TODAY: The Packers, who've lost four straight, hope to turn around their season against a Lions club who's 3-1...For the first time in four seasons, the Packers play a contest at Detroit that's not on national television. This game was on Thanksgiving in 2001 and 2003, and served as Ford Field's inaugural in 2002, when FOX aired it to a national audience...Green Bay hasn't lost consecutive games in Detroit since 1999-2000...Since 1997, including playoffs, the Packers are 26-9 (.743) against former Green Bay coaches (Tom Coughlin, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, Dick Jauron, Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid)...The Packers have not allowed a sack over their last 136 passing plays, since a first-half sack at Indianapolis, Sept. 26; over a longer stretch, Green Bay has given up just one sack over its last 183 passing plays, a stretch that began on kickoff weekend, Sept. 13 at Carolina.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY -
BRETT FAVRE:
-Will surpass Bart Starr for No. 1 on the Packers' all-time list with 197 games played.
-Can extend his streak of games with a touchdown pass to 31, surpassing Dan Marino's 1985-87 stretch for the second-longest in NFL history.
47, Johnny Unitas, BalC, 1956-60
30, Dan Marino, Mia, 1985-87
** Brett Favre, GB, 2002-04
28, Dave Krieg, Sea, 1983-85
27, Chris Chandler, Atl, 1997-99
** Peyton Manning, Ind, 1998-99
-Needs 155 passing yards to surpass No. 4 Fran Tarkenton (47,003) on the all-time list, trailing only Dan Marino (61,361), John Elway (51,475) and Warren Moon (49,325). Favre enters today with 46,849.
-Needs one TD pass to total the fifth-most TD passes against one opponent in NFL history. The list:
TD, Quarterback, Opp, Years
72, Dan Marino (Mia), NYJ, 1983-99
54, Dan Marino (Mia), Ind/BalC, 1983-99
50, Dan Marino (Mia), Buf, 1983-99
49, Brett Favre (GB), ChiB, 1992-2004
43, John Hadl (SD-LARm-GB-HouO), Den 1962-77
** Brett Favre (GB), Det, 1992-2003
42, Dan Marino (Mia), NE, 1983-99
38, Joe Montana (SF-KC), Atl, 1979-94
BUBBA FRANKS:
-Needs five receptions to surpass No. 5 Ron Kramer (170) and 10 to surpass No. 4 Rich McGeorge (175) on the team's all-time tight ends list. Franks enters today with 166.
-Needs two touchdown receptions to tie No. 2 Ed West (25) on the team's all-time tight ends list. Franks enters 2004 with 23.
KABEER GBAJA-BIAMILA:
-Needs 3.5 sacks to surpass Ezra Johnson (41.5, 1982-87) for third all-time in Green Bay history. He enters today with 37.5.
AHMAN GREEN:
-Needs 100 yards rushing to break Hall of Famer Jim Taylor's franchise record 26 career 100-yard games. Green enters the week with 26.
-Needs 76 receiving yards to surpass No. 2 Dorsey Levens (2,079) on the all-time list among backs.
-Needs 113 yards of total offense to surpass No. 4 Sterling Sharpe (8,206) and 182 to surpass No. 3 Don Hutson (8,275). Green enters today with 8,094.
-Needs 137 all-purpose yards for 10,000 career. Green, who had 1,438 kickoff return yards with Seattle from 1998-99, enters today with 9,863 career all-purpose yards.
-Needs two overall TDs to surpass No. 5 Antonio Freeman (57) on the all-time Green Bay list. Green enters today with 56.
TORRANCE MARSHALL:
-Needs two special-teams tackles for 50 career.
DARREN SHARPER:
-Needs one touchdown to tie both Bobby Dillon and Doug Hart (four) for second on the team's defensive TD list. Herb Adderley leads with seven defensive TD. Sharper enters today with three.
JAVON WALKER:
-Needs five receptions for 100 career. He enters today leading the NFL with 535 receiving yards. For his career, he's averaging 16.5 yards on 95 catches, with 15 touchdowns.
TURNOVER TALK: Beginning with their Thanksgiving loss here last season, over their last 12 games, including playoffs, the Packers are 6-0 when finishing ahead in turnover margin, and 0-6 when tied or behind in turnover margin.
RANKED SECOND IN HIS CLASS: Tight end Bubba Franks, the Packers' first-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft has 23 career TD receptions, more than all but one of the players drafted that spring. Four of Franks' scores have come against Detroit, more than any opponent. The list:
Player, TD
Darrell Jackson, 28
Bubba Franks, 23
Laveranues Coles, 19
Plaxico Burress, 18
Peter Warrick, 18
DON'T READ TOO MUCH INTO THE DOME THING: Brett Favre, who plays in his 100th career NFL road game, has been strong over his last four starts in domes:
Date, Opp, (Result), Att-Cmp, Pct, Yds, TD, Int, Rtng
Oct. 19, 2003, at StL, (L, 24-34), 32, 23, 71.9, 268, 2, 1, 104.7
Nov. 2, 2003, at Min., (W, 30-27), 28, 18, 64.3, 194, 3, 1, 105.4
Nov. 27, 2003, at Det., (L, 14-22), 37, 23, 62.2, 296, 2, 3, 71.5
Sept. 26, 2004, at Ind., (L, 31-45), 44, 30, 68.2, 360, 4, 0, 123.3
Totals, (1-3), 141, 94, 66.7, 1118, 11, 5, 101.9
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: While stung from their most disappointing start in 13 years, no one in the Packers organization has given up on the season. There aren't many positives from the first five weeks, but there might be a lot over the balance of the year. Odds are stacked high (only eight teams have made the playoffs after starting 1-4), but there is an opportunity to make up ground. Including today, Green Bay's remaining 11 games look like this:
-Five of their six head-to-head contests against division foes, including two against the 3-1 Vikings, remain in front of the Packers.
-Ten of the 12 games within the conference remain, excluding the team's lone win, at defending NFC champion Carolina Sept. 13.
-Two of their four AFC contests were played in the first five weeks.
-Green Bay is 17-2 in regular-season games Dec. 1 or later since 2000.
POOL REPORTERS: Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News, is the home pool reporter. Curt Sylvester of the Detroit Free Press is the alternate.
NEXT WEEK: Green Bay rekindles one of the league's most prominent rivalries of the 1990s, hosting Dallas at Lambeau Field. Detroit travels to New York to face the Giants.
