The Green Bay Packers host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.
- It is only the second time the Cardinals have played at Lambeau Field in December (Dec. 21, 1969).
- The Packers are 28-9 all-time at home against the Cardinals during the regular and postseason, including wins in each of the last nine.
- Green Bay is 44-23-4 against Arizona during the regular season.
- The Packers have scored 24-plus points in seven of the last eight home games against the Cardinals, including eclipsing 30 points five times.
- Arizona last played at Green Bay during the regular season in 2012, a 31-17 Packers victory.
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here:
DECEMBER DOMINANCE
- Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers are 35-16 in the month of December (since 2006), a .686 winning percentage that ranks No. 3 in the NFL over that span.
- Dating back to 2006, Green Bay is 22-4 at home in the month of December, ranking No. 2 in the NFL with a winning percentage of .846, according to pro-football-reference.com.
- With QB Aaron Rodgers as the starter, the Packers are 24-10 in the month of December, including 16-1 at home, with the only loss coming in 2008 (according to Sportradar).
AGAINST THE NFC WEST
- The Packers have played three games against NFC West opponents this season, with all three games being decided by three points or less.
- Under McCarthy, Green Bay is 18-9 versus NFC West teams during the regular season. The Packers' .667 winning percentage is tied for No. 5 in the NFL against the NFC West, and Green Bay's 18 wins are tied for No. 1 (Minnesota) among teams outside the NFC West (pro-footballreference.com).
- Dating back to 2002, the Packers are 23-11 against the NFC West in the regular season. Green Bay's .676 winning percentage against the NFC West is No. 1 in the NFC and No. 4 in the NFL.
- The Packers' 23 wins against the NFC West since 2002 are the most in the NFL for a team outside the division.
- Green Bay has a plus-257 point differential against the NFC West since 2002, No. 2 in the NFL behind the Seattle Seahawks (plus-614).
- Rodgers has started 22 regular-season games against teams from the NFC West, with the Packers winning 15 of those. Rodgers has thrown 42 touchdowns and nine interceptions in the 22 games, and his 105.7 passer rating ranks No. 1 in the NFL among active players against the NFC West since 2008 (min. 150 pass att.).
- Rodgers has recorded a passer rating of 100-plus in 14 regular-season games against the NFC West, including four of the past five.
- In three games against NFC West opponents this season, Rodgers has completed 60.4 percent of his passes, averaged 347.7 passing yards per game, thrown five TDs compared to zero INTs and recorded an overall passer rating of 109.1, No. 4 in the NFL (min. 50 pass attempts) according to Sportradar (Patrick Mahomes, 120.4 / Russell Wilson, 116.6 / Philip Rivers, 114.4).
- TE Jimmy Graham has played against NFC West teams 32 times (including postseason) and has registered 14 TD receptions. According to Sportradar, he ranks No. 2 in receiving TDs against NFC West teams since 2010, trailing only Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, who has 19 receiving TDs in 51 games.
WITH THE CALL
FOX Sports, now in its 25th season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game.
- Play-by-play man Chris Myers joins analyst Daryl Johnston and sideline reporter Laura Okmin.
- Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in four states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 24th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 20th season of broadcasts together. In Week 1, they surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers.
- The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed).
- DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game on Channel 711.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
Packers vs. Cardinals:
- Regular season, all-time: 44-23-4
- All-time, Postseason: 1-2
- All-time, at Lambeau Field: 7-0
- Streaks: The Packers have won seven of the last nine regular-season meetings.
- Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 27, 2015, University of Phoenix Stadium, Cardinals won, 38-8
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 135-84-2, .615 (incl. 10-8 postseason); 13th NFL season
Steve Wilks: 2-9, .182; 1st NFL season
Head to Head: 0-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 3-3 vs. Cardinals; Wilks 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 13th year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
- Led Green Bay to its eighth consecutive playoff appearance in 2016, tied for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. Has led the team to nine playoff appearances in the last 11 years (2007, 2009-16).
- Ranks second in franchise history in total victories, trailing only Curly Lambeau.
- Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that span; Packers led the league in scoring in 2014.
- Reached the 100-win plateau faster than any active NFL head coach, needing just 155 games.
- Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
STEVE WILKS…Is in his first year as the Cardinals' 36th head coach.
- Came to Arizona after spending the previous six seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2012-17), including serving as the defensive coordinator in 2017.
- The Panthers finished in the top 10 in total defense in five of Wilks' six seasons with the team.
