Packers-Jaguars Week 15 Dope Sheet

*Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from 1921-24.

Honoring Calhoun, the first publicity director, the Packers are running this weekly feature as their release, which is being made available to fans exclusively on Packers.com.

A complete edition of the Dope Sheet will be available each week during the season in PDF format, located in the Packers.com Game Centers.

Here are some highlights from the Packers-Jaguars Week 15 Dope Sheet:*

**GREEN BAY (5-8) at JACKSONVILLE (4-9)

Sun., Dec. 14 - Jacksonville Municipal Stadium - 1 p.m. EST/12 p.m. CST

PACKERS SQUARE OFF AGAINST JAGUARS IN JACKSONVILLE**

• As the snow piles up in Green Bay, the Packers head south to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon.

• Green Bay lost its fifth game of the season by four points or less last Sunday, with the Texans hitting a game-winning field goal as time expired.

• It was the third consecutive loss for the Packers, who have lost five of six since the bye weekend.

• In order to end the skid, they must win on the road in Jacksonville Sunday afternoon. The Packers are 2-4 on the road thus far.

• Both of the clubs have been unable to duplicate their success from a year ago. Green Bay finished as the NFC North champions at 13-3, ultimately losing in the NFC Championship Game. Jacksonville finished 11-5 and defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round before falling to New England in the Divisional Playoffs.

• Jacksonville has been eliminated from the AFC playoffs, while Green Bay comes into the contest nearly eliminated. A Green Bay loss would officially eliminate the team from postseason contention.

• There isn't a whole lot of history between the two franchises. They have met just three times since 1995, when the Jaguars entered the NFL.

• The road team has won all three road contests in the series, with Green Bay taking both contests in Jacksonville. The Packers beat the Jaguars 24-14 in 1995, the second home game for the Jaguars in franchise history, and won the 2001 meeting as well. Jacksonville was victorious in 2004 in its first-ever appearance at Lambeau Field.

• For the Jaguars, they enter play Sunday looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Most recently, they lost to the Bears in Chicago, 23-10.

• Jacksonville has a 3-4 record on the road this season but has struggled at home, going just 1-5.

• Jacksonville will have a quick turnaround following the Packers contest, as they host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night in their final home contest of 2008.

THE PLAYOFF PICTURE FOR THE PACKERS

• Though not mathematically eliminated from the NFC playoff picture, the Packers will certainly need a lot of help, not to mention a three-game win streak to close the season.

• At 8-5, Minnesota leads the NFC North. Green Bay will need the Vikings to lose their remaining three games (at Arizona, vs. Atlanta, vs. New York Giants).

• Two games behind Chicago, the Packers will need to defeat the Bears in Chicago on Monday Night Football in Week 16, as well as have Chicago drop one of its other two games (vs. New Orleans, at Houston).

• A third straight win must come over the Lions at Lambeau Field on Dec. 28. Detroit has lost 17 consecutive games in the state of Wisconsin.

• In that scenario, the Packers would take a tiebreaker with all three teams at 8-8 because of their 3-1 record in head-to-head contests.

WITH THE CALL

• FOX Sports enters its 15th season as an NFL network television partner and will air the contest to a regional audience.

• Play-by-play man Ron Pitts joins color analyst Tony Boselli in the booth with Charissa Thompson serving as the sideline reporter.

• Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 56-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo are in their 10th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 47 markets in six states.

• For out-of-town listeners, the broadcast is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on www.packers.com as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 91 WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.

• DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on channel 712.

TAUSCHER INJURY SHUFFLES O-LINE

• Head Coach Mike McCarthy anounced Monday afternoon that veteran tackle Mark Tauscher has been lost for the season after sustaining an ACL tear in his left knee Sunday. Tauscher is expected to be placed on injured reserve this week.

• One of the Packers' leaders both in the huddle and in the locker room, Tauscher has anchored the right side of the Green Bay offensive line since 2000, when he started 14 games as a rookie.

• Tauscher started all 13 games this season at right tackle, bringing his career total up to 120 starts. The Marshfield, Wis., native tore the same ligament in his left knee in 2002, ending his season after two games.

• McCarthy said third-year pro Tony Moll will slide into Tauscher's spot in the lineup. Moll started the first three games of the season — all at right guard — and has seen action at both spots on the right side of the line in his first three seasons.

• It would be the 17th career start for Moll, who moved to right tackle from tight end as a fifth-year senior at Nevada in 2005.

GRANT NEARS 1,000-YARD MARK

• Second-year pro Ryan Grant needs 20 rushing yards to hit the 1,000-yard milestone for the first time in his career.

• He nearly hit the mark last season, totaling 956 yards on 188 carries (5.1 avg). Grant entered the final regular-season contest of '07 with 899 rushing yards. After totaling 57 yards on six carries, Grant left the game with a stinger and was held out for the remainder of the game by a coaching decision as the team got ready for the playoff push.

• A 1,000-yard season would be the 20th in Packers history. Grant would become the eighth Packers player to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.

• Grant's position coach Edgar Bennett, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, accomplished the feat with the Packers in 1995 when he rushed for 1,067 yards on 316 carries.

• RB Ahman Green was the last Green Bay running back to accomplish the feat, which he did six times (2000-04, 2006).

• It has only been 25 games, including playoffs, since Grant took over duties as the team's full-time back. Over that time, Grant has piled up 2,139 rushing yards and 15 TDs on 469 carries (4.56 avg).

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIRD DOWN

• One stat that sticks out from last Sunday? The third-down numbers, which highlighted Green Bay's inability to capitalize despite four Houston turnovers, as well as a defense that gave up critical conversions.

• The Packers offense had their second-poorest showing of the season on third down last week (1-for-10), while the defense allowed the highest percentage of third-down conversions (54%, 7-for-13) of the year.

• The Packers fell out of the league's top 10 and now rank 11th in third-down offense, having converted 76-of-179 (42.5%) opportunities. The Jacksonville defense ranks 13th on third down, allowing opponents to convert 37.5% (60-of-160) of their opportunities. The Packers offense finished 2007 ranked eighth in the category at 42.6%.

• Green Bay's third-down defense has allowed 66-of-169 (39.1%), 15th in the NFL, and faces a Jacksonville offense that ranks 18th (38.6%) in the league on third down.

• Aaron Rodgers is the NFL's fourth-ranked passer on third down with a passer rating of 98.6 (79-of-127, 62.2%, 983 yards).

• Eleven of Rodgers' 22 TD passes have come on third down, tied with San Diego's Philip Rivers for most on third down. New Orleans' Drew Brees, Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and Dallas' Tony Romo are the next closest passers with nine TDs on third down.

PACKERS TRIO TOUGH TO THROW ON

• CB Tramon Williams jumped on a passing route in the second quarter Sunday, joining teammates Nick Collins and Charles Woodson atop the NFC leaderboard with five interceptions.

• Green Bay is the only NFL team with three players at five or more interceptions, while its 18 interceptions is the third highest total in the NFL.

• It is the first time since 1996 that the Packers have had three players with five interceptions in a season. In '96, Eugene Robinson picked off six passes and LeRoy Butler and Doug Evans each posted five.

UPON A CLOSER LOOK AT THE STATS

• Some of the good, bad and strange statistics through 13 games:

• Aaron Rodgers' four rushing scores are the most by a Packers QB since Don Majkowski had five rushing scores in 1989.

• Green Bay's pass defense has allowed 111 first downs through the air, fewest in the NFL. Philadelphia is No. 2 with 119. However, Green Bay has given up 104 first downs on the ground, tied for fifth most.

• Opponents have surely noted the disparity in Green Bay's first-down defensive statistics. Against the run on first down, the Packers allow 4.75 yards per rush, seventh highest in the NFL. When Green Bay defends the pass on first downs, it is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 68.4 rating, fourth-lowest in the NFL.

• Thanks in large part to CB Will Blackmon, Green Bay's punt return unit ranks fourth in the NFL. The club's punt coverage has been limiting opponents as well, ranking ninth in the league.

• Its kick return and kickoff coverage where special teams has been struggling. Green Bay's return unit ranks 31st, while its coverage has lacked in the last two weeks. It ranked 13th heading into the New Orleans contest but has slipped to 24th after some sub-par performances.

DEFENSE SUCCUMBS TO BIG PLAYS

• The Green Bay defense gave up nine "big plays" — gains of 20-plus yards — last Sunday to the Texans, including two on the final, game-winning drive with under two minutes remaining.

• Eight of the nine big plays allowed came through the air against a Green Bay pass defense that had been solid all season long.

• The Packers have allowed 48 plays of 20-plus yards this season, tied with Houston for the 10th highest total in the league.

• Most troubling is that those big plays are costing the Packers on the scoreboard. They have allowed 12 touchdowns on plays of 20 yards or more, the highest in the league. Detroit ranks No. 2 with 11.

• The Packers have allowed 14 big runs this season — fifth highest in the league — and 34 big passes — tied for 15th.

• On the other side of the ball, the Packers offense could see plenty of opportunities against the Jaguars. They have allowed 50 big plays on the season, tied for sixth most in the NFL.

LEE LANDS IN END ZONE AGAIN

• For the third time in four weeks, tight end Donald Lee found the end zone, proving to be one of Aaron Rodgers' most reliable targets inside the red zone.

• Lee is beginning to accumulate similar numbers to his breakout season in 2007, when he set career highs in receptions (48), receiving yards (575) and touchdown receptions (6) and was a Pro Bowl alternate.

• He can challenge some of those numbers again this season, having already caught five touchdowns among his 37 receptions.

• His 20-yard scoring play against the Texans was his 15th career touchdown as a member of the Packers, tying him with No. 5 Ron Kramer on the team's all-time tight ends list.

• Paul Coffman (1978-85) leads all Packers tight ends with 39 TD catches, while Bubba Franks (2000-07) ranks second with 32.

ANOTHER TEAM RECORD - RETURN YARDAGE

• The Packers have 575 return yards on their 18 interceptions this season.

• That total bests the previous high marks in team history since the 1960 AFL-NFL merger.

• McCarthy said his team's ability to make a play after an interception is something the team has repped after every turnover in practice since he arrived in 2006.

• The Packers had 561 return yards on 27 interceptions in 1965. The following season, they had 547 return yards on 28 interceptions. The Packers won the NFL Championship both seasons.

IN THE RED ZONE

• The Packers were to convert on both trips to the red zone on Sunday, while on defense they allowed the Texans to score touchdowns on just one of four chances.

• On offense, the Packers have scored TDs on 24-of-38 possessions (63.2%), fourth best in the league.

• Stats show that the Packers may get a chance to raise that percentage against the Jaguars this weekend in Jacksonville. The Jaguars rank No. 25 in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on 59.5% of chances.

• Green Bay's defense inside the 20-yard has allowed 22 TDs on 43 possessions (51.2%), 13th among NFL clubs. It had been ranked in the top 10 for most of the season until allowing Carolina to score on all five red zone trips two weeks ago.

• A side result of a big-play offense is not as many trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In fact, Green Bay has scored 86 points on offense outside of the red zone (eight TDs, 10 FGs), tenth most in the NFL.

• The Packers defense has excelled in its takeaway ability thus far, and the red zone is no different. Of the 43 red-zone possessions, the Packers defense has come away with seven takeaways, tops in the NFL. The New York Jets rank second in the NFL with six. Green Bay has four interceptions in the red zone, the league's second-highest total, and three fumble recoveries, tied for the league lead with Kansas City.

• QB Aaron Rodgers has made the most of his red-zone opportunities this season. Fourteen of his 22 TD passes have come inside the 20-yard line.

• Rodgers, who has not thrown an interception in the red zone this season, has the most red-zone TD passes without an interception by any quarterback in the league this year.

**THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

Green Bay Packers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

All-time regular season: ** 2-1-0

All-time, in Jacksonville: 2-0

Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 19, 2004, at Lambeau Field; Jaguars won, 28-25

Last meeting, regular season, in Jacksonville:Dec. 3, 2001; Packers won, 28-21

**COACHES CAPSULES

Mike McCarthy: **27-20-0, .574, (incl. 1-1 postseason); 3rd NFL season

Jack Del Rio: 50-46-0, .521, (incl. 1-2 postseason); 6th NFL season

Head to Head: Never met

vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. Jaguars; Del Rio 1-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in third year as the Packers' 14th head coach.

• Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.

• Honored as the 2007 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year and NFL Alumni Coach of the Year.

• Became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season.

• Tied franchise record for most victories by a coach in his first two seasons (21).

JACK DEL RIO…Is in sixth year as the Jaguars' second head coach.

• In 2007, guided the Jaguars to an 11-5 record and their first postseason victory since 1999. First postseason berth following '99 season came in 2004, with a 12-4 mark.

• Previously served as Carolina's defensive coordinator (2002), boosting the team's defense to second in the league after finishing 31st the previous year.

• Was linebackers coach for Baltimore for three years (1999-2001) and a staff member on Super Bowl XXXV champs.

• Had 11-year career as NFL linebacker with four teams -- New Orleans, Kansas City, Dallas and Minnesota.

THE PACKERS-JAGUARS SERIES

• The Packers have played the Jaguars three times overall, the first two times in Jacksonville (1995, 2001).

• Green Bay played the Jags' fourth franchise game, Sept. 24, 1995, a 24-14 Packers win.

• In 2001, Brett Favre's late touchdown run gave Green Bay a 28-21 win.

• In the only meeting in Green Bay (2004), the Packers lost their regular-season home finale but went on to win their last two games to qualify for the playoffs.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett was born and raised in Jacksonville, starring at Robert E. Lee High School as a first-team all-state back...Packers G Jason Spitz is also a Jacksonville native and attended The Bolles High School...Packers G Josh Sitton was born in Jacksonville...DE Aaron Kampman and Jags C Brad Meester are products of fertile Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa) High School, which was destroyed by a tornado this past offseason...Jaguars linebackers coach Mark Duffner held the same post with the Packers for three seasons (2003-05)...Green Bay offensive quality control coach Ty Knott was an offensive assistant with Jacksonville in 2002...Packers assistant offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot and Jaguars offensive line coach Andy Heck were offensive linemates with the Chicago Bears in the mid-1990s...Packers C Scott Wells and Jaguars DT John Henderson were college teammates at Tennessee...Packers S Nick Collins and Jaguars CB Rashean Mathis were teammates for one season at Bethune-Cookman, as were Packers CB Tramon Williams and Jaguars K Josh Scobee at Louisiana Tech...Packers RB DeShawn Wynn and Jaguars S Reggie Nelson and DEs Derrick Harvey and Jeremy Mincey all played on Florida's 2006 national championship team together...Jaguars CB Kennard Cox was recently signed from the Packers' practice squad.

INDIVIDUALLY VS. JAGUARS

In the 2004 meeting, WR Donald Driver had four catches for 74 yards, including a 32-yard TD.

LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON

• Dec. 19, 2004, at Lambeau Field; Jaguars won, 28-25.

• Playing in sub-zero wind chills, the Jaguars got 165 rushing yards on 22 carries from Fred Taylor, including a 37-yard TD run early in the second half that put Jacksonville ahead to stay, 21-17.

• An Antonio Chatman TD and 2-point conversion by Donald Driver pulled the Packers within three points with 1:08 left, but the Jaguars recovered the ensuing onside kick.

• Javon Walker had 11 catches for 152 yards for the Packers, but the most notable play in the passing game came when Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius leveled Robert Ferguson with a clothesline hit that sent Ferguson to the hospital in the fourth quarter.

• The Packers turned the ball over four times, all inside the Jaguars' 23-yard line.

LAST MEETING, IN JACKSONVILLE

• Dec. 3, 2001, at ALLTEL Stadium; Packers won, 28-21.

• Trailing 21-7 late in the third quarter, the Packers rallied as Brett Favre threw a 43-yard TD pass to Bill Schroeder, a 1-yard score to Bubba Franks, and then ran in the game-winner from 6 yards out with 1:30 left on the clock.

• Both Schroeder (six catches, 106 yards) and Antonio Freeman (3-104) surpassed 100 yards receiving for Green Bay.

• The comeback marked the first time in 15 years the Packers overcame a deficit of at least 13 points to win on the road.