The Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers will square off in a battle of the teams with the two best records in the NFC.
After playing the undefeated Broncos last week, the Packers will be the third team in NFL history to play teams 6-0 or better in consecutive games (1934 Detroit and 2004 Pittsburgh), and the first to play both games on the road.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this will be the sixth time Green Bay will play an undefeated team with at least seven wins (Nov. 2, 2008, at TEN, 7-0 / Nov. 4, 1990, vs. SF, 7-0 / Nov. 3, 1985, vs. CHI, 8-0 / Nov. 15, 1942, at CHI, 7-0 / Nov. 25, 1934, at DET, 10-0).
The Packers and Panthers are facing each other in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007-08.
Green Bay is 8-4 against the Panthers during the regular season, including 5-2 at Carolina.
The Packers have scored 30-plus points in all four games against the Panthers under Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
Green Bay has won 13 of its last 15 games in the regular season, including eight of the last nine.
Dating back to Week 4 of 2014, the Packers are 6-3 on the road during the regular season, including 2-1 in 2015. Green Bay’s .667 road winning percentage ranks No. 5 in the NFL over that span.
The Packers have won six or more of their first seven games for the 14th time since 1940 and for the third time in the McCarthy era (7-0 in 2011 and 6-1 in 2007).
The Packers are one of five NFL teams with one or fewer losses this season.
AGAINST THE NFC
Sunday starts a stretch that sees Green Bay playing NFC opponents in eight of the final nine games, including the next six contests.
The Packers and Panthers are the only two teams in the NFL with 4-0 records against the NFC this season.
Green Bay is 13-3 during the regular season against NFC teams since the start of last season. The Packers’ .813 winning percentage is No. 1 among NFC teams over that span.
During the McCarthy era (2006-present), Green Bay is 77-34-1 against NFC opponents during the regular season. The Packers’ 77 wins are seven more than any other team over that span.
QB Aaron Rodgers has recorded a passer rating of 109.2 against NFC opponents during the regular season in his career, which is No. 1 among active quarterbacks (min. 100 pass attempts).
In four games against NFC teams this season, Rodgers has completed 84 of 118 passes for 903 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 108.8 passer rating.
In Week 10, the Packers will return to Lambeau Field to take on the Detroit Lions. It will be the first of four consecutive games against divison opponents, including two against the Lions.
WITH THE CALL
FOX Sports, now in its 22nd season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game to a regional audience.
Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins color commentator Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Erin Andrews.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 21st season calling Packers’ games. McCarren has four times been voted Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 17th season of broadcasts together.
Westwood One Sports will air the game across the country. John Sadak (play-by-play) and Mark Malone (analyst) will call the action and Scott Graham hosts the pregame and halftime shows.
The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed) as part of the network’s NFL Sunday Drive.
DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game on channel 709.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The Packers have won six of the last eight games against Carolina, including three of the last four.
Green Bay's last trip to Carolina came in 2011 in Week 2, a 30-23 victory over the Panthers.
The Packers look to win the next game after a loss for the seventh consecutive time during the regular season.
Green Bay last lost consecutive games during the 2013 regular season (Games 9-10).
The Packers have not lost back-to-back games during the same regular season with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback since 2010 (Games 5-6).
Green Bay looks to rush for 120-plus yards for the sixth time this season. The Packers are tied for No. 1 in the NFL this season with five games with 120-plus rushing yards (Atlanta, Carolina and Pittsburgh).
Green Bay’s four games with three-plus sacks this season are tied for No. 5 in the NFL.
The Packers will face Carolina QB Cam Newton for the third time. In the previous two matchups, Green Bay has forced a total of four interceptions and a combined passer rating of 72.3.
OFFENSE
If QB Aaron Rodgers throws for 300-plus yards, it will be the 42nd 300-yard passing game of his career during the regular season.
Dating back to 2014, Rodgers has not thrown an interception in 19 of the last 23 regular-season games, including eight of the last nine. The Packers are 17-2 in those games.
Since the start of the 2014 season, Rodgers has thrown 53 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
In the previous three games against Carolina, Rodgers has completed 67 of 97 passes for 861 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 119.8.
