PACKERS VISIT CAROLINA FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2005
- Green Bay makes its first road trip of the 2011 season when it visits the Carolina Panthers today, the team's first game in Carolina since 2005.
- Even though it is the first matchup between the teams since a 2008 contest at Lambeau Field, this will be the 11th time in the past 15 seasons that they have met in the regular season.
- This will be the second time that the Packers' first road contest of the season has come in Carolina. Green Bay traveled here for the '04 season opener, a Monday Night Football contest that the Packers won, 24-14.
- The Packers have a 6-4 edge in the all-time regular-season series, including a 4-2 mark in Carolina. Green Bay also topped Carolina in the 1996 NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field.
- Including the postseason, the Packers have won five of their last eight games on the road entering today's contest.
- The Packers will be looking to get off to a 2-0 start for the fourth time in six seasons under Head Coach Mike McCarthy. The last Green Bay coach to post four 2-0 starts during his Packers tenure was Vince Lombardi (1959, 62, 65-66).
- Today's contest will be the first of back-to-back road games for the Packers, who visit the division-rival Chicago Bears next Sunday for a 3:15 p.m. contest at Soldier Field. Green Bay will also have back-to-back road games in Weeks 12-13 (at Detroit, at N.Y. Giants).
- Green Bay topped the New Orleans Saints, 42-34, in the season opener last Thursday night in a matchup of the last two Super Bowl winners. The 42 points were the second most in franchise history in a season opener, trailing only the 53 posted on Sept. 14, 1919, and the most by the Packers since they entered the NFL in 1921.
- It was also the Packers' 52nd victory on Kickoff Weekend, which is tied with the Bears for the most in NFL history.
STARTING FAST AWAY FROM LAMBEAU
- With the victory over the Saints in Week 1, the Packers improved to 4-1 in season openers at home under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, but the team has also enjoyed plenty of success in the first road game under his leadership.
- The Packers are 5-0 in their first road game of the season under McCarthy, the only team in the league to have a five-game winning streak in opening road contests.
- The last NFL head coach to win five straight opening road games with the same team was Minnesota's Dennis Green from 1996-2000. The last NFL team to accomplish the feat was Indianapolis from 2005-09.
- McCarthy is one of only three head coaches in franchise history to guide the Packers to five consecutive wins in road openers. It matches the mark set by Curly Lambeau (1928-32) and trails only Vince Lombardi (1960-67).
- The Packers have won 52 road openers, the most in league history.
- With Green Bay's win over New Orleans, McCarthy became the first head coach in franchise historyto win five straight season openers.
- The Packers improved to 12-6 in the month of September under McCarthy with the victory over the Saints. That .667 winning percentage since 2006 ranks tied for fourth in the NFL.
- Green Bay is 6-2 (.750) in September road contests under McCarthy, No. 2 in the NFL over that span behind only Indianapolis (7-2, .777).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- WR Donald Driver – Needs just one receiving yard to set the career franchise record. Currently ranks tied for the No. 1 spot with WR James Lofton with 9,656 yards.
- QB Aaron Rodgers – Including the playoffs, has posted a 110-plus passer rating in nine of his last 12 starts.
- Green Bay has an 18-7 record (.720) over its past 25 regular-season-games, which is tied for No. 2 in the NFL over that span behind only New England (19-6, .760).
- Including playoffs, the Packers have won seven straight contests, the team's longest streak since an eight-game winning streak in 2006-07.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers served as the first head coach in Carolina franchise history from 1995-98, guiding the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in just his second season…Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene played in Carolina for three seasons (1996, 1998-99), twice earning Pro Bowl recognition with the Panthers…Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac coached on Carolina's staff for seven seasons (2002-08), the final six as defensive coordinator…CB Jarrett Bush entered the NFL with Carolina as a non-drafted free agent in 2006…Packers TE Ryan Taylor is a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., and played at the University of North Carolina…Packers LB D.J. Smith is a Charlotte native and played at Appalachian State…Packers DE C.J. Wilson played at East Carolina and is from Belhaven, N.C. ...Panthers LS J.J. Jansen entered the NFL with the Packers as a non-drafted free agent in 2008 and spent that season on injured reserve with Green Bay.
TODAY'S CAPTAINS
- As per team tradition, the Packers select game captains each week.
- Tonight's captains will be WR Donald Driver(offense), S Nick Collins (defense) and K Mason Crosby(special teams).
WEARING THE STRIPES
Today's officiating crew includes referee Alberto Riveron (57), umpire Scott Dawson (70), head linesman Jim Mello (48), line judge Ron Phares (10), field judge Steve Zimmer (33), side judge Jimmy DeBell (58) and back judge Greg Steed (12).
