GREEN BAY (4-3) AT N.Y. JETS (5-1)Sunday, Oct. 31 New Meadowlands Stadium Noon CDT

PACKERS HEAD EAST TO TAKE ON THE JETSGreen Bay goes on the road after back-to-back home games to visit the New York Jets in the Packers’ first-ever game at New Meadowlands Stadium, which opened this season.Sunday’s game will be Green Bay’s first trip to New York

to face the Jets since the teams squared off on Dec. 29, 2002. New York won, 42-17, in that ’02 season finale.

It will be only the fifth meeting between the teams in New York, with the Packers also traveling there in 1981, 1982 and 1991, all Jets wins.

Green Bay trails 2-8 in the all-time series. The teams last met in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s first season when the Packers hosted New York on Dec. 3, 2006. The Jets won that contest, 38-10.

The Jets are coming into Sunday’s game off of their bye, and they are tied with New England and Pittsburgh for the best record in the league at 5-1. New York enters the matchup with Green Bay on a five-game winning streak, its longest since a five-game streak in 2008.

Sunday’s matchup with New York will be Green Bay’s third game of the season against a team from the AFC East. The Packers hosted Buffalo in Week 2 and Miami in Week 6, beating the Bills, 34-7, while falling in overtime to the Dolphins, 23-20. Green Bay wraps up its AFC East slate in Week 15 at New England.

Green Bay will be playing on Halloween for just the second time since 1995, with the only other contest coming at Washington in 2004, a 28-14 Packers win.

Next Sunday, the Packers return home to host the Dallas Cowboys in a nationally televised contest at 7:20 p.m., the second straight Sunday night home contest for Green Bay. The following week the Packers will have their bye, with the Week 10 bye being the latest ever for Green Bay.

KEEPING IT CLOSEOn Sunday night, the Packers snapped a two-game losing streak with a thrilling 28-24 victory over the division-rival Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field to improve to 4-3 on the season.For Green Bay, it was yet another game that was decided in the closing

seconds, something the team has become accustomed to so far this season.

Of the Packers’ seven games this season, six have been decided by seven points or less, with the last five decided by four points or fewer.

That total of six games with a touchdown or smaller margin already matches the number of contests they were involved in with that scoring differential in 2009.

The Packers join Baltimore and Washington as the only teams in the NFL to have six games decided by seven points or less this season.

Green Bay has already been involved in two overtime contests this season, going to the extra session in back-to-back games against Washington in Week 5 and Miami in Week 6. It was the first time the Packers played consecutive overtime games since Oct. 11-18, 1987.

This weekend the Packers will be facing a Jets team that has been involved in only two games this season that were decided by seven points or less. New York’s average margin of victory in its current five-game winning streak is 11.8 points.

WITH THE CALLFOX Sports, now in its 17th season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game to a regional audience. Play-by-play man Kenny Albert and color analyst

Daryl Johnston will have the call from the broadcast booth with Tony Siragusa reporting from the side-lines.

Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 53-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 12th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 43 markets in five states.

Westwood One radio will air the game across the country. Howard David (play-by-play) and Tony Boselli (analyst) will call the action, and Scott Graham hosts pregame and halftime shows.

For out-of-town listeners, the broadcast is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on www.packers.com as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 90 WTMJ feed) as part of the network’s NFL Sunday Drive.

DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on channel 709.

VOL. XII; NO. 14 GREEN BAY, OCT. 26, 2010 WEEK 8

Packers Public Relations Lambeau Field Atrium 1265 Lombardi Avenue Green Bay, WI 54304 920/569-7500 920/569-7201 fax Jeff Blumb, Aaron Popkey, Sarah Quick, Ricky Zeller, Jonathan Butnick, Tom Fanning, Mike Spofford, Duke Bobber

PRESEASONDate Opponent Time TVSat., Aug. 14 CLEVELAND BROWNS (Gold Pkg.) . . . . L, 24-27 (68,958) (Midwest Shrine Game)Sat., Aug. 21 at Seattle Seahawks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .W, 27-24 (65,586)Thu., Aug. 26 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS . . . . . . . . . . . .W, 59-24 (68,987) (Bishop’s Charities Game)Thu., Sept. 2 at Kansas City Chiefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 13-17 (63,843)

REGULAR SEASONDate Opponent Time TV Sun., Sept. 12 at Philadelphia Eagles . . . . . . . . . . . . .W, 27-20 (69,144)Sun., Sept. 19 BUFFALO BILLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .W, 34-7 (70,741)Mon., Sept. 27 at Chicago Bears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 17-20 (62,179)Sun., Oct. 3 DETROIT LIONS (Gold Pkg.) . . . . . . . . .W, 28-26 (70,729)Sun., Oct. 10 at Washington Redskins . . . . . . . . . . L, 13-16+ (87,760) Sun., Oct. 17 MIAMI DOLPHINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 20-23+ (70,815) Sun., Oct. 24 MINNESOTA VIKINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . .W, 28-24 (71,107)Sun., Oct. 31 at New York Jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 noon FOXSun., Nov. 7 DALLAS COWBOYS (Gold Pkg.) . . . . . 7:20 p.m. NBCSun., Nov. 14 Open Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun., Nov. 21 at Minnesota Vikings . . . . . . . . . . . . . *12 noon FOXSun., Nov. 28 at Atlanta Falcons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *12 noon FOXSun., Dec. 5 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS . . . . . . . . . . *12 noon FOXSun., Dec. 12 at Detroit Lions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *12 noon FOXSun., Dec. 19 at New England Patriots . . . . . . . . . *7:20 p.m. NBCSun., Dec. 26 NEW YORK GIANTS . . . . . . . . . . . . *3:15 p.m. FOXSun., Jan. 2 CHICAGO BEARS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *12 noon FOX*—Start time and broadcast may shift due to NFL flexible scheduling + – overtime

NFL POSTSEASON DATES Jan. 8-9 ................................................ AFC and NFC Wild Card PlayoffsJan. 15-16 .............................................AFC and NFC Divisional PlayoffsJan. 23 ............................................AFC and NFC Championship GamesJan. 30 .......................... AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium, HonoluluFeb. 6 ............... Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

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TAKEAWAY POINTS KEY FOR PACKERSPoints off of turnovers have been a vital part of Green Bay’s makeup the past three seasons, and that was on display in Sunday night’s game vs. Minnesota when the Packers scored two touchdowns off of turnovers in the 28-24 win.Of the Packers’ 12 takeaways this season, eight of them have been con-

verted into touchdowns. That 66.7 TD percentage ranks No. 2 in the NFL behind only Kansas City (6-of-8, 75.0 percent), and Green Bay’s eight touchdowns off of takeaways lead the NFL.

Green Bay’s 56 points off of takeaways so far this season rank No. 2 in the league behind only Tennessee (63), and the Packers’ 10 intercep-tions rank tied for No. 4 in the NFL.

Scoring points off of turnovers has become a trend for the Packers at Lambeau Field, as they have a current streak of 14 straight games at home with points scored that were set up by a takeaway. That home streak ranks first in the NFL.

Green Bay posted 30 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries in 2009, which it turned into 141 points. The 40 takeaways led the NFL, and the 141 points scored off those 40 takeaways tied New Orleans for most in the league.

The 30 interceptions led the league and was the team’s highest single-season total since 1981, when it also had 30.

The Packers (13) are one of only five teams in the league to have 13 or more players pick off a pass since 2009.

Last season Green Bay surpassed its 2008 total of 124 points off take-aways, which led the NFL. It also eclipsed its ’08 total in interceptions (22) and fumble recoveries (six) while at the same time protecting the ball at a better clip. Green Bay’s 16 giveaways was the lowest total in the NFL in 2009.

If the Packers don’t commit a turnover, like they didn’t against Buffalo in Week 2, they’re almost guaranteed to win. They have now won 39 of 43 games playing turnover-free football, since a loss at Dallas, Nov. 18, 1996. Green Bay’s only losses in such games during that stretch came three times against Minnesota, twice in Minneapolis (2005, ’08) and once at home (2009), and in Week 15 last year at Pittsburgh.

Including playoffs, the Packers have won 42 of their last 46 games when they don’t turn the ball over. Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Green Bay is 16-3 when its turnover margin is plus-2 or better.

CLAY FINDS A WAYDespite sitting out Green Bay’s Week 6 matchup vs. Miami due to a hamstring injury, the first time he missed a game in his career, LB Clay Matthews leads the NFL with 8.5 sacks this season.With three sacks against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, Matthews became

the first Packer to post three sacks in back-to-back games since it became an official league statistic in 1982.

The performance vs. Buffalo came a week after Matthews registered a career-high three sacks in the Packers’ 27-20 season-opening victory at Philadelphia.

Matthews was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 2, the second time in his career he has earned the honor. He also won the award last year for his two-sack outing vs. Baltimore in Week 13 on Monday Night Football.

Matthews’ six sacks in the first two games of the season were the most ever by a Packer to start a year.

His 33 sack yards vs. Buffalo were the most by a Packer since DE Reggie White’s 35 on two sacks vs. Minnesota on Oct. 22, 1995. Matthews leads the league with 53.5 sack yards on the season.

His six sacks over a two-game span rank second in team history behind only Bryce Paup, who recorded 6.5 sacks in Weeks 3-4 in 1991. Paup posted 4.5 sacks vs. Tampa Bay on Sept. 15, and then followed that up with two more the next week at Miami on Sept. 22.

In just 22 career games played, Matthews has posted two or more sacks in a game five times. Those five set a franchise record for the most two-sack games over the first 18 games in a Packers uniform, breaking White’s mark of four in his first 18 games with Green Bay (1993-94).

Matthews’ 18.5 sacks since 2009 are tied for No. 2 in the NFL over that span behind only Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware (19).

Matthews’ 17 sacks in his first 20 games were the most ever by any NFL player to start a career. It topped the previous mark of 16.5 set by San Diego’s Leslie O’Neal (1986, 1988) and the N.Y. Jets’ John Abraham (2000-01).

In 2009, Matthews set a Packers rookie record with 10 sacks on his way to earning Pro Bowl honors, the first Green Bay rookie to be named to the all-star game since Hall of Fame WR James Lofton in 1978.

THE MEDICAL REPORTEvery team in the league has to deal with injuries at some point in the season, and the Packers have already had to deal with a season’s worth of significant ones in just the opening seven weeks.The Packers have lost four players who started in Week 1 for the remain-

der of the season due to injuries, two on each side of the ball. RB Ryan Grant, coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons,

sustained a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 at Philadelphia. TE Jermichael Finley, whose 301 yards receiving in the first four games was the best start ever to a season by a Green Bay tight end, was lost for the year after suffering a knee injury on the second play from scrimmage at Washington in Week 5.

Rookie S Morgan Burnett, who became only the second Packers rookie safety to start a season opener since 1988, sustained a season-ending knee injury against Detroit in Week 4. In the same game, LB Nick Barnett, the No. 2 tackler in franchise history, suffered a wrist injury that brought an end to his season.

Against Minnesota on Sunday, the Packers were without starting DE Cullen Jenkins, who injured his calf in pre-game warmups, and start-ing DE Ryan Pickett for most of the game after he re-injured an ankle that forced him to sit out the Week 6 game vs. Miami. Starting RT Mark Tauscher (shoulder) was also sidelined for the third straight game.

Green Bay did welcome the return of LB Clay Matthews on Sunday night, the NFL sack leader, after he missed the previous game vs. Miami due to a hamstring injury, as well as nickel LB Brandon Chillar, who saw limited action in the nickel package after being sidelined for the previous three games due to a shoulder injury.

For a team that has been hit hard by the injury bug, any good news is welcomed, and the Packers welcomed the return of S Atari Bigby, CB Al Harris and RB James Starks to the practice field last week. The status for all three players heading into this Sunday’s game is uncertain.

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

STAT OF THE WEEKGreen Bay’s offensive line faced one of the more formidable fronts in

the league on Sunday night in the Vikings, and it responded in a big way.

The offensive line did not allow a single sack of QB Aaron Rodgers, the third no-sack game posted by the line already this season.

The last time a Green Bay offensive line did not give up a single sack in three of the first seven games of a season was in 2006.

Minnesota’s defense has been one of the best in the league at pressur-ing opposing quarterbacks over the past four seasons, as the Vikings rank No. 6 in the league since 2007 with 137 sacks.

Over the past 54 regular-season games, the Vikings have failed to register a sack only six times. Three of those have come against Green Bay (Sunday night, Week 10 in 2007, and Week 1 in 2008).

Since Rodgers took the starting-quarterback reins in 2008, there have been nine regular-season games in which he was not sacked. The Packers are 8-1 in those contests.

The effect of that protection is felt not only in the W-L column, but also in Rodgers’ production. In those nine games that he was not sacked, Rodgers has a passer rating of 105.8, completing 196-of-274 passes (71.5 percent) for 2,198 yards and 15 TDs with five INTs.

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THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’SOPPONENT:Packers vs. New York Jets: All-time regular season: 2-8-0 All-time, in New York: 0-4-0 Streaks: The Jets have won the last three meetings. Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 3, 2006, at Lambeau

Field; Jets won, 38-10Last meeting, regular season, in New York:

Dec. 29, 2002; Jets won, 42-17

COACHES CAPSULESMike McCarthy: 43-31-0, .581, (incl. 1-2 postseason); 5th NFL seasonRex Ryan: 16-9-0, .640 (incl. 2-1 postseason); 2nd NFL season Head to Head: Never metvs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-1 vs. Jets; Ryan 0-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY…Is in fifth year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.Has led his team to the playoffs two of the past three years.One of only two coaches, along with New Orleans’ Sean Payton, to

have his offense ranked in the top 10 in total yardage each of the last four years.

Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head coach-ing job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.

Honored as the 2007 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year and NFL Alumni Coach of the Year.

Became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season.

REX RYAN…Is in second year as the Jets’ 15th head coach. Led the Jets to two playoff victories and an appearance in the AFC

Championship Game in his first season in 2009. Coached the Jets to the league’s No. 1 ranking in rushing offense and

total defense last season. Previously spent 10 seasons (1999-2008) as a defensive assistant for

the Baltimore Ravens, first as defensive line coach (1999-2004) and then as defensive coordinator (2005-08).

Is the son of former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan and the brother of current Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

Broke into the NFL in 1994 with the Arizona Cardinals as a defensive assistant on his father’s staff.

THE PACKERS-JETS SERIESThe Packers have won just two of 10 meetings, their worst winning

percentage (.200) against any NFL team. The teams first met in 1973, in Milwaukee, a 23-7 Green Bay victory. Since then, the Jets have won eight of the last nine, including the last

two by a combined score of 80-27. Green Bay’s only other victory in the series came in 1994, a 17-10 triumph at Lambeau Field.

There has been one overtime game in the series, a 19-16 Jets victory in New York in 1991. In all, five of the 10 meetings have been decided by seven points or less.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONSJets off. coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is the son of Marty Schottenheimer, the former NFL head coach who gave Mike McCarthy his first NFL job with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, and the nephew of former Packers DB coach Kurt Schottenheimer (2004, ‘06-08)...McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer coached on Kansas City’s staff together in 1998...Jets QB coach Matt Cavanaugh was on the same offensive staff at the Univ. of Pittsburgh with McCarthy in 1991-92...Packers special teams asst. Chad Morton played two seasons for the Jets (2001-02)...Jets asst. head coach/off. line Bill Callahan was on the staff of the Univ. of Wisconsin’s 1993 Rose Bowl champions...Packers RB Brandon

Jackson played at Nebraska for Callahan when he was head coach there, and Packers CB Charles Woodson played for Callahan in Oakland when he was head coach...Callahan and Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac coached on the staff together in Philadelphia...Jets def. asst. Jim O’Neil was the recruiting coordinator at Eastern Michigan for Packers OL T.J. Lang’s final three seasons there (2006-08)...Jets QB Mark Brunell was a 1993 fifth-round draft choice of the Packers and was Brett Favre’s backup in 1994...Jets WR David Clowney was Green Bay’s fifth-round pick in 2007...Jets S Jim Leonhard played collegiately at Wisconsin and is from the small town of Tony, Wis. ...Jets LB Jason Taylor won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in Miami in 2006 when Dom Capers was running the Dolphins’ defense...Jets DT Kris Jenkins (on IR) is the older brother of Packers DE Cullen Jenkins...During the first four years of Jets FB Tony Richardson’s career with Kansas City (1995-98), McCarthy was on the Chiefs’ offensive staff...Jets C Nick Mangold and Packers LB A.J. Hawk were childhood friends growing up in Centerville, Ohio, attended Ohio State together, and were first-round draft picks in 2006; Hawk was also OSU teammates with Jets DE Vernon Gholston and TE Ben Hartsock at different times...Packers asst. offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot and Jets defensive line coach Mark Carrier were teammates with the Chicago Bears...Packers OLB coach Kevin Greene and Jets WR coach Henry Ellard were teammates with the Los Angles Rams...Jets DB coach Dennis Thurman played at USC with Packers LB Clay Matthews’ father, Clay Jr. ...Packers WR coach Jimmy Robinson was born in New York City...Packers coaching administrator Curtis Fuller and Jets RB LaDainan Tomlinson were teammates at TCU...Jets DE Shaun Ellis and Packers T Chad Clifton were teammates at Tennessee and 2000 draft picks...Other college teammates include Jets T Patrick Brown and Packers G Josh Sitton (Central Florida), Jets RB John Conner and Packers P Tim Masthay (Kentucky), Jets RB Shonn Greene, DE Matt Kroul and Packers T Bryan Bulaga (Iowa), Jets S Dwight Lowery and Packers WR James Jones (San Jose State), Jets QB Mark Sanchez, RB Joe McKnight and Packers LB Clay Matthews (USC), Jets G Matt Slauson and Packers RB Brandon Jackson (Nebraska), and Jets CB Kyle Wilson and Packers FB Korey Hall (Boise State)...Before coming to Green Bay in 1993, Packers head athletic trainer Pepper Burruss spent 16 seasons (1977-92) with the Jets as an assistant athletic trainer...Packers scouting assistant Chad Brinker signed with the Jets as a non-drafted free agent in 2003 and played for New York that preseason.

LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASONDec. 3, 2006, at Lambeau Field; Jets won, 38-10The Jets scored on five straight possessions in the first half, getting

two TD passes from QB Chad Pennington and two TD runs from RB Cedric Houston to take a 31-0 halftime lead.

The Packers intercepted two passes, one by CB Charles Woodson, and got a 20-yard TD reception from WR Donald Driver to get within 31-10 late in the third quarter. Green Bay then recovered an onside kick but went three-and-out and lost the momentum.

Pennington finished 25-of-35 for 263 yards for the Jets, while Houston had 22 rushes for 105 yards. RB Ahman Green posted 102 yards on 14 carries for the Packers.

LAST MEETING, IN NEW YORKDec. 29, 2002; Jets won, 42-17The Packers had a chance to clinch a first-round NFC playoff bye and

home-field advantage throughout the postseason but got blown out in the second half and were forced to play the following week in the wild-card round.

Meanwhile, the Jets got the win and enough other help to win the AFC East title with a 9-7 record.

Pennington tied a career high with four TD passes, two to WR Wayne Chrebet, while RB Curtis Martin chipped in 83 yards rushing and a TD.

The Packers drew within 14-10 at halftime on QB Brett Favre’s 14-yard TD pass to WR Terry Glenn with 5 seconds left in the first half, but the Jets got TDs from four different players in the second half (Martin, WR Santana Moss, Chrebet and RB LaMont Jordan) to pull away.

4-0the last

ason Dec 3 2006 at Lambeau

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OFFENSE STARTING FASTThe opening drives of a half set the tone for a team, and Green Bay’s offense is off to a productive start in that department this season.In the first seven games this season, the Packers have come away with

points on their opening offensive drive four times, twice scoring touch-downs while also kicking two field goals. Their 20 points this season on first drives rank tied for No. 4 in the NFL. Green Bay ranked tied for No. 6 in the NFL in 2009 with 37 points on opening drives.

The Packers have also scored two TDs and one field goal on their open-ing drive of the second half. Those 17 points rank tied for No. 6 in the NFL, and Green Bay is already on the heels of the 2009 team that scored 20 points all season on opening second-half-drives (No. 20).

The Packers did not score a touchdown on the first drive of the second half all of 2008, part of a 34-game span without a TD on the first pos-session after halftime that started late in 2007 and ran all the way until Week 16 vs. Seattle last season.

Green Bay snapped that streak with a 6-yard TD run from RB Brandon Jackson against the Seahawks last season, and have now scored a TD on the opening drive of the second half in four of the past nine regular-season games. The Packers have scored points on the first possession of the second half in five of those games.

THE INTERCEPTORSLeading the way when it comes to takeaways for Green Bay has been the defensive-back tandem of CB Charles Woodson and S Nick Collins.No NFL duo has been more prolific since 2008

when it comes to taking the ball away and making plays after the interception.

Woodson leads all NFL players since 2008 with 17 interceptions, with Collins tied for the No. 3 spot with 14 over that span behind only his teammate and Philadelphia CB Asante Samuel (16).

Collins ranks No. 2 among all NFL players (Baltimore S Ed Reed, 421) with 408 interception return yards since ’08, and Woodson inched closer with his 48-yard INT return for a TD vs. Detroit in Week 4. He has moved into the No. 3 spot in the league, checking in with 396 INT return yards over the past two-plus seasons.

Collins has some work to do if he hopes to keep up with Woodson’s pace of return TDs. Woodson leads the league since 2008 with six INT returns for touchdowns, with Collins tied for the No. 2 spot with three scores.

The Packers rank tied for No. 4 in the NFL with 10 interceptions this sea-son, including a season-high three picks on Sunday night vs. QB Brett Favre in Green Bay’s 28-24 win over Minnesota. That included a 32-yard INT return for a TD by LB Desmond Bishop. Green Bay is tied for No. 2 in the league with four INT returns of 20-plus yards.

Woodson and Collins helped put the Packers at the top of the leader-board in all three interception categories since 2008.

Team Interceptions 1. Green Bay 62 2. Baltimore 53 3. Tennessee 52

Team INT return yardage 1. Green Bay 1,366 2. Tennessee 941 3. New Orleans 883

Team Interception TDs 1. Green Bay 11 2. Tennessee 8 3. Baltimore 7

Team INT return average 1. Kansas City 22.5 2. Green Bay 22.0 3. New Orleans 19.6

PLENTY OF PRODUCTION INSIDE THE 20Green Bay has had one of the more efficient red-zone offenses in the league over the past two seasons, finishing in the top 10 in the NFL in 2008 and 2009.Through seven games this season, the Packers are off to another pro-

ductive start, having scored touchdowns on 14 of 21 trips inside the opponent’s 20. That 66.7 percent touchdown rate ranks tied for No. 2 in the NFL behind only Houston (70.6), and the 14 TDs rank tied for No. 3.

Green Bay’s 107 points in the red zone this season (14 touchdowns, three field goals) rank tied for No. 8 in the league. Its average of 5.1 points per red-zone trip ranks No. 5 in the NFL.

The highest red-zone conversion mark under Head Coach Mike McCarthy came in 2008, when the Packers ranked No. 6 in the NFL with a 60.4 percent touchdown rate.

Much of Green Bay’s success in the red zone has to be credited to the play of QB Aaron Rodgers, who has been one of the more efficient signal-callers in the league inside the 20 since taking over as the starter

in 2008.On Sunday night against Minnesota, Rodgers threw a red-zone interception for the first time in 39 career starts. Since 2008, he has registered a 107.1 rating on 107-of-173 passing (61.8 percent) for 677 yards and 44 touchdowns with one interception in the red zone.According to STATS, Rodgers’ passer rating of 106.0 this season in the red zone ranks No. 7 in the league (min. 20 attempts). He has connected on 22-of-31 passes (71.0 percent) for 139 yards and eight TDs with one INT in 2010.

MAKING PLAYS ANOTHER WAYWhen QB Aaron Rodgers scrambled for a key 16-yard pickup to convert a second-and-13 in Week 4 against Detroit on the final drive of the game, it was just an another example of his ability to make plays with his feet.

With 127 yards on 26 attempts (4.9 avg.) this season, Rodgers ranks No. 3 among NFL QBs in rushing yards, behind only Philadelphia’s Michael Vick (187) and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman (154).

In 2009, Rodgers finished second among all NFL quarterbacks (David Garrard, 323) with 316 rushing yards, the most by a Green Bay QB since Don Majkowski posted 358 yards on the ground in 1989.

Rodgers also led all NFL signal-callers with five rushing touchdowns in ’09, the most by a Packers QB since Majkowski’s five in ’89.

It was the second straight year Rodgers had posted four touchdowns in a season, making him just the third QB in franchise annals to accomplish that feat (Tobin Rote, 1954-56; Scott Hunter, 1971-72).

With his third rushing TD of the season this past Sunday vs. Miami, Rodgers became the first Packers QB since Rote (1954-56) to rush for three or more TDs in three straight seasons.

Of his 84 rushing attempts since 2009, nearly a quarter (20) have been for 10 or more yards. He has posted a 10-yard run in five of seven games this season.

A look at where Rodgers ranks on the ground among QBs since 2009:

Quarterback Rushing yards 1. Aaron Rodgers, GB 443 2. David Garrard, JAX 417 3. Vince Young, TEN 369

Quarterback Rushing TDs 1. Aaron Rodgers, GB 8 2. David Garrard, JAX 4 3. Three players 3

Quarterback 10-yard runs 1. Aaron Rodgers, GB 20 2t. Josh Freeman, TB 15 2t. David Garrard, JAX 15 2t. Vince Young, TEN 15

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

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EXCERPTS FROM THE COACH – MONDAY, OCT. 25(Can you talk about the effort of C.J., B.J. and Jarius last

night?) Yeah, I think that’s clearly one of the highlights of our win yesterday,

and I can’t say enough about Mike Trgovac and that young defensive line group. You lose Cullen Jenkins half an hour after the inactives go in, so you’re dressing with 44 players, and you knew Ryan Pickett was going to be a limited focus, and I think he played seven plays in the game. Those three young men played the whole game. I think B.J. played 60-something snaps. B.J. has played a lot of football for us so far this year, and I can’t say enough about C.J. and Jarius. I thought they got better as the game went on. I thought both those young players grew up a lot in the game. It was their plan to run right at us. We kept them out of the end zone, and those three guys were a big part of it.

(Isn’t that what you need with injuries, for some of the young guys to grow up quickly and make contributions?)

I agree with your point. I think it’s an excellent point, and that’s where we are. It’s our responsibility to create those opportunities and it’s the responsibility of the decision-maker, particularly the quarterback on offense and the linebackers on defense to trust those individuals in those positions. Because what happens is, when players start getting outside the scheme, they may make a play here or there, but seven, eight times out of 10 it just creates more problems. Trust is a word that’s used and it’s very important in many different forms and fashions in the game of football, and especially when you have new players stepping in, you have to trust the scheme and you have to trust the individual that’s he’s going to do his part.

(You are 4-3 and have a share of the division lead. How do you look at things right now?)

I don’t really get caught up in seven-game evaluations. We keep track, very close tabs, of what we’re doing well, things we need to improve on. Stay focused on our preparation. I’m a huge believer in you have to practice and prepare a certain way each week. It carries over into the game. I don’t think there’s any mistake on the fact that we probably had one of our better practice weeks this week. We were able to tie it together where we had players that practiced Wednesday, Thursday and Friday that end up playing in the games. Also had a player like Charles Woodson that, with his personal situation, missed a significant amount of time and still went out and played at a high level. We’re just pulling some things together. It’s a good win. It’s an excellent win as far as the big dose of confidence that comes with a division win and everything surrounding this game. But it’s over. We’re onto the Jets. They’re a very good football team. They’re playing very well. They’re going to be fresh, and it will be a big challenge for us Sunday.

(How can you use a win like that? The flip side, the season’s not over if you lose and fall to 3-4, but then you’ve lost four games by three points each and things are pretty tough around here. What kinds of things can you take from a win like this and build off of and try to create some momentum?)

I’m the point man of this deal. I don’t swing left to right like that. I’m out in front. I do not change. It’s not my personality. I believe it’s inef-fective to swing with the emotion, the criticism, even on the other side of it. When something everybody feels extremely positive is happening, I don’t think you run around with your pom-poms this week. That’s the last thing that I’m going to do. Everybody had a chance to enjoy the win last night, and I’m sure everybody feels good today. It was easier com-ing to work today than it was last week. That’s our business. Winning is important. A lot of good things come off of winning. But it’s onto the next one. It’s a simple as that. I wish I had some fancy words up here to make you feel better, I could answer your question better. But that’s what you’ve got and that’s what I am.

(How close were you to activating Harris and Bigby?) I thought they both had a good week of practice. I know they’re champ-

ing at the bit. We’ll actually as a staff, that’s something we’ll talk about tonight and tomorrow, to try to have a plan there. It’s encouraging to see our secondary with so many names on the board so healthy because that’s something that was a contrast to last year. We just want to make sure it all fits together, because special teams plays a big part in this

too. It’s just not about activating Al and Atari to play on defense. It will definitely affect how we move forward on special teams too. So that’s what we need to work through.