- Led the Carolina defense in 2017 to finish seventh in the NFL in total defense (317.1 ypg), third in sacks (50) and third in run defense (88.1 ypg).
- Worked as an assistant for the Chicago Bears (2006-08) and San Diego Chargers (2009-11) prior to joining the Panthers.
- Also coached for 11 years (1995-2005) at the collegiate level, including one season (1999) as the head coach at Savannah State.
THE PACKERS-CARDINALS SERIES
- One of the oldest rivalries in sports, the series launched on Nov. 20, 1921, when the Packers and Cardinals tied, 3-3.
- The series has been noted for its streaks, with the Packers winning 15 straight between 1937-46, followed by the Cardinals winning seven straight through 1949. Green Bay has won 15 of the last 20 regular-season games (with one tie) since.
- With the Cardinals franchise located in Chicago prior to 1960, the teams played two or more times in a season 20 different years between 1926-49.
- The Cardinals have not won in Green Bay since defeating the Packers, 14-10, at City Stadium on Oct. 12, 1947.
- The postseason meeting following the 1982 season marked the Packers' first trip to the playoffs in 10 years and first playoff victory since winning Super Bowl II.
- The Cardinals have won the past two postseason matchups, the 2009 NFC Wild Card and the 2015 NFC Divisional Playoff, prevailing in OT in both contests.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Cardinals OL Jeremy Vujnovich spent two seasons (2014-15) on the Packers' practice squad...Green Bay LB Reggie Gilbert is from Laveen, Ariz., and played collegiately at the University of Arizona...Packers LBs Kyler Fackrell (Mesa) and Blake Martinez (Oro Valley) also hail from Arizona...Green Bay secondary coach Jason Simmons played at Arizona State from 1994-97... Packers strength and conditioning assistant Grant Thorne is from Tucson, Ariz. ...Arizona assistant special teams coach Randall McCray was an assistant in various roles at the University of Wisconsin from 2006-09...Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy (2005), offense – pass game coordinator Jim Hostler (2005-07) and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti Jr. (2007) coached in San Francisco with Cardinals special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers while P Andy Lee played for the 49ers...Lee also teamed with Packers CB Tramon Williams in Cleveland in 2015 while Green Bay defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was the Browns' head coach...Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was Vujnovich's position coach in Indianapolis from 2016-17...Vujnovich and Arizona TE Darrell Daniels also played with Packers LB Antonio Morrison in Indianapolis...Packers TE Jimmy Graham played with Cardinals FB Derrick Coleman (2015) and OL Oday Aboushi (2017) in Seattle...Green Bay T/G Byron Bell played in Carolina while Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator Al Holcomb and offensive line coach Ray Brown coached for the Panthers. Bell also teamed with Arizona S Tre Boston in Carolina in 2014...Bell and Cardinals DE Benson Mayowa were teammates in Dallas in 2017...Packers TE Marcedes Lewis played with Arizona offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich in Jacksonville for one season (2006)...Leftwich played in Atlanta in 2007 while Packers defense – pass game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. coached for the Falcons...McCarthy and Cignetti coached together in New Orleans in 2000 while Cardinals running backs coach Terry Allen played for the Saints...McCarthy and Cignetti also coached at the University of Pittsburgh alongside Arizona strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris in 1989. Morris and Cignetti worked together again at Pittsburgh from 2009-10. Green Bay tight ends coach Brian Angelichio also coached for the Panthers with Morris from 2007-10...Angelichio coached in Tampa Bay from 2012-13 while Arizona QB Mike Glennon and CB Leonard Johnson played for the Buccaneers...Johnson (2015), Cardinals DE Chandler Jones (2012-15) and DE Zach Moore played in New England while Packers defense – run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham coached for the Patriots...Green Bay K Mason Crosby played at the University of Colorado (2003-06) while Cardinals assistant strength and conditioning coach Vernon Stephens worked in the same role for the Buffaloes...Packers defensive assistant Scott McCurley played with Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and Lee at the University of Pittsburgh...Arizona defensive line coach Don Johnson coached at UCLA (2002-04) while Lewis played for the Bruins...Former college teammates include: Morrison and Cardinals OL D.J. Humphries (Florida), Packers LB Korey Toomer and Mayowa (Idaho), Packers WR Randall Cobb and Cardinals DT Corey Peters (Kentucky), Packers DL Kenny Clark and Cardinals QB Josh Rosen (UCLA) and Packers CB Kevin King, Cardinals S Budda Baker and LB Zeke Turner (Washington).
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here:
