Packers at Bears NFC Championship Release.indd - NFL.com

PACKERS TEAM NOTESWITHIN STRIKING DISTANCEGreen Bay’s six losses this season came by a combined 20 points, a 3.33margin of defeat that ranked No. 1 in the NFL.The Packers never lost a game by more than four points this season, buteven more impressive, they never trailed by more than seven points atany point in a game this season.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Green Bay became the firstteam since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to never trail by morethan seven points in a game at any point in a season, with the 1969Minnesota Vikings the last to do so.The Packers’ 3.33 average margin of defeat was the lowest in franchisehistory since the team lost two games by a total of four points (2.0 avg.)in 1966.In 2010, Baltimore ranked No. 2 (4.00) in the category with Indianapolischecking in at No. 3 (7.17). The next closest teams in the NFC wereAtlanta and Philadelphia (7.67).According to STATS, the average margin of defeat in NFL games thisseason was 11.75, and the average among playoff teams was 10.64. Ofthe 32 teams in the league, 17 had an average margin of defeat of 10 ormore points this season.Green Bay’s average of margin of defeat this season was the lowest by ateam with five or more losses since San Francisco’s 3.00 mark in 1995when the 49ers finished 11-5.The Packers’ average margin of defeat was the lowest by a playoff qualifiersince San Diego recorded a 3.00 margin of defeat in its two lossesin 2006.Green Bay spent an average of 35:12 per game in the lead this seasoncompared to an average of 9:44 per game trailing its opponents.NOT IN A GIVING MOODLast season the Packers set a franchise mark with a league-low 16giveaways, and while this year’s team had 22 (No. 10 in the NFL), it alsodid something that even the record-setting one could not.In the five games from Oct. 31-Dec. 5, Green Bay turned the ball overjust one time. That came at Atlanta in Week 12 when QB AaronRodgers fumbled at the goal line in the second quarter.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in franchisehistory that the Packers turned the ball over just one time overa five-game span in a season.In the Week 13 win over San Francisco, Rodgers did not throw an INTfor the fifth straight game, his career high. The last Packers QB to notbe picked off in five straight starts in a season was Bart Starr in 1966.Rodgers was intercepted in Week 14 at Detroit when a deep pass downthe middle went off WR Greg Jennings’ hands and into S AmariSpievey’s. That snapped a streak of 181 attempts without an interceptionfor Rodgers, good for No. 2 in franchise history. It put him behind onlyBart Starr (294 in 1964-65) for the franchise record. Starr’s mark ranksNo. 3 in NFL history.The 22 giveaways on the season brought the Packers’ three-year total(2008-10) to 59 turnovers. That is the fewest over a three-year span bythe Packers since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, bestingthe previous mark of 67 from 1994-96.If the Packers don’t commit a turnover, they’re almost guaranteed towin. They have now won 44 of 48 games (.917) playing turnover-freefootball since a loss at Dallas, Nov. 18, 1996. Green Bay’s only lossesin such games during that stretch came three times against Minnesota,twice in Minneapolis (2005, ’08) and once at home (2009), and in Week15 last year at Pittsburgh.Green Bay is 20-3 (.870) in the regular season under Head Coach MikeMcCarthy when it doesn’t commit a turnover.Including playoffs, the Packers have won 47 of their last 51 games whenthey don’t turn the ball over.MAKING THEM PAY WITH TAKEAWAYSAfter tying for the league lead in points off of takeaways in 2009, thePackers were productive in that area once again this season.Green Bay finished No. 5 in the NFL with 111 points off of takeaways thisseason, the Packers’ third straight top-5 ranking in the category. ThePackers are the only team in the NFL to finish in the top 5 in pointsoff of takeaways in each of the last three seasons.The Packers have been especially productive at Lambeau Field, havingscored points off a turnover in 16 of their last 18 home games.The Packers posted a plus-10 turnover ratio on the season, good forNo. 4 in the NFL.Of the Packers’ 32 takeaways this season, 15 of them were convertedinto touchdowns. That 46.9 TD percentage ranked No. 4 in the NFL, andGreen Bay’s 15 TDs off of takeaways were tied for No. 2 in the leaguebehind New England (18).Green Bay averaged 3.47 points off of turnovers this season, good forNo. 8 in the league.The Packers were No. 2 in the league with 24 interceptions behind onlyNew England (25) and were tied for No. 2 in INTs for TDs (three).With LB Clay Matthews’ INT for a TD in Week 9 vs. Dallas, thePackers have posted at least three INTs for TDs in each of the last threeseasons. That is the first time in franchise history that Green Bay hasaccomplished that feat. The Packers have posted at least three INTs forTDs in four of five seasons under Head Coach Mike McCarthy.The Packers had 11 different players post an interception this season,the most by a Green Bay team since 11 in 2002.In Green Bay’s 48-21 win at Atlanta on Saturday night, the defense postedfour takeaways, the most by the Packers in a postseason game sincethey recorded the same number vs. New England in Super Bowl XXXI.The Packers registered 20 points off the four takeaways against theFalcons, highlighted by CB Tramon Williams’ 70-yard interceptionreturn for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.Green Bay posted 30 INTs and 10 fumble recoveries in 2009, whichit turned into 141 points. The 40 takeaways led the NFL, and the 141points scored off those takeaways tied New Orleans for most in the NFL.The 30 interceptions led the league and was the team’s highest singleseasontotal since 1981, when it also had 30.Last season Green Bay surpassed its 2008 total of 124 points off takeaways,which led the NFL. It also eclipsed its ’08 total in interceptions(22) and fumble recoveries (six) while at the same time protecting theball at a better clip. Green Bay’s 16 giveaways was the lowest total inthe NFL in 2009.During McCarthy’s tenure, the Packers have a 36-6 (.857) regularseasonrecord when they come out ahead in the game in turnover ratio,and a 6-20 (.231) record when they lose the takeaway battle. UnderMcCarthy, Green Bay is 20-3 (.870) when its turnover margin is plus-2or better.The Packers rank No. 3 in the NFL with a plus-45 turnover ratio since2006 behind only New England (plus-59).BALANCED PASSING ATTACK FOR PACKThe Packers pride themselves on having one of the deeper wide-receivercorps in the NFL, and that was on display in 2010.Green Bay had four wide receivers post 40 catches and three register 50receptions in the same season for the first time in franchise history.Greg Jennings led the way with 76, with Donald Driver (51),James Jones (50) and Jordy Nelson (45) checking in behind him.All four receivers topped the 500-yard mark on the season, also a franchisefirst.In Saturday night’s playoff win at Atlanta, Jennings (101), Nelson (79),Driver (76) and Jones (75) became the first foursome in NFL historyto all hit the 75-yard receiving mark in a postseason game.With Jennings (119), Nelson (61), Jones (44) and No. 5 wideout BrettSwain (40) all hitting the 40-yard mark at Atlanta in Week 12, it wasthe first time since 2004 that the Packers had four 40-yard receivers ina game. Driver was a part of that foursome, joining Antonio Chatman,Robert Ferguson and Javon Walker in the game against Jacksonville onDec. 19, 2004.RB Brandon Jackson added a career-best 43 receptions on the season,giving Green Bay five players with 40-plus receptions.The last time the Packers had five players, regardless of position, withat least 40 catches in the same season was 1980 (WRs James Loftonand Aundra Thompson, RB Eddie Lee Ivery, FB Gerry Ellis and TE PaulCoffman).77