(Can you talk about the screen game last night? It hasn’t been one of your better plays this year or last year, but you ran three or four of them pretty successfully.)

Well, see the problem is you guys have to do a better job evaluating our screen play. Because our screen play is we don’t just line up and throw a screen to the back. There’s a little more to that. So sometimes, … I’ll just say this. For our self-scout, our productivity in the screen game has been very good. It’s been very good really the last couple years here. And it always doesn’t go to the screen back. But just really, I thought we hit on all of them. Timing was off between the quarterback and the running back on the interception. But other than that, I thought we were very effective. I thought Donald Lee did an excellent job. Brandon Jackson was outstanding. Very pleased with the production on the screens last night.

(You said after the game that maybe you haven’t put the ball in Jackson’s hands enough. Have you made a concerted effort to do more of that?)

We roll those guys, and I think it’s important too and something that was brought up this morning in talking with the coaches is when a player gets a hot hand, we are so detailed on who is playing where as far as our rotation of personnel and so forth. I think we do an exceptional job and also to play with the tempo that we do, but I thought that was Brandon’s best game that I have seen him play. I thought Pittsburgh was a statement game for him last year, the way he played in that game, but I thought he played a complete football game. I just think it is important when someone is playing at that level, you want to get him a couple more opportunities. As far as him getting the ball more, that was more for you guys.

(How do you think Bishop played overall? He’s a guy that has waited for his opportunity for a long time.)

Definitely, and it has paid off. He is ready. I am sure he felt that he was ready a long time ago, and it’s all part of the course that we are on as a football team. When players get opportunities, they step up and play. Not to take anything away from Desmond, but I thought Desmond and A.J. both played very well last night and they have done a very good job in there. We feel very comfortable with those guys, both base and sub, and it’s a credit to Winston Moss and just the way those guys work. Desmond is making a lot of plays out there, very productive, and that was obviously a huge impact play in the game.

(Joe Whitt said in the preseason that Tramon Williams was the best cover guy on the team. What do you think of his performance this season?)

You watch the tape and you look at the grades, he has graded out very high every week, and he is a good punt returner too. Tramon is a little bit of your poster child for us. He is a young man that came here, was given an opportunity, and he has just worked from the first day he arrived and continues to do so. He is a tremendous professional. He is very detailed in his preparation, and he is playing at a very, very high level right now. There are some technical things that we felt he needed to improve on from last year to this year, and he is getting that done, particularly with the tackling. I think Tramon Williams is having an excellent year.

(Were you pleased with Masthay’s performance?) Absolutely. He had the chance to play the field position and I thought

he did a nice job. I thought Tim did a good job, I thought Mason did a good job on the kicks. We just had the one kickoff that hit their front-line player, but other than that. The one kickoff return that they had come out, our coverage, we’re going right into that and that shouldn’t have happened. We had two cover guys that lost their lane integrity and Harvin was able to bounce the second one out there. Other than that, I thought the coverage units did a very good job.

(Are you concerned about Jenkins’ injury?) Yeah, I am concerned. It’s the same leg. It’s the calf strain, and just the

way it happened, it’s definitely something to be concerned about. We’ll just wait and see and see how he comes through it. If I had to give him a status, he would be questionable for this week.

MIKE McCARTHY TRANSCRIPT

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UNDER PRESSUREAfter recording six sacks in Week 1 at Philadelphia, the most by any NFL team on opening weekend, the Packers have followed up that performance with 16 more sacks in the next six games.Green Bay’s 22 sacks as a team through Week 7 rank No. 4 in the NFL

behind only San Diego and Tennessee (25 each) and the N.Y. Giants (24). The Packers also rank No. 3 in the league in sack yardage with 154 yards and have had nine different players record a sack.

The Packers’ 22 sacks through the first seven games are the most by a Green Bay defense to start the season since the 2006 squad registered 22 sacks in the first seven contests.

Green Bay was shut out in the sack column for the first time this season in Week 6 against Miami. The Packers have failed to register a sack only two times in the past 16 regular-season games.

The Packers’ 21 sacks in the first five games were the most in a five-game span in Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s five seasons.

Green Bay recorded five sacks at Washington in Week 5, the Packers’ second five-sack game this season. Green Bay is one of only two teams in the league (Tennessee) to post two five-sack games in 2010.

Of the team’s 22 sacks, 8.5 have come courtesy of LB Clay Matthews, who leads the NFL in that category. DE Cullen Jenkins, who ranks second on the team with four sacks, posted a sack in each of the first four games. Green Bay is one of only five teams to have two players with four-plus sacks (N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, San Diego, Tennessee).

The Packers’ six sacks in Week 1 were the most in a season opener by Green Bay since 2001, when the Packers registered seven sacks against the Lions on Sept. 9 at Lambeau Field. It was also the most in a game under McCarthy, matching the total of six vs. Detroit on Dec. 17, 2006.

The Packers are already well ahead of their sack pace from last season, when Green Bay’s 22nd sack didn’t come until Week 12 at Detroit.

Green Bay has posted four or more sacks in a game three times already this season to match its 2009 total. The Packers finished with 37 for the season, which ranked tied for 11th in the league.

The Packers’ highest sack total under McCarthy came in his first season of 2006 when they recorded 46 sacks, which ranked No. 4 in the NFL.

YOUTH IS SERVEDWhenever injuries occur, it is a chance for other players on the roster to show what they are capable of in an expanded role. For Green Bay this season, many of those opportunities have gone to younger players.Six Green Bay rookies have started a game in 2010, tied with New

England for the most in the league. The last time the Packers had that many rookies start at least one game in a season came in 2007 (also six).

S Morgan Burnett, a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech, became only the second Packers rookie safety to start on opening day since 1988. He opened the first four games, posting 15 tackles and an inter-ception, before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.

Burnett was joined in the starting lineup in Week 1 by nickel CB Sam Shields, a non-drafted rookie out of Miami. It was the first time since the 1970 merger that the Packers started two rookie DBs on opening day. Shields has 10 tackles and a pass defensed in four games played.

T Bryan Bulaga, the team’s first-round pick out of Iowa who worked at LT and LG all preseason, has started each of the past three games at RT in place of injured veteran Mark Tauscher.

LB Frank Zombo, a non-drafted free agent from Central Michigan, has played in every game with two starts and ranks tied for third among all NFL rookies with two sacks. He leads all Green Bay rookies with 22 tackles (15 solo).

TE Andrew Quarless started his first career game vs. Detroit in Week 4 and figures to factor more prominently in the offense with starting TE Jermichael Finley (knee) lost for the season. Quarless posted 51 yards receiving at Washington in Week 5 to become the first Packers rookie TE to register a 50-yard game since Bubba Franks in 2000. Quarless scored his first NFL TD on a 9-yard reception last Sunday vs. Minnesota.

DE C.J. Wilson, a seventh-round selection from East Carolina, started for the first time in his career in Week 6 vs. Miami in place of an injured Ryan Pickett, and posted four tackles. He saw significant time again on Sunday night at Minnesota when Pickett re-injured his ankle, and led the defensive line with a career-high nine tackles.

TRAMON’S TALENTSCB Tramon Williams etched his name into the team’s record books with a pair of big plays in Week 5 at Washington.With a 52-yard punt return in the second quarter and a 64-yard inter-

ception return in the fourth quarter, Williams became the first player in franchise history to post a 50-yard punt return and a 60-yard intercep-tion return in the same game.

Showing just how rare the feat is, no player in team annals has ever posted both of those returns in the same season.

Williams became just the third NFL player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to accomplish the feat in a game, joining Dallas’ Deion Sanders (Sept. 21, 1998) and the late Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos (Nov. 13, 2005).

Explosive plays are nothing new to the fourth-year CB who went undraft-ed out of Louisiana Tech in 2006. Williams recorded a 94-yard punt return for a score vs. Carolina on Nov. 18, 2007, as well as a 67-yard kickoff return vs. Chicago that season (Oct. 7). Last season he posted his career-long INT return with a 67-yarder vs. Chicago (Sept. 13).

Williams is only the third NFL player whose career began since the 1970 merger to post a 90-yard punt return and interception and kickoff returns of 65 yards in a career, joining Adam Jones and Lemar Parrish.

Williams is tied for the team lead this season with two interceptions, having posted a pick in Weeks 5 and 6. It was the fourth time in his career that he had registered an interception in back-to-back games, with the most recent instance coming in Weeks 12-13 last season.

Williams posted a career-high 22 passes defensed in 2009, and ranks second on the team this season with eight (Nick Collins, nine).

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

PACKERS IN WEEKLY 2010 TEAM RANKINGS

NFL Offense NFL DefenseAfterWeek… Opp. Total Rush Pass Total Rush Pass 1 at Phi 17T 8T 19 18 30 16 2 BUF 15T 14 16 3 28 3 3 at Chi 12 22 11 2T 18 3 4 DET 19 22 14 10 24 7 5 at Was 12 15T 10 13 15 15 6 MIA 13 19 10 15 21 17 7 MIN 11 20 8 18 23 14 8 at NYJ 9 DAL 10 (bye) 11 at Min 12 at Atl 13 SF 14 at Det 15 at NE 16 NYG 17 CHI

Packers in 2009 6 14 7 2 1 5 Packers in 2008 8 17 8 20 26 12Packers in 2007 2 21 2 11 14 12Packers in 2006 9 23 8 12 13 17Packers in 2005 18 30 7 7 23 1Packers in 2004 3 10 3 25 14 25Packers in 2003 4 3 16 17 10 23Packers in 2002 12 12 10 12 21 3Packers in 2001 6 21 3 12 16 15Packers in 2000 15 23 8 15 8 19Packers in 1999 9 21 7 19 22 18Packers in 1998 5 25 3 4 4 10Packers in 1997 4 12 3 7 20 8Packers in 1996 5 11 5 1 4 1Packers in 1995 7 26 3 14 7 21Packers in 1994 9 19 9 6 3 15Packers in 1993 19 22 18 2 8 7Packers in 1992 15 21 9 23 16 23

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ON THE ROAD AGAINGreen Bay finished 5-3 on the road in 2009, the third time in four seasons it had finished above .500 under Head Coach Mike McCarthy. The Packers have been able to stay above the .500 mark on the road

during McCarthy’s tenure, a notable achievement in the National Football League.