In the win over Carolina last season, Rodgers recorded a passer rating of 154.5 and completed 86.4 percent of his passes (19 of 22) for 255 yards and three touchdowns. It was the highest completion percentage of his career (min. 10 att.) and the second-highest passer rating of his career behind the 155.4 rating at Cleveland in 2009.
WR Randall Cobb needs one catch to extend his streak of consecutive regular-season games with a reception to 48. Cobb is currently tied with Ahman Green (2000-03) for the ninth longest streak in franchise history and trails Max McGee (49, 1959-1963) for eighth place.
Last season, Cobb recorded 121 yards and one touchdown on six receptions (20.2 avg.) against the Panthers.
Dating back to last season (with Oakland in 2014), WR James Jones has registered a touchdown reception in seven of the last 10 games. He has totaled eight touchdown receptions over that span.
Jones is tied for No. 4 in the NFL with seven receptions of 25-plus yards this season. His career high for 25-yard receptions in a season is eight in 2013. Jones has also recorded seven in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
DEFENSE
LB Clay Matthews has 13 career games with two or more sacks. He is one shy of tying Tim Harris (14, 1986-90) for No. 3 in team history (Reggie White, 16; Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, 15).
LB Julius Peppers leads the team with 5.5 sacks this season. Dating back to last season (including playoffs), Peppers has 10 sacks in the last 11 games.
Peppers has totaled three sacks in his last two games against Carolina.
Peppers has recorded a sack in five games this season, which is tied for No. 2 in the NFL (DEN DeMarcus Ware, HOU J.J. Watt, CIN Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap) behind six by DET Ezekiel Ansah.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Green Bay is tied for No. 1 in the NFL (Minnesota) in opponent punt return average at 4.0 yards per return.
In Week 6, the Packers’ Mason Crosby (280) surpassed Ryan Longwell (278) for the most field goal attempts in team history. In Week 2, Crosby (1,089) passed Longwell (1,054) for the franchise career scoring record.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Panthers:
Regular season, all-time: 8-4
All-time, in Carolina: 5-2
Streaks: The Packers have won three of the last four meetings.
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 19, 2014, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 38-17
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 107-56-1, .655, (incl. 7-6 postseason); 10th NFL season
Ron Rivera: 39-33-1, .541, (incl. 1-2 postseason); 5th NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 2-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 3-1 vs. Panthers; Rivera 0-2 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 10th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
Led the Packers to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance last season, joining New England as the only two NFL teams to do so over that span. Has also led the team to seven playoff appearances in the last eight years (2007, 2009-14).
Has guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring each of the past eight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
His .666 winning percentage during the regular season (100-50-1) ranks No. 3 among active NFL coaches (min. 50 games).
Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
RON RIVERA…Is in his fifth year as the Panthers’ fourth head coach.
Helped his franchise become the first team in NFC South history to win back-to-back division titles (2013-14).
Led Carolina to four consecutive wins to finish the 2014 season at 7-8-1, and captured his first-career playoff victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Last season, the Panthers put together a third consecutive top-10 finish in defensive yards allowed, joining Seattle and San Francisco as the only teams to accomplish the feat.
Named NFL Coach of the Year by The Associated Press following the 2013 season.
Before joining the Panthers, he worked for the San Diego Chargers from 2007-10, coaching inside linebackers before becoming the defensive coordinator midway through the 2008 season.
THE PACKERS-PANTHERS SERIES
The first-ever meeting between the two teams came in the 1996 NFC Championship, when the Packers beat a Panthers team, coached by current Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers, 30-13 at Lambeau Field.
This will be the 13th regular-season contest between the two teams, with the Packers holding an 8-4 advantage in the series, including wins in three of the last four.
