Kickoff: 10 a.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
Series: Green Bay leads 7-1. The Packers won the last meeting, 38-21, on Dec. 14, 2003.
Player to watch: QB Brett Favre
Every year, it seems, Favre talks about retiring. Every year, he comes back and adds to an already legendary career. The latest milestone came last Sunday in a 35-13 dismantling of the New York Giants. The win was the 149th of Favre's career - an NFL record for quarterbacks, breaking the mark previously held by John Elway. Favre, who will turn 38 in three weeks, had one of his best performances of recent memory against the Giants, passing for 286 yards and three touchdowns and finishing with a sparkling quarterback rating of 112.4. Most amazing about Favre is his durability. On Sunday, he will make his 260th consecutive start for the Packers, also an NFL record. In his 16th season with the Packers, Favre has completed 52-of-80 passes this season for 492 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.
Offense
The Packers' offense is as predictable as they come. It's been pass, pass, pass so far this season, as the team struggles to establish a running game. Favre has been locking in WR Donald Driver, reminiscent of the days he threw almost exclusively to Sterling Sharpe early in his career and, later, Robert Brooks. Driver caught eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. TE Bubba Franks is the other big target. The Riverside native stands 6-foot-6, weighs 265 pounds and can wreak havoc on defenses. Franks never has caught less than 25 passes in a season and this year has six catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. Rookie RB DeShawn Wynn likely grabbed the starting running back position from fellow rookie Brandon Jackson last Sunday after Wynn rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries against the Giants. Included in Wynn's performance was a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Defense
The Packers have allowed 13 points in each of their two wins this season against the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. DT Corey Williams had an interception that set up the Packers' final touchdown last week and Green Bay limited Eli Manning to 211 passing yards and 16 completions in 29 attempts. CB Charles Woodson, LB A.J. Hawk and DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a former San Diego State star, are the big names on a unit that ranks 14th in the league in average yards allowed, one spot ahead of the Chargers. Green Bay's 13.0 points per game allowed is seventh best in the league.
Noteworthy
Wynn played for national champion Florida last season, but his college career overall was a disappointment, as he was labeled as an underachiever with poor work habits and a fragile body. He was a seventh-round pick for the Packers. … Dating to last season, the Packers have won six straight games. … Green Bay' s 2-0 start is its best since 2001, when they started 3-0 en route to a 12-4 season that ended in the NFC divisional playoffs. The Packers opened 1-4 in 2004, 0-4 in 2005 and 1-4 last year. … Eight players caught passes for Green Bay against the Giants.
- Loren Nelson
Posted in Chargers on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 12:00 am Updated: 1:45 pm.
© Copyright 2009, North County Times - Californian, Escondido, CA | Terms of Service and Privacy Policy