Green Bay got off to a good start this year with a win at Philadelphia in the season opener. It was the fifth straight season under McCarthy that the Packers have won their first road game of the year.

Since 2006, McCarthy’s first season as the head coach in Green Bay, only 10 of 32 NFL teams have regular-season road records over .500.

Team W L T Pct. Indianapolis 26 10 0 .722 New England 25 10 0 .714 New York Giants 23 12 0 .657 Dallas 21 14 0 .600 New Orleans 21 14 0 .600 Tennessee 21 14 0 .600 Philadelphia 21 14 1 .597 San Diego 20 16 0 .556 Green Bay 19 16 0 .543 N.Y. Jets 19 16 0 .543

289 AND COUNTINGAnother packed house at Lambeau Field against the Vikings this past Sunday brought the stadium’s consecutive sellouts streak to 289 games (273 regular season, 16 playoffs). Sunday night’s crowd of 71,107 vs. Minnesota was the third-largest

regular-season crowd in Lambeau Field history.The league’s longest-tenured stadium, Lambeau Field is hosting its 54th

season of football this year. A total of 565,666 fans made their way through the turnstiles in the eight home contests in 2009.

Across American professional sports, only Boston’s Fenway Park (1912) and Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914) have longer tenures.

THE LAMBEAU ADVANTAGEThe crown jewel of the National Football League, Lambeau Field has long been known as one of the tougher venues to play in, particularly during the harsh Wisconsin winter. Re-establishing home-field advantage after a 4-4 mark in 2008 was one

of the goals of 2009, and with the Packers finishing 6-2 at home, they accomplished that goal.

Head Coach Mike McCarthy stated consistently upon his arrival in Green Bay that one of the team’s goals would be to reclaim the mystique of playing at Lambeau Field. Mission accomplished. The team is 21-9 at home since 2007 including playoffs, a marked improvement over the prior three seasons (10-14 combined).

Since Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren began the revitalization of the franchise in 1992, Green Bay owns the best home record in the NFL. A look at the top regular-season home W-L records since the ’92 season:

Team W-L record Pct. Green Bay 110-38-0 .743 Pittsburgh 106-40-1 .724 Denver 104-44-0 .703 Minnesota 102-45-0 .694 New England 99-48-0 .673 Baltimore 76-38-1 .665

IN THE FREE-AGENCY ERATalk of unrestricted free agency in the early ’90s led many to forecast tough times for the small-town Green Bay Packers. However, Green Bay has remained among the most successful teams

since the advent of free agency in 1993. The Packers have won 10 or more games 10 times since ’93 and captured seven division crowns.

A look at the most successful teams in the free-agency era:

Team W-L since ’93 Pct. Playoff berths New England 176-102-0 .633 11 Pittsburgh 174-103-1 .628 11 Green Bay 173-106-0 .620 12 Indianapolis 168-110-0 .604 12 Denver 164-115-0 .588 8

LOMBARDI, THE PLAYPackers President/CEO Mark Murphy will be among a contingent of Packers staff and members of the organization’s board of directors who will make the trip to New York to see the Broadway play ‘Lombardi’ and take in the game vs. the Jets. Members of the Packers organization first became acquainted with the play’s production team during its June 21 research visit to Green Bay, an out-ing that saw them visit several Lombardi “sites” around Green Bay, including Lambeau Field, St. Norbert College and Lombardi’s home.The trip culminated with a special “Evening with Lombardi” event at the Lambeau Field Atrium where attendees learned about the play’s produc-tion and were treated to a special closing performance by Dan Lauria (‘The Wonder Years’), the actor who is portraying the Packers’ coaching legend. Proceeds from the event benefited the Peninsula Players Theatre Foundation in Fish Creek, Wis.

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

GREEN BAY (Team)Category NFC NFLTurnover Margin (-1) . . . . . . . 7T 16TTotal Offense (350.0) . . . . . . . . 6 11 Rushing (99.3) . . . . . . . . . . . 6 20 Passing (250.7) . . . . . . . . . . 4 8Total Defense (338.4) . . . . . . . 10 18 vs. Rush (124.3) . . . . . . . . 12 23 vs. Pass (214.1) . . . . . . . . . . 8 14Third-Down Offense (38.8%) . 10 17Third-Down Defense (40.6%). . .13 22Red-Zone Offense (66.7%) . . . 1T 2TRed-Zone Defense (47.4%) . . . 9 16

GREEN BAY (Individual)Category NFC NFLRushing: Jackson (363) . . . . . . 8 20Passing: Rodgers (89.0). . . . . . 4 12Receptions: Driver (28) . . . . . . .21T 38TRec. Yds.: Jennings (390) . . . 13 27Sacks: Matthews (8.5) . . . . . . . 1 1Interceptions: Hawk/Williams (2) . 10T 13T

N.Y. JETS (Team)Category AFC NFLTurnover Margin (+10) . . . . . . . 1 1Total Offense (334.2) . . . . . . . 10 17 Rushing (159.2) . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 Passing (175.0) . . . . . . . . . 13 27Total Defense (319.0) . . . . . . . . 5 12 vs. Rush (90.0) . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 vs. Pass (229.0) . . . . . . . . . . 9 22Third-Down Offense (37.5%) . 12 22Third-Down Defense (42.0%) . 11 24Red-Zone Offense (47.4%) . . . 12 21Red-Zone Defense (60.0%) . . 11 23T

N.Y. JETS (Individual)Category AFC NFLRushing: Tomlinson (490) . . . . 7 12Passing: Sanchez (86.4) . . . . . 11 16Receptions: Keller (24) . . . . . 24T N/ARec. Yds.: Keller/Edwards (343) . 23T 40TSacks: Ellis (3.5). . . . . . . . . . 14T 28TInterceptions: Cromartie (2) . . 4T 13T

IN THE LEAGUE RANKINGS, 2010

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TAKING HIS PLACE AMONG THE GAME’S BESTNow firmly entrenched in his role as the face of the franchise, QB Aaron Rodgers has gone from solid first-year starter to one of the game’s top young signal callers over the past three seasons.Through seven games this season, Rodgers once again finds himself

among the league leaders in several passing categories. He ranks tied for No. 5 with 12 TD passes, No. 5 with 1,841 yards, No. 3 in yards per attempt at 7.83, and No. 4 in passes of 25-plus yards with 16.

Rodgers ranked near the top of the NFL in most passing categories in 2009 and was honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, the first such award of his career. He was the youngest of the six quarterbacks named to the Pro Bowl last season.

In 2009, he engineered one of the NFL’s most potent offenses, ranked No. 6 overall, and avoided costly mistakes, spearheading a team that had a league-low 16 giveaways (15 on offense).

His 103.2 passer rating ranked fourth in the NFL. In addition, he was the game’s top-ranked passer on third downs (133.5).

The fourth-year pro threw for 4,434 yards, fourth most in the league. That total finished just shy of Lynn Dickey’s franchise record (4,458, 1983) for passing yards in a single season.

In addition to QB rating and passing yards, Rodgers ranked fourth in TD passes (30) and first in interception percentage (1.3) in 2009.

And just for good measure, he ranked second among QBs with 316 rushing yards on 58 carries (5.4 avg.), and added five rushing TDs.

Rodgers joined Steve Young (San Francisco, 1998) as the only quar-terbacks in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 TDs and rush for 300 yards and five TDs in the same season.

In 39 career starts, Rodgers has eclipsed the century mark in passer rating 20 times and recorded 11 games of 300-plus yards. He posted his 20th career 100-plus passer rating game in just his 36th career start, which ranks third among NFL QBs since 1970 behind only Kurt Warner (33) and Tony Romo (34).

Rodgers has started 39 straight games, which is tied for No. 5 among active NFL quarterbacks.

Here is a look at where Rodgers ranks among NFL quarterbacks since he took over as the starter in 2008.

Player Passing Yards 1. Drew Brees, NO 11,486 2. Philip Rivers, SD 10,607 3. Peyton Manning, IND 10,418

4. Aaron Rodgers, GB 10,313

Player Passing TDs 1. Drew Brees, NO 82 2. Philip Rivers, SD 75 3. Peyton Manning, IND 73

4. Aaron Rodgers, GB 70

Player Passer Rating 1. Philip Rivers, SD 103.4 2. Drew Brees, NO 100.1 3. Peyton Manning, IND 98.6 4. Aaron Rodgers, GB 96.8

Player 25-yard passes 1T. Drew Brees, NO 86 1T. Aaron Rodgers, GB 86 3. Philip Rivers, SD 85

GOING DEEPGreen Bay has been one of the league’s most dangerous teams in yards after the catch the past few seasons, and its consistent standing near the top of those rankings is due in large part to WR Greg Jennings.Jennings’ 86-yard score against Miami in Week 6 marked a career long

for both him and QB Aaron Rodgers. It was the longest reception by a Green Bay player since WR Robert

Brooks hauled in a 99-yard TD from QB Brett Favre at Chicago on Sept. 11, 1995, on Monday Night Football. WR Donald Driver had a 90-yard TD grab in the 2007 NFC Championship Game on Jan. 20, 2008.

Jennings’ 86-yard reception is the third-longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season behind a pair of players from the NFC North. Chicago RB Matt Forté had an 89-yard TD reception vs. Detroit in Week

1, while Detroit WR Calvin Johnson posted an 87-yard TD catch at the N.Y. Giants in Week 6.It was the fourth 80-yard reception of Jennings career, moving him into the No. 1 spot in the franchise record books ahead of teammate Donald Driver (3). Jennings and Buffalo WR Lee Evans are tied for the NFL lead in 80-yard catches in a career among active NFL players.When it comes to scoring passes, Jennings has an eye-popping average during his career. Of his 33 career touch-down catches, 14 (42.4 percent) have been at least 40 yards in length. He has a staggering average of 33.8 yards per TD catch, which ranks No. 2 among current players with at least 20 career touchdown catches.

Player 40-plus-yard catches (since 2007) 1. Greg Jennings, GB 22 2T. Randy Moss, MIN 19 2T. Terrell Owens, CIN 19 4. Steve Smith, CAR 17 5. Andre Johnson, HOU 17

Player Yards Per TD Catch (Career) 1. Bernard Berrian, MIN 34.0 2. Greg Jennings, GB 33.8 3. Santana Moss, WAS 32.7 4. Joey Galloway, WAS 32.2 5. Lee Evans, BUF 30.7

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

2010 HONOR ROLL

K Mason CrosbyNFC Special Teams Player of the Week - Week 1 (at Philadelphia)

LB Clay Matthews NFC Defensive Player of the Week - Week 2 (vs. Buffalo)NFC Defensive Player of the Month - September

CB Charles Woodson NFC Defensive Player of the Week - Week 4 (vs. Detroit)

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STILL GETTING IT DONELast season, it seemed as though franchise records fell on a weekly basis for WR Donald Driver, now in his 12th season, and the veteran is off to another strong start in 2010. The franchise’s all-time receptions leader with 675 in his career, Driver

leads the team in catches this season with 28 receptions for 307 yards (11.0 avg.) and three TDs.

Last season in Week 13 vs. Baltimore, Driver became the 10th player in franchise history to reach the 50-touchdown plateau. No other NFL franchise has 10 players with 50-plus TDs.

Earlier, Driver topped the 50-catch plateau for an eighth straight sea-son (2002-09), a new franchise record.

Though he was the oldest play-er on the active roster at age 34, Driver showed no signs of slowing down in 2009 as he led the team in catches (70), ranked second in receiving yards (1,061) and first in touch-down catches (6).

Driver also extended his own franchise record by recording a seventh overall season and sixth straight with 1,000 yards. He is one of only two players in the league (Reggie Wayne) to have a 1,000-yard season each of the past six years (2004-09).

The most significant record still within Driver’s grasp is career receiving yards. James Lofton ranks No. 1 with 9,656 yards. Driver is No. 2 with 9,357. Driver should surpass the mark sometime this season.

Against Buffalo in Week 2, Driver scored on a 7-yard TD pass, the 51st receiving TD of his career. That moved him into sole possession of the No. 4 spot in team history, and he currently has 52 career TD grabs.

His TD catch in Week 4 vs. Detroit was his 21st at Lambeau Field, mov-ing him into sole possession of the No. 2 spot behind only Antonio Freeman (36). Driver already holds the Lambeau records for receptions (321) and receiving yards (4,443).

Driver has been the model of consistency for the Packers, catching at least one pass in a franchise-record 133 consecutive games (139 including playoffs) before the streak was snapped against Minnesota this past Sunday.

While his reputation is as a slot guy who will make the tough catch over the middle, Driver made his share of big plays in 2009. His five catches of 40-plus yards tied for ninth in the NFL.

Along with TE Jermichael Finley at Chicago in Week 3, Driver was part of the first Packers tandem since Nov. 21, 2004, to each record nine receptions in a game. In the 16-13 win at Houston nearly six years ago, Driver posted 10 catches and Javon Walker hauled in nine. The nine receptions were the most for Driver since he caught 10 at Detroit on Nov. 22, 2007.

PROTECTION THE KEYGreen Bay’s offensive line didn’t allow a single sack of QB Aaron Rodgers against Minnesota this past Sunday, the third time this year that the sixth-year QB was not sacked in a game.Prior to Rodgers being sacked in the second quarter vs. Detroit in Week

4, the offensive line had not allowed a sack in 11 straight quarters, the longest streak for the team since 2007.

Over the past 10 regular-season games, Rodgers has been sacked either once or not at all in six of those contests.

In his three years as the starting quarterback, there have been 14 games where the line has given up either one sack or no sacks of Rodgers. The Packers have an 11-3 mark in those contests.

The effect that protection has is evident in Rodgers’ numbers in those games, as he has completed 312-of-461 passes (67.7 percent) for 3,757 yards and 28 TDs with just seven INTs for a 106.4 passer rating.

The Packers have allowed 14 sacks this season, well ahead of their 2009 pace when they gave up 31 sacks in the first seven contests.

When Rodgers has been sacked four or more times in a game during his career, the Packers are 4-9.

Injuries and performance issues affected the offensive line in the first half of 2009, as Rodgers was sacked 41 times over the first nine games. Once the line regained some continuity down the stretch, it allowed just 10 sacks of Rodgers over the final seven games. Green Bay has had stability along the line in 2010, with four linemen, LT Chad Clifton, LG Daryn Colledge, C Scott Wells, and RG Josh Sitton starting every game.

SPREAD IT AROUNDWith back-to-back 1,200-yard rusher Ryan Grant lost for the season after sustaining an ankle injury in Week 1 at Philadelphia, the Packers have turned to a couple of backs to carry the load.Brandon Jackson, who excelled in his role as a third-down back in 2009, posted a career-high 115 yards on 10 car-ries (11.5 avg.) at Washington in Week 5, highlighted by a career-long 71-yard run on his first carry of the game.Jackson leads the team with 363 yards on 80 carries this season (4.5 avg.), and yards from scrimmage with 513. He is one of eight NFL running backs with 350 yards rushing and 150 yards receiving.Jackson posted one of the finest all-around performances of his career vs. Minnesota, recording 104 yards from

scrimmage (58 rushing, 46 catching). His 36-yard pickup on a first-quarter screen pass was his career-long reception.

”I thought that was Brandon’s best game that I have seen him play,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday. “I thought Pittsburgh was a statement game for him last year, the way he played in that game, but I thought he played a complete football game (Sunday).”

The Packers rushed for 157 yards as a team at Washington in Week 5 on just 17 carries (9.2 avg.). It was the first time in team history that the Packers rushed for 150 yards in a regular-season game on fewer than 20 carries.

The Packers’ rushing average of 9.2 yards per carry against the Redskins was the best single-game performance (min. 15 attempts) in a regular-season game in team history.

John Kuhn, primarily at fullback during his first three seasons in Green Bay, has been given more opportunities to carry the ball at RB. Against Detroit in Week 4, Kuhn posted 34 of his career-high 39 rushing yards on the final series, as the Packers ran out the final 6:32 in the 28-26 win. He has 154 rushing yards on 41 carries (3.8 avg.) this season.

Green Bay’s 21 runs of 10-plus yards rank tied for No. 13 in the NFL. Last season the Packers ranked No. 23 in the league with 42 runs of 10 yards or more.

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

Coaches’ Box: Dom Capers (defensive coordinator), Jerry Fontenot (asst. offensive line), Scott McCurley (defensive quality control), Curtis Fuller (administrator), Joe Philbin (offensive coordi-nator), John Rushing (offensive quality control), and Joe Whitt Jr. (secondary - cornerbacks).

Sideline: Edgar Bennett (running backs), James Campen (offen-sive line), Tom Clements (quarterbacks), Mike Eayrs (research and development), Chad Morton (special teams asst.), Kevin Greene (outside linebackers), Ben McAdoo (tight ends), Winston Moss (inside linebackers/asst. head coach), Darren Perry (secondary - safeties), Jimmy Robinson (wide receivers), Shawn Slocum (special teams coordinator) and Mike Trgovac (defensive line).

COACH LOCATIONS

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STEPPING UPWith injuries to MLB Nick Barnett and nickel LB Brandon Chillar, BLB A.J. Hawk and MLB Desmond Bishop have stepped into the role of every-down linebackers the past few weeks, and the tandem has taken advantage of the opportunities.Hawk leads the team with 66 tackles (48 solo) through seven games,

including a season-high 16 stops in Week 6 vs. Miami and a team-high 13 tackles this past Sunday against Minnesota.

Those 29 tackles over the past two weeks rank second in Hawk’s career for the most tackles over a two-game span, trailing only a combined 33 tackles during his rookie campaign of 2006 (Nov. 27-Dec. 3).

Hawk is also tied for the team lead with two interceptions, which match-es his career high set in 2006 and 2009. With the two INTs, Hawk ranks tied for No. 1 among NFL linebackers in that category this season.

He is the only linebacker in the league to intercept two passes in each of the past two seasons, and Hawk’s four interceptions over the past 12 regular-season games leads all NFL lineback-ers over that span.

Hawk has been one of the most reli-able Packers defenders since coming to Green Bay in the 2006 NFL Draft. He hasn’t missed a game in his career, playing in all 71 contests with 68 starts. The only non-starts came in both Minnesota games in 2009 and the 2010 opener at Philadelphia when the team opened in nickel.

Prior to this season, most of Bishop’s playing time came on special teams, a role he excelled in from 2007-09 as he led the team over that span with 49 tackles.

Ever since Barnett went down with a season-ending wrist injury in Week 4 vs. Detroit, Bishop has moved into the starting lineup and made his presence felt.

In three starts, Bishop has registered 40 tackles, which tops his best season total of 27 tackles in 2008. His 41 tackles on the season (23 solo) rank No. 3 on the team.

On Sunday night vs. Minnesota, Bishop made one of the game’s key plays when he picked off QB Brett Favre in the third quarter and returned the interception 32 yards for a touchdown. It was the first INT and TD of the fourth-year linebacker’s career, and the first INT return for a TD by a Packers LB since Barnett posted a 95-yarder vs. New Orleans on Oct. 9, 2005.

With Hawk adding an INT of his own on Sunday night, the duo became the first Packers LB tandem to each post an INT in the same game since Barnett and Brady Poppinga posted picks at Miami on Oct. 22, 2006.

CLIFFY GETS TO 150When T Chad Clifton lined up as the starting left tackle on Sunday night vs. Minnesota, he became just the 19th player in Packers history to appear in 150 career games in a Green Bay uniform.Clifton is just the sixth offensive lineman in franchise annals to hit the

150-game mark, joining Forrest Gregg, Larry McCarren, Ron Hallstrom, Ken Ruettgers and Frank Winters.

Against the division-rival Vikings, Clifton posted one of his finer perfor-mances in recent memory, limiting Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen to just one tackle and no sacks. The line as a whole didn’t allow a sack all evening, the third time this season that QB Aaron Rodgers has not been sacked in a game.

Clifton was sidelined for both games against Minnesota in 2009 because of an ankle injury, and Allen registered 7.5 sacks in those two contests.

An unrestricted free agent this offseason, Clifton re-signed with the Packers in March and has started all seven games at LT, bringing a veteran presence to a line that has allowed just 14 sacks this season.

PRESSURE GOES BOTH WAYSThe N.Y. Jets are known for their wide array of blitzes under head coach Rex Ryan, and handling pressure is an area the Green Bay offense has had some success in over the past two seasons.According to STATS, Green Bay’s offense ranks No. 5 in the NFL in blitz-

situation passing with a 106.7 passer rating. QB Aaron Rodgers has completed 48-of-68 passes for 668 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions. He has been sacked only three times, a 4.2 sack percent-age that ranks No. 8 in the NFL.

The Jets defense has limited opposing quarterbacks to a 76.8 passer rat-ing in blitz situations this season, with signal-callers completing 66-of-137 attempts for 977 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions

against them. New York has posted seven sacks, good for No. 7 in the league.The Jets were the best team in the league in blitz-situation passing in 2009, limit-ing opposing quarterbacks to just a 54.0 passer rating on 136-of-280 passing (48.6 percent) for 1,507 yards, two TDs and nine interceptions.No offense was better in the league in blitz-passing situations than the Packers were in 2009, as Rodgers connected on 125-of-180 passes (69.4 percent) for 1,699 yards, 11 TDs and three INTs for a 112.7 passer rating.

THIRD-DOWN IMPROVEMENTAfter Green Bay’s offense struggled on third down in back-to-back overtime losses to Washington and Miami in Weeks 5 and 6, the Packers bounced back on Sunday night with a solid performance in that area

against the Vikings.In the two losses to the Redskins and Dolphins, the Packers converted

on just 5-of-26 third-down opportunities (19.2 percent).On Sunday against Minnesota, Green Bay got above the 50 percent mark

for the second time this season, picking up the first down on 6-of-11 third-down situations (54.5 percent). That percentage ranked second this season for Green Bay behind only the 7-of-12 performance (58.3 percent) in a 34-7 win over Buffalo in Week 2.

Through Week 7, Green Bay’s offense ranks No. 17 in the league on third down, converting at a 38.8 percent clip (31-of-80).

Green Bay was one of the best teams in the league on third down in 2009, as the Packers ranked No. 3 in the league at 47.2 percent (103-of-219), the highest mark posted by Green Bay since 2004 when it converted on third down 47.3 percent of the time.

QB Aaron Rodgers was the league’s top-ranked passer (133.5 rat-ing) on third down in 2009, the highest rating by an NFL QB since Kurt Warner’s 137.3 rating in 1999 with St. Louis. No quarterback threw for as many yards (1,710) or touchdowns (14) on third down as Rodgers, and he was one of only two quarterbacks (Tom Brady) in the league (min. 100 attempts) to not throw an interception on third down in ’09.

While Rodgers hasn’t had the kind of production he had last season on third down, on Sunday night against the Vikings he posted a 125.8 passer rating on 7-of-10 passing for 77 yards and a TD with no INTs.

Some of the Packers’ struggles this season on third down have come when they need to pick up 4 yards or less, as they rank No. 31 in the league at 40.7 percent (11-of-27) in those short-yardage situations.

Ironically, the flip side of that is that no offense in the NFL has been more efficient in third-and-long situations than Green Bay. The Packers rank No. 1 in the league when needing 6 or more yards on third down, converting at a 36.8 percent clip (14-of-38).

Defensively, the Jets rank No. 24 in the league on third down (42.0 percent), down from last season when they led the NFL (31.5 percent).

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

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DEFENSE GETTING THE JOB DONEAfter finishing No. 2 in the league’s final overall defensive rankings and No. 7 in points allowed in 2009, the unit isn’t off to as strong a start statistically this season under second-year defensive coordinator Dom Capers, but there have been some areas with solid production.The Packers rank No. 12 in the league in points given up, allowing the

opposition an average of 19.4 points per game, a similar number to last season’s average of 18.6 per contest. Green Bay currently ranks No. 18 in the NFL in overall defense, allowing an average of 338.4 yards per game through the first seven games.

That includes a No. 14 ranking in the league against the pass, with oppo-nents averaging 214.1 yards through the air through Week 7. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 72.6 against Green Bay, good for No. 5 in the NFL, and the Packers rank No. 4 in the NFL with 22 sacks.

After leading the NFL in run defense for the first time in 2009 as they allowed a franchise-record 83.3 yards per game, the Packers haven’t been as stingy against the run thus far this season, ranking No. 23 in the league (124.3 yards per game).

A decent chunk of that yardage has come from opposing quarterbacks, with signal-callers accounting for 224 yards on 27 carries (8.3 avg.). Outside of the quarter-back, opposing teams have run for 646 yards on 124 carries (4.0 avg.).

Until Vikings RB Adrian Peterson rushed for 131 yards on Sunday night, Green Bay’s defense hadn’t allowed a running back to rush for 100 yards for 19 straight games.

That streak was the second longest in in team history since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, trailing only a 24-game game stretch from Sept. 20, 1970-Nov. 22, 1971.

Under Capers, the Packers thrived in their new 3-4 scheme in 2009. The team finished the season ranked No. 1 against the run and No. 5 against the pass.

The previous top ranking in franchise history in run defense came in 1972, when the team finished No. 2.

Green Bay allowed an average of 284.4 total yards per game in ’09, sec-ond behind the N.Y. Jets (252.3) and ahead of No. 3 Baltimore (300.5).

In the first two years of the Mike McCarthy tenure, Green Bay’s defense was close to being a top-10 unit, finishing at No. 12 in 2006 and No. 11 in 2007. In 2008, it slipped to No. 20 before making the jump up to No. 2 last year.

A look at some of Green Bay’s numbers against the run since Dom Capers took over as defensive coordinator in 2009:

Team Rushing Yds. Allowed Per Game 1. Pittsburgh 82.7 2. Minnesota 90.4 3. Green Bay 95.8

Team Rushing TDs Allowed 1T. Minnesota 8 1T. New England 8 3T. Green Bay 9 3T. Pittsburgh 9

AS GOOD AS HE’S EVER BEEN In 2009, CB Charles Woodson enjoyed the finest season of his career, his first year in the 3-4 scheme, and has continued his impactful ways this season. Woodson achieved the highest individual honor bestowed upon a defen-

sive player, taking home The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award last season. He also was named an AP first-team All-Pro.

His 48-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter against Detroit this season in Week 4 was his eighth career with the Packers, which set a franchise record. He had been tied with Hall of Fame CB Herb Adderley (seven, 1961-69) for the team mark.

It was also Woodson’s ninth defensive TD (eight INTs, one fumble return) in a Green Bay uniform, which further extended his franchise

record.The touchdown gave Woodson 10 interception returns for touchdowns in his career (two with Oakland), which moved him up in the NFL record books as he became just the third player in league his-tory to post 10 career interception returns for touchdowns. He now trails only Rod Woodson (12) and Darren Sharper (11).Woodson has now returned an INT for a touchdown in five straight seasons, all five of his years in Green Bay (2006-10), to become the first player in NFL history to return an INT for a touchdown in five consecutive seasons.The score in Week 4 was also the third straight year that Woodson has returned an INT for a TD against Detroit. He is the first player in NFL history to return an interception for a TD in three consecutive seasons against the same team.In 2009, Woodson became the fourth player in NFL history since sacks became

an official statistic to record at least nine interceptions and two sacks in a single season. Woodson also led the Packers with four forced fumbles.

Woodson is off to another fast start in the tackles category this season as he ranks No. 2 on the team with 44 stops (35 solo). Last season he recorded a career-high 81 tackles (63 solo).

His four forced fumbles tied for second among NFL defensive backs in 2009, and he is tied for second in the NFL this season among defensive backs with two forced fumbles.

There’s no doubt Woodson’s career has undergone a revitalization since coming to Green Bay. He now has 46 career interceptions, which is tied for third among active NFL players. Of his interceptions, 29 have come in 69 games with Green Bay. In 106 games with the Raiders, he had 17.

No NFL defensive player has been more productive than Woodson when it comes to picking the ball off since 2008:

Player Interceptions 1. Charles Woodson, GB 17 2. Asante Samuel, PHI 16 3. Three players 14 Player Interception TDs 1. Charles Woodson, GB 6 2T. Eight players 3 Player Interception Return Yds. 1. Ed Reed, BAL 421 2. Nick Collins, GB 405 3. Charles Woodson, GB 396

PACKERS TEAM NOTES

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THIS TIME, CLOSE ONE GOES PACKERS’ WAYBack-to-back overtime losses will sap any team’s resolve, but in another down-to-the-wire finish on Sunday night, the Packers somehow found enough deep down inside to reverse their fortunes.Back-to-back overtime losses will sap any team’s resolve, but in another

down-to-the-wire finish on Sunday night, the Packers somehow found enough deep down inside to reverse their fortunes.

Holding off what in all likelihood was Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre’s final drive at Lambeau Field, the Packers hung on for a 28-24 victory over the Vikings as Favre came up 20 yards short of the potential game-winning touchdown in the final seconds.

“An excellent team win and an excellent character win,” Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “And it was definitely something that we needed.”

That’s for sure. The consecutive overtime defeats the past two weeks had dropped the Packers to 3-3, and as the former Green Bay legend drove Minnesota from its own 17 as far as the Packers’ 15-yard line, it looked as though Favre might overcome his three second-half interceptions, pull off one last miracle in front of a sold-out Lambeau crowd (71,107), and drop the Packers below .500 with their third straight last-second defeat.

But a false start followed by a face-mask penalty on right tackle Phil Loadholt as he was trying to block linebacker Clay Matthews cost the Vikings 20 yards, pushing them all the way back to the 35. Ultimately, after replay correctly reversed a typi-cal Favre rocket of a touchdown pass to Percy Harvin with 48 seconds left – Harvin’s second foot was out of bounds in the back of the end zone – the game came down to two throws intended for Randy Moss on third and fourth downs from the 20.

But both sailed high and incomplete, out of the back of the end zone, and with a huge sigh of relief the Packers not only had beaten their former quarterback for the first time in three tries but had pulled into a first-place tie in the NFC North with the Chicago Bears at 4-3. Minnesota dropped to 2-4.

“All the stuff we’ve been going through, these guys show so much heart, so much dedication just to go out there and fight, fight fight ‘til the end,” safety Nick Collins said. “This team can battle through anything.”

Including more injuries on defense, as if that even seemed possible. The Packers got Matthews back from his hamstring troubles but defensive end Cullen Jenkins strained a calf muscle during warm-ups about an hour before the game and couldn’t play. On top of that, defensive end Ryan Pickett re-injured the ankle that forced him to sit out last week, and he was out again early on.

But the defense overcame all that and was able to slow down the Vikings after they got on a roll in the first half.

The Packers had grabbed a 14-7 lead on the strength of some big plays by receiver James Jones (four receptions, 107 yards), a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Jackson and a 9-yard TD catch by tight end Andrew Quarless. But the Packers had squandered other chances to score in the half, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions in scoring territory, one to defensive end Jared Allen on a screen pass, and the other to safety Madieu Williams, who snagged a bullet into the end zone intended for wide receiver Greg Jennings that had been deflected by cornerback Frank Walker.

In the meantime, Minnesota’s big-play guys were starting to take over as the Vikings grabbed the lead by halftime.

Receiver Percy Harvin, who had 106 yards from scrimmage (65 receiv-

ing, 41 rushing), took an inside handoff and scored from 17 yards out for Minnesota’s first touchdown, tying the game at 7. Then, running back Adrian Peterson (28 carries, 131 yards) scored from a yard out to tie the game at 14 and Ryan Longwell’s 28-yard field goal gave Minnesota scores on three straight possessions for a 17-14 advantage.

But the Green Bay defense shifted the momentum back in a big way in the second half.

On Minnesota’s first possession, linebacker A.J. Hawk intercepted Favre as he was being pressured from behind by linebacker Brad Jones. The offense took advantage of the turnover and drove 41 yards for the go-ahead score, as Rodgers (21-of-34, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 84.8 rating) connected with Jennings from 14 yards out to make it 21-17.

Then just two snaps into the Vikings’ next drive, Favre was trying to avoid pressure again as he threw a short pass right to linebacker

Desmond Bishop, who returned the pick 32 yards for a TD. Suddenly, with two scores less than a minute apart, the Packers led 28-17.“It’s huge to get the momentum in a game,” Hawk said. “We came out on fire as a defense (in the second half). They were really rolling against us, run-ning the ball well, completing big third downs and scoring touchdowns, so we needed something, and luckily we got that. It’s crazy how fast it can switch, though.”It did, as Favre and the Vikings answered with a 58-yard TD drive, capped by a 4-yard pass to Moss, to get within 28-24 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.Strangely enough, there would be no more scoring in the game, but not for a lack of trying.

The Packers drove all the way to the Minnesota 34-yard line early in the fourth quarter, only to have running back John Kuhn stuffed on fourth-and-inches. Then the Vikings countered by getting all the way to the Green Bay 35, but Collins made an incredibly athletic play, jumping over and around Harvin to intercept a third-down pass for Favre’s third interception in a span of four drives.

Taking over with 9:18 left, Green Bay could only kill three minutes on the clock and punted, with Minnesota taking over on its own 17 for what turned out to be the final, nail-biting possession.

“Obviously it was a gut-check time,” said cornerback Tramon Williams, who was the primary reason Moss had just three catches for 30 yards on the night. “We’d pretty much been in this situation all year and been coming up on the short end of the stick.”

But not this time. After Favre’s final two heaves to Moss were no good, he was left with numbers (16-of-29, 212 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 50.4 rat-ing) that paled in comparison those from last year against Green Bay, when he threw seven TDs with no picks, torching the Packers in two big victories.

The Packers had come so agonizingly close to victories the past two weeks, but this time it was their opponent who was left to lament what might have been.

“We knew it was going to be a grinder, character, gut-it-out type of performance and our guys stepped up big,” McCarthy said. “I was very, very proud of those guys today.”

As Collins said, the players were proud of each other, too, and rightly so after what the team has been through.

“We all have the intestinal fortitude to pull these games out,” nose tackle B.J. Raji said. “Early in the season it didn’t go our way. Tonight it did.

“This was a long time coming. I’m glad we got this one. Hopefully we can continue this like we did last year get on a roll.”

WEEK 7 GAME REVIEW - PACKERS 28, VIKINGS 24

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2010 OPPONENTS A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULEThe Green Bay Packers’ 90th NFL regular-season schedule – headlined by six nationally televised games – was released in late April. Green Bay opened the 2010 slate on the road at Philadelphia before kick-

ing off the home schedule with the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. Its first prime-time appearance – against the rival Bears in Chicago on

Monday Night Football – came in Week 3. The NFL’s oldest rivalry was on display in prime time for a fifth straight season, with this first meeting of the year marking game No. 180 in the all-time series.

2010 marks the 18th consecutive season the Packers have appeared on Monday Night Football, the NFC’s longest streak.

Three games are slated for Sunday night on NBC, including home games this past Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and a Week 9 contest vs. the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 15, the Packers are scheduled to take on the Patriots on Sunday night in Foxborough, though the game is subject to the NFL’s flex scheduling.

The Packers will get their first look at the new stadium in New Jersey this Sunday against the Jets, where they may experience some cool fall temperatures. While games at Lambeau Field later in the season always provide a home-field advantage for the Packers, the 2010 schedule is nearly void of cold-weather road games. After the Jets, three consecu-tive road contests will be played in domes (Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit).

That’s good news for a Green Bay offense that seems to thrive in domes. Including playoffs, the Packers played in a dome five times last season, exceeding 400 total net yards in four of those games.

A number of games on the Packers’ 2010 schedule – namely those on national TV – are beginning to have a familiar feel. In addition to taking on the Bears for a fifth consecutive year in prime time, Green Bay took on Minnesota in prime time for a third straight season. The Packers and Cowboys will meet on national TV for the fourth straight season.

The schedule concludes with two home games for the first time since 2005. One of the NFL’s best teams in regular-season games played in December and January, Green Bay may need to call upon that previous success for what could prove to be two very important contests sur-rounding the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Games against the Giants (Week 16) and Bears (Week 17) could determine not only the NFC North Division crown but conference playoff seeding.

2010 SCHEDULE NUGGETSGreen Bay’s bye week comes in Week 10, the latest possible week for NFL teams. It marks the latest time in which the Packers have had a bye in franchise history, besting the Week 9 bye in 2004. The Packers will play nine games before the bye and seven after the open date. Three of four games before the bye come at Lambeau Field, while four

of five games after the bye are road contests. Immediately following the bye comes an important division game

against Minnesota, the first of three straight road games played in domes. Under McCarthy, the team has won three of four games after the bye week and 10 of its last 14 after the bye dating back further.

Green Bay has always been a successful team after the bye and 2009 was no different, as the team compiled a 9-3 (.750) mark after the bye week. Since 2000, the team is 61-36 (.629) overall after the bye.

Fifteen games are slated for Sunday, the most since 1993 (also 15). Seven of the final eight games are against NFC opponents. The Packers have six games on the schedule against 2009 playoff

teams, including Week 1 at Philadelphia. Beginning this week vs. Minnesota, Green Bay has a stretch of four straight games against play-off teams from a year ago. The team will travel east to take on the Jets in Week 8 and host the Cowboys in Week 9 before the bye. The stretch concludes in Minnesota in Week 11.

The NFL’s oldest rivalry will see a first in 2010. For the first time in series history, Green Bay will host Chicago in the regular-season finale, set to be game No. 181 between the Packers and Bears.

2010 SCHEDULE NOTES

NFL Rank Record Offense Defense at Atlanta Falcons ...........(5-2) 9 24

Buffalo Bills ................(0-6) 28 28

Chicago Bears ............(4-3) 30 5

Dallas Cowboys ..........(1-5) 5 10T

Detroit Lions ...............(1-5) 16 26

Miami Dolphins ..........(3-3) 13 10T

Minnesota Vikings ......(2-4) 20 6

at New England Patriots ..(5-1) 19 29

New York Giants .........(5-2) 3 2

at New York Jets ............(5-1) 17 12

at Philadelphia Eagles .....(4-3) 6 9

San Francisco 49ers ...(1-6) 21 13

at Washington Redskins ...(4-3) 18 31

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76 CHAD CLIFTONHas played in 150 career games, including 145 starts. By appearing in

last Sunday’s game, became the 19th player and sixth offensive lineman in