TODAY: Brett Favre makes consecutive start No. 250, including 20 playoff contests...In the posterchild series for NFL parity, these teams have split 89 regular-season meetings (44-44-1), with the Vikings taking the lone playoff, in 2004. The Packers will attempt to tilt the balance beam back in their favor and keep Minnesota from a fourth straight series win, something neither team has accomplished since Minnesota took four in a row from 1992-93...Three points has decided each of these teams' last five meetings.
WALK-OFF FIELD GOALS: The Packers and Vikings have decided their last four regular-season games with a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. According to Elias Sports Bureau, since 1990, only these three series have experienced such late-game dramatics as often (game-ending field goal in either overtime or with no time left in regulation):
4 - SD vs. Sea - Nov. 5, 2000-Dec. 29, 2002 (current streak)
GB vs. Min - Nov. 14, 2004-Nov. 21, 2005 (current streak)
3 - Buf vs. NE - Dec. 26, 1999-Dec. 17, 2000
LIMITING TURNOVERS: The Packers in their three wins have a cumulative plus-two turnover ratio. In their five losses, the margin is minus-eight.
-No other NFL club has a better winning percentage since 2000 when committing one turnover or less:
(Pct) Club W-L-T
(.911) Green Bay 41-4-0
(.879) Indianapolis 51-7-0
(.821) Pittsburgh 46-1-0
(.818) St. Louis 27-6-0
(.814) Miami 35-8-0
-Only two other NFL teams have a better record since the 2000 season when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent:
(Pct) Club W-L-T
(.958) Baltimore 46-2-0
(.935) St. Louis 29-2-0
(.929) Green Bay 39-3-0
(.917) Pittsburgh 44-4-0
(.889) Indianapolis 40-5-0
TWO FOR 200: Cleveland starter Charlie Frye has a thumb injury and entered the weekend questionable. If he can't go, Derek Anderson could get his first NFL start. Since Brett Favre's starting streak began, Sept. 27, 1992, 198 other quarterbacks have started an NFL?game.
GREEN GIANTS: Last week at Buffalo, Ahman Green had 122 rushing yards, his most since he had 145 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 14, 2004. Green today plays his first game at the Metrodome since a ruptured quadriceps ended his season on the Packers' last trip across the border, Oct. 23, 2005. Green has 1,173 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs in 10 career games vs. the Vikings...WR Donald Driver has scored a TD in three straight games vs. Minnesota. In those meetings, Driver has 24 catches for 360 yards (120.0 per game) and four TDs...DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has 61/2 sacks in his past eight games vs. Minnesota...DE Aaron Kampman, who leads the NFL with 91/2 sacks, had three in the teams' last meeting, Nov. 21, 2005.
MULTIPLE HAT TRICKS: Corey Williams last week at Buffalo became the first defensive tackle in team history with three sacks. Coupled with Kampman's three-sack effort vs. New Orleans (Sept. 17), only four times in team annals have more than one player pulled off the sack hat trick (also Reggie White and Bryce Paup in 1993, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Vonnie Holliday in 2002 and Gbaja-Biamila and Kampman in 2005).
POOL REPORTERS: As appointed by the Professional Football Writers of America, Sean Jensen of the Pioneer Press is the Metrodome pool reporter.
{sportsad300}NEXT WEEK: Green Bay returns home to face the Patriots Sunday (noon, CBS), New England's first regular-season trip to Lambeau since Oct. 1, 1979, when 38 players on the Packers' current roster were not yet born, and 11 more had yet to start kindergarten...At the same time Sunday, the Vikings will be in Miami to play Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper and the Dolphins.
60 ROB DAVIS:
-Will play in his 144th consecutive game and tie No. 6 Ryan Longwell (1997-2005) on the team's list of longest games-played streaks.
80 DONALD DRIVER:
-Has 29 career TD receptions from Brett Favre, tied on the team's all-time combination list with No. 7 Arnie Herber-Don Hutson (29). The duo needs three to reach No. 5 Lynn Dickey-James Lofton and Favre-Robert Brooks?(both 32).
-Has a reception in 72 consecutive games, the franchise's second-longest streak behind Sharpe's 103 (1988-94).
4 BRETT FAVRE:
-In games at the Metrodome Nov. 1 and later, has defeated the Vikings in three of his last four trips. He won Dec. 17, 2000 (33-28), Nov. 2, 2003 (30-27) and Dec. 24, 2004 (34-31). His only loss during the stretch, Nov. 1 and later, was Nov. 17, 2002 (31-21).
-Is expected to play in his 232nd straight game (252 including playoffs). He should start his 230th consecutive contest (250 including playoffs), extending the NFL's record among quarterbacks.
-Counting all recorded consecutive-starts streaks in NFL history, will surpass No. 3 Bruce Matthews (229, 1987-2001).
88 BUBBA FRANKS:
-Needs one TD reception to reach 30 career. In team history, only 11 previous players have reached the milestone, including Donald Driver this season.
30 AHMAN GREEN:
-Will try to rush for 100 yards in a fourth consecutive game for the first time since he had a four-game streak, Dec. 22, 2003 - Sept. 19, 2004. His current three-game streak is his longest since that 2003-04 stretch.
On Green Bay's all-time rushing list...
-Needs 7 receiving yards to surpass No. 1 Gerry Ellis (2,514) on the team's all-time offensive backs list. Green enters with 2,508.
-Needs two overall touchdowns to surpass No. 3 Sterling Sharpe (66). Green enters with 65 in a Packers uniform (51 rushing, 14 receiving), having already surpassed No. 4 Paul Hornung (62) this season.
-Needs seven points to surpass No. 8 Sterling Sharpe (396). Green enters with 390, having already surpassed No. 10 Clarke Hinkle (379) and No. 9 Ted Fritsch (380) this season.
-Needs 20 combined attempts to surpass No. 1 Jim Taylor (2,012). Green enters with 1,993 (1,664 carries, 321 receptions, eight fumble recoveries). The category is the sum of rushing attempts, receptions and all returns.
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. Harris enters with two.
33 WILLIAM HENDERSON:
-Will tie No. 5 LeRoy Butler (181) on the team's all-time list of career games played. Henderson enters with 180 in 12 seasons.
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.
74 AARON KAMPMAN:
-With at least 1/2 sack, would extend his sacks streak to six games, longest by a Packers player since Tony Bennett established the franchise record, seven, from Oct. 25-Dec. 6, 1992. Kampman's current streak is the team's longest since Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila had a five-game stretch, Dec. 24, 2000 - Oct. 7, 2001. Kampman has at least 1/2 sack in seven of eight contests this season.
87 DAVID MARTIN:
-Needs eight catches, 38 yards and one touchdown reception to match his respective 2005 career bests.
16 DAVE RAYNER:
-Enters having converted all seven of his NFL?field-goal attempts under 40 yards, and 11 of his 12 from under 50 yards. From 50-plus, he's 1-for-4.
21 CHARLES WOODSON:
-Needs four passes defensed for 100 career.
