GREEN BAY HOSTS SEATTLE IN FAMILIAR PLAYOFF MATCHUP
-Playoff football returns to Green Bay as the Packers host the Seahawks Saturday at Lambeau Field in the Divisional round.
-Green Bay matched a club record with 13 regular-season wins, a feat also accomplished in 1962, '96 and '97. It played for the NFL championship each of those previous times.
-Winners of the NFC?North, the Packers collected their 18th division title in club history. The team makes its 24th postseason appearance in club history, this year as the NFC's No. 2 seed. It marks the first time since 1997 the Packers have earned a first-round bye.
-Today marks the 267th consecutive sellout at Lambeau Field (253 regular season, 14 playoffs), the league's longest-tenured stadium.
-Familiar faces return to the sidelines at Lambeau Field as Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck lead the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks into Green Bay. Holmgren coached in Green Bay for seven seasons (1992-98), while Hasselbeck was a sixth-round draft pick by the Packers in 1998 who spent his first three seasons in Green Bay. Head Coach Mike McCarthy served as his position coach with the Packers in 1999.
-The Packers' last playoff win came against the Seahawks at Lambeau Field in the 2003 Wild Card round. Al Harris' 52-yard interception return for a touchdown in overtime remains the only NFL postseason game ended by a sudden-death defensive score.
-Including the '03 Wild Card game, the Packers have played the Seahawks five times since Holmgren left Green Bay for Seattle. Holmgren is 2-3 against his former club, including a 1-3 record at Lambeau Field.
-A dominant Week 17 performance highlights a club entering the playoffs on a roll. Green Bay has won 17 of its last 20 games and has not lost back-to-back games in over one year. Its last losing streak came in Weeks 12-13 (Nov. 27 - Dec. 3) in 2006.
THE PACKERS IN THE PLAYOFFS
-Green Bay made the postseason for the 11th time in 15 seasons
-Its 24-14 (.632) W-L record in the playoffs is the second-best winning percentage in National Football League history.
-Also second-best in NFL postseason history is the Packers' 14-2 (.875) record at home. Only the New England Patriots (9-1, .900) own a better home record (min. 10 games). The Packers are 12-2 in postseason games played at Lambeau Field and 2-0 in postseason games in Milwaukee.
-In the Divisional round, Green Bay is 3-5 all-time. However, they are 2-0 in the Divisional round coming off a first-round bye (1996 and '97). The two wins also mark the only Divisional round games the Packers have hosted at Lambeau Field.
-In NFL history, teams coming off a first-round bye are 83-29 (.741) in the Divisional round. NFC teams are 45-11 (.804).
-This season, the Packers were 3-1 against playoff teams, including 2-1 vs. Divisional round participants.
-McCarthy makes his debut as a head coach in the postseason. He has coached in eight playoff games previously as an NFL assistant.
-Brett Favre will start his 21st playoff game Saturday, his 274th consecutive start overall. He owns an 11-9 (.550) career W-L record in the postseason and has thrown a TD pass in an NFL-record 16 consecutive playoff games.
WEARING THE STRIPES
Today's officiating crew includes referee Mike Carey (94), umpire Dan Ferrell (64), head linesman Kent Payne (79), line judge Mark Perlman (9), field judge Buddy Horton (82), side judge Tom Fincken (47) and back judge Bill Schmitz (122). Alternates include Gary Slaughter (30) and Larry Rose (128).
THE PACKERS-SEAHAWKS SERIES
-Saturday marks the second time that the teams will meet at Lambeau Field during the postseason, including a 2003 Wild Card meeting.
-The two clubs have met just 12 times, including the regular season and playoffs, since Seattle entered the National Football League in 1976.
-Other than the fact that they simply haven't played very often, which has changed with Seattle's shift to the NFC in 2002, most differences stop there. Much of Seattle's front office, their coaching staff and even their starting quarterback inaugurated their NFL careers or built their reputations with a stop at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.
-The movement west, beginning with Mike Holmgren in 1999, has reversed itself in some respects, as Packers GM Ted Thompson and personnel men John Dorsey and John Schneider have returned to Green Bay after stops in Seattle.
-Green Bay owns a 4-1 advantage in the five games in the series played at Lambeau Field. Seattle's only win at the NFL's longest-tenured stadium came in 1999, Holmgren's first year coaching in?Seattle.
GAME ACTIVITIES
Green Bay native Sam Brooker will sing the National Anthem...Two Navy F-18s will perform the fly-by... The University of Wisconsin-Madison Marching Band will perform at halftime and at the conclusion of the game.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY
GREEN BAY PACKERS
-Saturday marks the 39th postseason game in franchise history and the 15th game in postseason history at venerable Lambeau Field.
-Aim to win third Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field (2-0).
-With a win Saturday, the Packers would advance to their 14th NFC Championship Game in team history (includes NFL Championship Game, 1933-69). Green Bay is 10-3 all-time in that game.
4 BRETT FAVRE
-Will make his 274th consecutive start (including playoffs) at quarterback. His 253 consecutive regular-season starts is the second-longest recorded streak in NFL history. Only Minnesota's Jim Marshall (270, 1961-79) has been documented to have started more games in consecutive fashion.
-Has thrown a touchdown pass in 16 consecutive playoffs games, an NFL record. His last postseason game without a TD pass was the 1994 Divisional Playoffs, a 35-9 loss at Dallas (Jan. 8, 1995).
-Needs 63 passing yards to surpass No. 2 John Elway (4,964) on the league's career postseason passing yardage list. Favre enters play Saturday with 4,902 postseason passing yards.
-Needs 98 passing yards to become the second QB to throw for 5,000 career postseason yards (No. 1, Joe Montana, 5,772 yards).
-Has 40 career game-winning comebacks (fourth quarter deficit or tie), including three in the postseason.
74 AARON KAMPMAN
-With a sack Saturday, will move into a tie with No. 2 Sean Jones and Keith McKenzie with four career postseason sacks. Reggie White is the franchise's all-time leader with eight postseason sacks.
