TODAY: For the third straight season, and the fourth time in the past seven years, the Lions make a December visit to Lambeau Field...The Packers bid for their 16th consecutive home win over Detroit, including the 1994 playoffs. Green Bay has not lost to the Lions in Wisconsin since Dec. 15, 1991...Winners of four road games (4-3), the Packers attempt to corral an elusive win at home, where they're 1-5. Only two NFC teams - Chicago (6-1) and New Orleans (5-2) own better road records.
OLDEST RUSHING RECORDS: Ahman Green, who up to this point has averaged 78.8 yards per game, needs to average 79.0 over the final three contests to erase Pro Football?Hall of Famer Jim Taylor from the Packers' record book. Taylor (8,207) played his final Packers game in 1966, making his record 43 years old. Green (7,970) needs 238 yards to break Taylor's mark. The NFL's oldest franchise rushing marks:
Joe Perry - San Francisco 49ers - 7,344 - 1950-60, 63
Jim Brown - Cleveland Browns - 12,312 - 1957-65
Jim Taylor - Green Bay Packers - 8,207 - 1958-66
Larry Csonka - Miami Dolphins - 6,737 - 1968-74, 79
Sam Cunningham - New England Patriots - 5,453 - 1973-82
Franco Harris - Pittsburgh Steelers - 11,950 - 1972-83
Wilbert Montgomery - Philadelphia Eagles - 6,538 - 1977-84
John Riggins - Washington Redskins - 7,472 - 1976-85
Ottis Anderson - Arizona Cardinals - 7,999 - 1979-86
Walter Payton - Chicago Bears - 16,726 - 1975-87
Eric Dickerson - St. Louis Rams - 7,245 - 1983-87
TAKEAWAY MARGIN: The Packers at home this season own a minus-three turnover margin. At Lambeau Field, they are 0-4 when losing or tying the turnover battle and 1-1 when winning it. On the road, the team owns a plus-one turnover margin and is 1-3 when losing or tying the turnover battle and 3-0 when winning it.
ROSTER MOVE: The Packers on Saturday placed DE Michael Montgomery (No. 96) on injured reserve (knee) and re-signed WR Chris Francies (No. 83, 6-1, 193, rookie, UTEP) from their practice squad.
HONORARY CAPTAIN: Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler, a member of the Super Bowl XXXI championship team, will serve as honorary captain for today's game. As part of the organization's season-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Super Bowl win, GM Ted Thompson has invited members of the 1996 team to serve as honorary captains for each of the Packers' remaining home games.
PREGAME INFORMATION: Universal South recording artist Katrina Elam returns to Lambeau Field to perform our national anthem.
POOL REPORTERS: As appointed by the Professional Football Writers of America, Cliff Christl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Mike Vandermause (alternate) of the Green Bay Press-Gazette are the Lambeau Field pool reporters.
NEXT WEEK: The Packers play their second home game in five days, a Thursday night rematch with the Vikings in each club's debut on the NFL Network (7 p.m. kickoff)...Credential applications for the Vikings game are due by 5 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 18); applications for the Chicago regular-season finale are due by halftime of the Vikings game, Thursday, at approximately 9 p.m....The Lions return home to face Chicago (Sunday, 1 p.m. EST).
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY & IN COMING WEEKS -
80 DONALD DRIVER:
-Needs two touchdowns to match his single-season career high, nine (2002, 2004). Driver enters with seven.
-Has 33 career TD receptions from Brett Favre. The duo needs one to break a tie on the franchise's all-time list with No. 4 Cecil Isbell-Don Hutson (33) and two to match No. 3 Lynn Dickey-Paul Coffman (35).
-With seven more catches, would reach 80 and join Sterling Sharpe (4) as one of two Packers ever with as many as three 80-catch seasons.
-Needs one 100-yard game to match No. 6 Billy Howton and Max McGee (17). Driver enters with 16 career 100-yard receiving games.
-Needs 23 receptions at Lambeau Field to surpass the stadium's all-time leader, Antonio Freeman (213). Driver enters with 191 career catches at Lambeau, having already surpassed No. 2 James Lofton (178) and No. 3 Sterling Sharpe (174) this season.
-Has a reception in 77 consecutive games, the franchise's second-longest streak behind Sharpe's 103 (1988-94).
4 BRETT FAVRE: On the NFL's all-time passing list...
-Is expected to play in his 237th straight game (257 including playoffs). He should start his 235th consecutive game (255 including playoffs), extending the NFL's record among quarterbacks.
-Needs 14 completions to surpass No. 1 Dan Marino (4,967). Favre enters with 4,954.
-Needs seven TD passes to match Dan Marino's NFL record, 420. Favre enters with 413.
-Needs five touchdown passes at Lambeau Field for 200. Favre (195) already holds the single-stadium NFL record, having surpassed John Elway's Mile High Stadium mark (180) in 2005.
{sportsad300}88 BUBBA FRANKS:
-Needs two TD receptions at Lambeau Field to tie No. 3 Robert Brooks (17) and five to tie No. 2 Sterling Sharpe (20) on the stadium's all-time list. Franks enters with 15 Lambeau Field TD receptions. Donald Driver has 12.
-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:
-Is exepcted to play in his 100th NFL game.
-On Green Bay's all-time sacks list, needs five to match Reggie White's career record, 68 1/2. Gbaja-Biamila enters with 63 1/2.
30 AHMAN GREEN: On Green Bay's all-time rushing list...
-Needs 30 yards rushing to become only the second player to reach 8,000, joining Hall of Famer Jim Taylor (8,207). Green enters with 7,970.
-Needs 238 rushing yards to surpass No. 1 Jim Taylor (8,207). Green enters with 7,970.
-Needs 133 rushing yards to reach 1,000 and surpass Jim Taylor's record of five overall 1,000-yard seasons. Green also has five.
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 four was James Lofton, who had six in 1978.
-With 43 catches, already has the most by a Packers rookie since Sharpe had 55, the team's rookie record, in 1988. Jennings needs four receptions to top No. 4 James Lofton (46 in 1978), six to surpass No. 3 Gerry Ellis (48 in 1980), 11 to top No. 2 Billy Howton (53 in 1952) and 13 to surpass Sharpe on the team's all-time rookie receiving list.
-With 625 receiving yards, already has the most by a Packers rookie since Sharpe had 791 in 1988. Jennings needs 167 to surpass No. 3 Sharpe, and 194 to surpass No. 2 Lofton (818 in 1978).
21 CHARLES WOODSON:
-With five INTs, needs one more to establish a single-season career high; he also had five as a rookie in 1998 with Oakland.
-With 20 passes defensed already this season, needs just two more to eclipse his career best, 21 during his 1998 rookie campaign.
