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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(6-3) atGREEN BAY PACKERS** (4-5)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Lambeau Field (72,922)
1:00 p.m. EST
The Patriots begin a stretch of three straight games against teams from the NFC North division when they travel to Green Bay to play the Packers on Sunday afternoon. New England will look to snap its first losing streak since 2002 against a Green Bay team that has won three of its last four games. The Patriots have enjoyed solid success against NFC teams in recent years, compiling a 20-4 record against the conference since 2001, including three Super Bowl victories over NFC opposition. The Patriots have won six straight road games - a streak that is tied for the second longest in team history - and have won those six games by an average margin of 19.3 points. New England's defense ranks fourth in the NFL in allowing just 14.6 points per game, but will face a significant challenge in the Packers' seventh-ranked offense, which has put up an average of 361.8 yards per game so far this season.
ROAD GAME WINNING STREAK
The Patriots have won six straight regular-season road games and have triumphed away from Gillette Stadium seven times in their last eight road contests. Since their last road loss (11/27/05 at Kansas City), the Patriots have outscored their opponents 187-71 in their six straight road wins. New England's six-game road winning streak is the second longest in team history, just one shy of the team-record seven straight road wins that spanned the 2003-04 seasons. That streak was part of New England's 21-game winning streak, which set the all-time pro football record.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by CBS. The game can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Greg Gumbel will handle play-by-play duties and Dan Dierdorf will provide analysis.
RADIO: WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's stations can be **found here**. Playby- play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 30th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti for the 23rd season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots will face the Packers for just the eighth time in a regular-season series that dates back to 1973. The Packers have built a 4-3 advantage in the seven previous regular-season contests and have won each of the last two meetings by the score of 28- 10. The Patriots will travel to Lambeau Field for a regular-season game for just the second time in team history, with the only other meeting coming 27 years ago, during the 1979 season. Despite making just one regular-season trip to Lambeau Field, the Patriots have played there seven times in the preseason, most recently claiming a 27-3 win on Aug. 26, 2005. The Patriots also traveled to Green Bay for preseason games three times in a four-year span from 1994-97. The Patriots have not defeated the Packers in the regular season since Oct. 2, 1994, when they claimed a 17-16 victory at Foxboro Stadium in the first regular-season home victory of Robert Kraft's ownership. In addition to the seven regular-season games in the series, the teams also squared off in Super Bowl XXXI in January, 1997 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
The Patriots have not defeated the Packers in regular-season play since 1994, Robert Kraft's first season as owner. Since New England claimed a 17-16 win over Green Bay on Oct. 2, 1994, the Patriots have defeated 29 of the other 30 NFL teams in either regular season or postseason play. The only team against which the Patriots hold a longer victory drought than the Packers is Washington (last win in 1972). After the Packers, the next team on the Patriots' list of victory droughts is the San Diego Chargers, whom New England defeated as recently as 2001.
QUICK HITS
- The Packers were the first team to defeat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, claiming a 28-10 victory on Oct. 13, 2002, in New England's first season in its new home.
- With the exception of recent expansion teams (those entering the league in 1995 or later), the Patriots' one regular-season appearance at Lambeau Field marks the fewest of any NFL team.
TOUGH ROAD
The Green Bay Packers are one of four NFL teams that the Patriots have never defeated on the road. New England has traveled to play Green Bay on the road two times - at Lambeau Field on Oct. 1, 1979 and at Milwaukee's County Stadium on Oct. 9, 1988 - and lost both games. New England has also never defeated Dallas, Washington or San Francisco on the road.
PATRIOTS VS. NFC NORTH
This season, the Patriots will play each of the four teams from the NFC North (Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago) as part of the NFL's scheduling rotation. The Patriots claimed a 31-7 road victory at Minnesota on Oct. 30 to kick off their NFC North slate and this week's game marks the first of three straight contests against NFC North foes. New England last faced off against the NFC North in the 2002 season and compiled a 3-1 record in those games that year. The Patriots hold an all-time regular-season record of 19-15 (.559) against the four NFC North teams. Both of the teams to which New England has lost the Super Bowl reside in the NFC North - Green Bay (XXXI) and Chicago (XX).
PATRIOTS VS. NFC
The Patriots have been dominant against NFC teams in recent seasons, compiling a 20-4 (.833) record against the conference since 2001. New England's record over that span includes three Super Bowl victories over NFC teams. Since losing to Green Bay on Oct. 13, 2002, the Patriots are 16-2 (.889) against NFC competition, This season, New England is 1-0 against the NFC, having defeated Minnesota on the road, 31-7, on Oct. 30, 2006.
CONNECTIONS
- Patriots assistant secondary coach Joel Collier coached with Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders with the Miami Dolphins (2000-2004).
- Packers tight ends/assistant offensive line coach Joe Philbin coached at Northeastern University (1995-96) and Harvard University (1997-98).
- Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Boston College from 1997-1998.
- Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees and Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements coached together at Notre Dame in 1994.
- Patriots center/guard Russ Hochstein and Packers running back Ahman Green were teammates at the University of Nebraska in 1997.
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Packers cornerback Charles Woodson were teammates at the University of Michigan from 1996-1997.
- Patriots defensive back Rashad Baker and Packers center Scott Wells were four-year teammates at the University of Tennessee from 2000-2003.
- Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins and defensive back James Sanders played with Packers safety Tyrone Culver at Fresno State for three seasons from 2002-2004.
- Patriots wide receivers Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gafney were teammates with Marquand Manuel at the University of Florida for three seasons from 1999-2001 before all being drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft.
- Patriots offensive lineman Wesley Britt and Packers safety Charlie Peprah played together at the University of Alabama.
- Former Boston College standout Will Blackmon was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Packers.
- Patriots guard Stephen Neal made his first career NFL start against Green Bay on Oct. 13, 2002.
ROAD SUCCESS
6The number of consecutive regular-season victories the Patriots have recorded on the road. The winning streak is tied for the second longest in team history, just one shy of the club-record of seven straight road wins from Oct. 2003 to Oct. 2004.
187-71
The aggregate scores in the Patriots' six straight road wins, with New England averaging 31.2 points per game and allowing just 11.8 points per game.
19.3
The average margin of victory for the Patriots during their sixgame road winning streak.
4
The number of games during their six-game road winning streak that the Patriots have won by 22 or more points.
Nov. 27, 2005
The date of the Patriots' last road loss, a 26-16 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
GREEN BAY SERIES
1
The number of previous times the Patriots have played at Lambeau Field in the regular season, marking the fewest visits to Lambeau of any team that entered the NFL prior to 1995.
27
The number of seasons since the Patriots last played at Lambeau Field. New England last visited Lambeau on Oct. 1, 1979.
0
The number of times the Patriots have defeated the Packers on the road. New England has played Green Bay twice on the road - once in Green Bay and once in Milwaukee.
28-10
The score in each of the Patriots' last two games against the Packers, with Green Bay coming out on top in both games.
NFC SUCCESS
20-4
The Patriots' record against the NFC since 2001, including a 3-0 record in Super Bowl play.
16-2
The Patriots' record against the NFC since their last game against Green Bay, a 28-10 loss at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13, 2002.
THE KRAFT ERA
136The number of regular-season and playoff victories the Patriots have earned since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is tied for the highest total in the NFL over that span.
4
The number of times the Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. No other team has made more than two Super Bowl appearances in that span.
136-83
The Patriots' overall record since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 (including postseason), a .621 winning percentage.
76-33
The Patriots' record at home since 1994, including regularseason and postseason games, a winning percentage of .697.
32-9
The Patriots' record at Gillette Stadium, including regular-season and postseason games (.780 win pct).
STINGY DEFENSE
14.6
The average number of points per game the Patriots have allowed in 2006.
4
The Patriots' NFL rank in points allowed per game. Only Denver, Chicago and Jacksonville rank higher.
14.9
The Patriots team record for fewest points allowed per game in a full season, achieved in 2004.
17.70The average number of points per game the Patriots have allowed since 2001, a mark that ranks third in the NFL over that span, trailing only Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
13
The number of times Bill Belichick's defenses have finished in the NFL's top 10 in fewest points allowed since he was first named a defensive coordinator in 1985.
MR. PATRIOT
540
The number of receptions that Troy Brown has recorded in a Patriots uniform, making him the Patriots' all-time leading receiver. He passed Stanley Morgan's old franchise mark with his 535th career reception in a game against Indianapolis on Nov. 5.
6,235
The number of career receiving yards for Troy Brown, making him the second player in franchise history to reach the 6,000- yard mark (Stanley Morgan, 10,352).
14
The number of seasons in which Brown has donned a Patriots uniform, tying Bruce Armstrong and Steve Nelson for the second longest Patriots tenure, trailing only Steve Grogan (16 seasons).
2
The number of current NFL players who have been with their respective teams for more than the 14 seasons Brown has been a Patriot (Brett Favre, GB, and Jason Hanson, DET;15 seasons).
THE HEAD COACH
32The number of years Bill Belichick has been an NFL coach, making him the longest tenured coach among the NFL's 32 head coaches.
7
The number of head coaches in the NFL or college who were assistant coaches under Belichick (Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Nick Saban, Charlie Weis, Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill and Al Groh).
40-2Belichick's record in New England when the Patriots score 25 points or more.
61-5
Belichick's record in New England when the Patriots score 21 points or more.
STREAKING
98
The number of consecutive games Tom Brady has started for the Patriots, including 87 regular-season games and 11 playoff contests. Brady's streak ranks third in the NFL behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
133
The number of consecutive home games that the Patriots have sold out. The streak includes preseason, regular-season and playoff games and dates back to the 1994 regular-season opener. The streak also includes this week's game against the Jets.
