–MIKE SHERMAN, making his third appearance in a postseason game as a head coach, takes a .500 record (1-1) into tonight's Wild Card contest. He led the Packers to a 25-15 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a Wild Card playoff in Lambeau Field on Jan. 13, 2002. Green Bay fell to the St. Louis Rams, subsequent Super Bowl finalists, in a divisional playoff the following week, 45-17.
Sherman's coaching opponent, Dan Reeves, a veteran of the postseason wars, owns a 10-8 won-lost record in 18 playoff appearances.
-SHERMAN, WHO HAS just completed his third season as the 13th head coach in Packers history, is the second "fastest starter" in Packers history behind only the fabled Vince Lombardi. He owns a 33-15-0 record after his first 48 games, just three games off Lombardi's pace (36-12-0). Team founder E.L. "Curly" Lambeau ranks third at 28-15-5 (1921-25), followed by Mike Holmgren, 27-21-0 (1992-94).
-THE PACKERS TONIGHT are playing in their 35th postseason game, becoming only the 10th team in NFL history to make as many as 35 playoff appearances.
Based on a minimum of 15 games, the Green and Gold also own the highest winning percentage in NFL history (.676), having won 23 of their 34 playoff appearances
-HE'S UNDEFEATED: The Packers are 11-0 in Lambeau Field coming into tonight's Wild Card playoff and quarterback Brett Favre has played a major role in the production of that unblemished record. He is 6-0 as a starting quarterback in "Lambeau," including a 30-13 NFC Championship Game victory over the Carolina Panthers in 1996 that qualified the Green and Gold for Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots in New Orleans. Overall, Favre has forged a 10-6 won-lost record in the postseason as a starting quarterback.
-STATISTICALLY, FAVRE OWNS 13 team playoff records - almost every major mark - and shares in one other. His name heads the list in 13 of the 16 passing categories listed in the team's postseason record book. The imposing list follows;
CAREER
- Most Games Played, 16
- Most Passes Completed, 318
- Most Passes Attempted, 522
- Most Yards Gained on Passes, 3,940
- Most Games, 300 Yards Passing, 2
- Most Touchdown Passes, 29
- Most Passes Intercepted, 19
GAME
- Most Passes Completed, 28 (1/16/94 at Dallas)
- Most Passes Attempted, 45 (1/16/94 at Dallas)
- Most Passes Intercepted, 6 (1/20/02 at St. Louis)
- Best Completion Percentage, 75.86 (1/13/02 vs. San Francisco)
- Longest Completed Pass, 81 yards (1/26/97) vs. New England to A. Freeman)
- Most Consecutive Games, TD Pass, 12, 1995-2001 (current)
-BY THROWING ONE touchdown pass tonight, Favre can make major inroads in the NFL's postseason record book. By so doing he would tie Dan Marino's league playoff record for the most consecutive playoff games throwing a TD pass, 13, and simultaneously tie Terry Bradshaw for the third-most TD passes, career, with 30. Joe Montana is all-time leader in the latter category with 45 scoring throws in 23 playoff games, followed by Marino with 32 in 18 postseason appearances. Bradshaw threw 30 scoring passes in 19 career playoff games.
-FAVRE NOW HAS THROWN touchdown passes to 34 different receivers during his 11-year Packers career. They include three new additions during the '02 season - wideouts Terry Glenn, Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson.
-THE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE field general enters tonight's contest with a remarkable touchdowns-to-interception ratio in the red zone of 210 to 22.
-AHMAN GREEN, by rushing for 1,240 yards this season - despite sitting out two games and the second halves of two others - now owns three of the top six 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Packers history. His '02 total ranks fifth, behind his 2001 season of 1,387 yards (third-best in Packers annals) ahead of his 1,175 in 2000 (sixth overall).
Only Jim Taylor, with a club-record 1,474 in 1962 and 1,307 in 1961 (fourth), and Dorsey Levens with 1,435 in 1997 (second), have "out-rushed" Green over a single season.
-RECORD 'D:' The Packers - and Lambeau Field - still jointly own the NFL postseason record for the fewest yards rushing allowed in a playoff game. Coordinator Fritz Shurmur's defenders held the Detroit Lions to a minus-4 yards - and the redoubtable Barry Sanders to a minus-1 yard (in 13 attempts) en route to a 16-12 victory in their Wild Card playoff here following the 1994 season (Dec. 31, 1994).
-THE PACKERS SHARE - with the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers - the NFL record for most consecutive postseason victories against one club. The Packers have won four straight over the New York Giants (1939, 1944, 1961-62) the Steelers over the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (1975-76 and 1995-96) and the Cowboys over the Packers (1982, 1993-95).
-FOR THE RECORD: The Packers established their postseason scoring record - in Lambeau Field - on Jan. 8, 1983, a day on which they defeated the then-St. Louis Cardinals in a Super Bowl Tournament game, 41-16.
In that contest, quarterback Lynn Dickey tied a Packers playoff record by throwing 4 touchdown passes in the winning process, completing 17 of 23 attempts for 260 yards without an interception. Wide receiver John Jefferson also set a club postseason mark with 148 receiving a yards - a record which still stands - on six catches.
-QUICK QUOTE: Brett Favre, on arm strength: "The perk of having a strong arm is that you can make every play. The down side of it is, the throw is not always 'there."
-THE CAPTAINS: Packers captains for the playoffs, named by GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman, include: Offense - quarterback Brett Favre and center Frank Winters; Defense - nose tackle Gilbert Brown and middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson; and Special Teams - long snapper Rob Davis and wide receiver/kick returner Robert Ferguson.
-COUNTRY SINGER TRACY LAWRENCE, a national recording artist, will sing the national anthem before tonight's game. He also will entertain at halftime.