The Panthers own a 2-1 record vs. Green Bay in the month of November.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers LB Julius Peppers was born in Wilson, N.C., went to Nash High School in Bailey, N.C., attended the University of North Carolina and was selected by the Panthers in the first round (second overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft, who he played for from 2002-09...Packers DC Dom Capers served as the first HC in Carolina franchise history from 1995-98, guiding the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in just his second season…Packers DL coach Mike Trgovac coached on Carolina’s staff for seven seasons (2002-08), the final six as DC…Packers TE Richard Rodgers ’ father, Richard Rodgers Sr., is the Panthers asst. DBs coach...Packers RBs coach Sam Gash was born in Hendersonville, N.C., and ran for 4,739 yards and 72 TDs at Hendersonville High...Packers LBJoe Thomas played at South Carolina State and is from Blackville, S.C. ...Panthers P Brad Nortman played at Central High School in his hometown of Brookfield, Wis., and was teammates with Packers QB Scott Tolzien and WR Jared Abbrederis at the University of Wisconsin...Panthers LB A.J. Klein is from Kimberly, Wis., and attended Kimberly High School...Panthers LS J.J. Jansen entered the NFL with the Packers as an UDFA in 2008 and spent that season on injured reserve with Green Bay...Panthers asst. special teams/nickel backs coach Curtis Fuller played safety for the Packers from 2003-04 and was Green Bay’s special teams asst. in 2009 and coaching administrator in 2010...Fuller also coached for the Raiders in 2007 while Packers secondary-safeties coach Darren Perry was on staff...In 2014, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Panthers LB Thomas Davis were finalists for the NFL Man of the Year Award, with Davis becoming the eventual recipient of the award...Packers senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith and Panthers OC Mike Shula were high school teammates at Chirstopher Columbus High School in Miami, Fla. ...In 2005, Packers HC Mike McCarthy was the OC for San Francisco while Panthers TEs coach Pete Hoener worked in the same role and QBs coach Ken Dorsey played the position for the 49ers...Packers TEs coach Jerry Fontenot and Panthers HC Ron Rivera were teammates on the Chicago Bears from 1989-92...Fontenot was still playing in Chicago when Shula coached TEs for the Bears from 1993-95...Fontenot was coached on the OL in New Orleans in 1996 by Panthers OL coach John Matsko...In 1998, Rivera coached for Chicago while Packers OC Edgar Bennett played for the Bears...In 2008-09, Packers QBs/WRs coach Alex Van Pelt and Panthers asst. OL coach Ray Brown were on the same staff in Buffalo...Van Pelt and Gash both played for the Bills while Panthers special teams coord. Bruce DeHaven coached for Buffalo...Capers coached on the same staff as Panthers RBs coach Jim Skipper at San Jose State in 1977, for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars in the USFL in 1984-85 and for the Saints from 1986-91...Packers asst. OL coach Mike Solari coached with DeHaven in Seattle (2007-09), Brown (1996, 2010) and Hoener (2010) in San Francisco, and Matsko in Kansas City (2006-07)...Peppers and Panthers TE Greg Olsen were playing for the Bears while Panthers DL coach Eric Washington worked in the same position for Chicago in 2010...Packers DT Letroy Guion was teammates in Minnesota with Panthers QB Joe Webb from 2010-13...Gash coached for the Jets in 2005-06 while Panthers WR Jerricho Cotchery played...Former college teammates include Packers CB Sam Shields and Olsen (Miami), Packers LB Clay Matthews and Panthers C Ryan Kalil (Southern California), Packers C Corey Linsley and Panthers WR Corey Brown and G Andrew Norwell (Ohio State), Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and RB Eddie Lacy and Panthers WR Kevin Norwood (Alabama), Packers LB Mike Neal and Panthers DT Kawann Short (Purdue), and Packers DT B.J. Raji and Panthers LB Luke Kuechly (Boston College).
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Oct. 19, 2014, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 38-17.
QB Aaron Rodgers connected on 19 of 22 passes for 255 yards and three TDs (154.5 passer rating).
WRs Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson combined for 10 catches, 201 yards and two TDs.
QB Cam Newton completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for 205 yards, one TD and one INT (72.6 passer rating).
TE Greg Olsen hauled in all eight of his targets for 105 yards.
Read more: http://www.packers.com/news-and-eve...8f8-ee05-4995-890f-3b44d316d9bf#ixzz3qTa3pd7x
