hoping to post their ninth consecutive season-ending victory at home.
-BRETT FAVRE, with an already voluminous collection of records and accomplishments, is in position to add another significant achievement to his imposing list today.
Favre, who has led the led the NFL in touchdown passes three times, enters this afternoon's game leading the league with 31 TD passes and can tie Len Dawson, Johnny Unitas and Steve Young for most seasons leading the league all-time (four).
The Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning starts the day in second place with 28 TD passes.
-FAVRE MIGHT WELL make history in another passing category this afternoon. He needs only 25 attempts to pass fourth-ranking Fran Tarkenton, who had 6,467 over his career. Favre goes into action with 6,443 attempts.
-HAVING PASSED Fran Tarkenton last time out for second place all-time in career TD passes, Favre, with 345 to date, now finds himself exactly 75 behind career leader Dan Marino (420).
Based on his career average of 28-plus TD passes per season, it would take No. 4 approximately three seasons to surpass Marino.
-SECOND TIME AROUND: When Favre threw 4 touchdown passes in last Monday night's 41-7 triumph over the Oakland Raiders, it marked the second time in his career that he has thrown 4 for scores in back-to-back games. He had unfurled 4 TD throws a week earlier in the Packers' 38-21 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Favre authored his first "brace" of 4-TD performances in 1996, en route - appropriately enough - to Super Bowl XXXI, posting 4 in a 31-10 victory at Seattle Sept. 29 and 4 more in a 37-6 romp at Chicago Oct. 6.
-FOUR WOULD BE NICE, but Favre needs throw only one for a score this afternoon to extend his club record for most consecutive games throwing one TD pass, which stands at 24 as the game begins.
-FAVRE HAS THROWN at least one touchdown pass in 167 of the 190 games he has played in a Packers uniform. He posted his first TD throw against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 20, 1992, in his second game appearance for the Packers.
-RUNNING BACK AHMAN GREEN, with 18 touchdowns thus far goes into action needing 2 to eclipse one of the older records in Packers archives...for most touchdowns in a season, 19, set by Jim Taylor in 1962.
-GREEN, WHO BEGINS the afternoon with a 73-yard lead on runner-up Deuce McCallister of the Saints, is positioned to become the first Packer to lead the National Football Conference in rushing since John Brockington captured NFC honors in 1973, gaining 1,144 yards over a 14-game season.
-MARCO RIVERA, a Pro Bowl selection for the second year in a row, today is playing in his 109th game at guard for Green Bay, a total which lifts him into fifth place for the fifth-most games played among offensive guards in Packers history. He had been tied with Rich Moran (1985-93) at 108.
Ron Hallstrom (1982-92) is the all-time leader with 162 games at guard. Jerry Kramer (1958-68) is next up with 130, followed by Gale Gillingham (1966-74, 76) with 128 and Fuzzy Thurston (1959-67) with 112.
-CLOSING ON 1,000: For a part-time performer, running back Najeh Davenport has had an impressively productive season. The second-year professional from Miami enters today's '03 finale with 916 all-purpose yards to his credit.
Davenport, who has averaged 10.2 yards for every time he has touched the football, has returned 15 kickoffs for 485 yards, a 32.3-yard average, rushed for 399 yards in 70 attempts, a 5.7-yard average, and caught 5 passes for 32 yards, a 6.4-yard average.
-QUICK QUOTE: Gilbert Brown, on the pass rush "takeoff" of teammate Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila: "I've never seen anybody get off the ball as quick as Kabeer does."
-ADD GILBERT BROWN, discussing his hobby of collecting classic automobiles during a recent appearance before Green Bay's Associated Bank Quarterback Club, the 340-pound nose tackle reported, "I just picked up a '68 Pontiac. Now I've got to figure out how I can get in it."
-LOCAL BOY: The national anthem for today's game will be sung by Scott Ramsay, a Green Bay native who currently is a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Company. Ramsay is the son of Chuck Ramsay, longtime former news anchor for Green Bay's WBAY-TV.
-POOL REPORTERS: Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, appointed by the Pro Football Writers of America, are the pool reporters for this afternoon's game.
