Packers Bye Week Dope Sheet

Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from 1921-24.

Honoring Calhoun, the first publicity director, the Packers are running this weekly feature as their release, which is being made available to fans exclusively on Packers.com. This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by clicking here.

Here are some highlights from the Packers Bye Week Dope Sheet:

PACKERS ENTER BYE ON FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK

The Packers enter their Week 10 bye at 6-3, having won four straight games and five of their last six contests. This marks the second time in three seasons (2010) that Green Bay has had its bye in Week 10.
For the Packers, it is the third straight season that they have had a record of 6-3 or better after nine games.
Green Bay is currently second in the NFC North behind Chicago (7-1). The Packers are tied with the N.Y. Giants (6-3) for the fourth-best record in the NFC behind Atlanta (8-0), the Bears and San Francisco (6-2).
It marks the second straight season that Green Bay has entered its open week on the schedule on a winning streak of four or more games. In 2011, the Packers stood at 7-0 at their bye.
The Packers are the only team in the league to enter the bye on a winning streak of four or more games each of the last two seasons.
On Sunday, Green Bay improved to 6-3 with a 31-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. It was the Packers’ 16th win in their last 17 regular-season games at home and their 23rd victory in the last 25 contests at Lambeau.
The Packers’ .920 winning percentage (23-2) at home since Week 10 of 2009 ranks No. 1 in the NFL over that span.
The Packers have won 23 of their last 27 regular-season games overall (.852), the best record in the league over that span.
Green Bay ranks No. 9 in the NFL this season in points scored with an average of 26.6 points per game and No. 12 in the league in passing offense at 249.3 yards per game.
The Packers rank No. 12 in the league in total defense (341.9 ypg), No. 10 in run defense (98.3 ypg) and No. 11 in points allowed (20.8 ppg).
Green Bay’s special teams have contributed three TDs and to the team’s No. 3 ranking in average starting field position (30.7) and a No. 2 ranking in opponent average starting field position (24.5).

IN AND OUT OF THE OFF WEEK

With the win over the Cardinals on Sunday, the Packers improved to 5-2 (.714) under Head Coach Mike McCarthy in the came before the bye.
Since 1994, Green Bay has a 14-5 record (.737) in the game heading into its open week on the schedule.
The Packers will come out of their week off with back-to-back road contests at Detroit (Week 11) and at the N.Y. Giants (Week 12), the second straight year that Green Bay has traveled to take on the Lions and Giants in consecutive weeks (Weeks 12 and 13 in 2011).
It will be the third straight season that the Packers will come out of their bye with a contest away from Lambeau Field. In 2011, Green Bay traveled to San Diego and in 2010, the Packers visited Minnesota following their open week.
In games immediately following its bye week, Green Bay has won 12 of its last 16 (.750). Under McCarthy, the Packers are 5-1 (.833).
Green Bay won its first game after the bye each of the last three seasons, outscoring its opponents 102-41 in those games. That included a 26-0 win vs. Detroit in 2009 and a 31-3 victory at Minnesota in 2010.
Since McCarthy took over in 2006, Green Bay has a 38-20 overall record (.655) after the bye. Since 2009, the Packers are 21-7 (.750) after the bye.
Of the seven remaining games on Green Bay’s schedule, five will come against NFC North foes. Two of those contests will be against Detroit (Weeks 11 and 14), two against Minnesota (Weeks 13 and 17) and one against Chicago (Week 15).
When the Packers visit the Lions at Ford Field after the bye, they will be looking to extend their divisional winning streak to nine games, which would be a franchise record (see page 9 for more). Green Bay’s current eight-game winning streak in the NFC North matches the team-best mark of eight straight wins in the division from 1996-97.
The Packers have posted a winning record in the division every season under McCarthy (2006-11), joining New England as the only teams in the league to accomplish the feat over that span.
Of the seven games left on Green Bay’s schedule, three will be at Lambeau Field and four will be on the road. Five of the games (three home, at N.Y. Giants, at Chicago) will be played outdoors.

SACKING PACK

Through Week 9, the Packers lead the league in sacks and sack yardage:

Team, Sacks (2012)
1. Green Bay, 28
2. Arizona, 27
3t. Chicago, N.Y. Giants, Seattle, 25

Team, Sack Yardage (2012)
1. Green Bay, 202
2. N.Y. Giants, 184
3. Carolina, 181

The Packers' 28 sacks are tied for the most by the team through nine games since 2002. Green Bay also had 28 sacks through the first nine contests in 2010.
Green Bay is on pace to challenge the franchise record (since 1963) for sacks. The top season came in 2001, when the Packers registered 52 sacks as a team.
Of Green Bay’s 28 sacks, 10 have come on first down (tied for No. 2 in the NFL) and 12 have come on second down (No. 1 in the league).
The Packers have had 13 different players register at least one sack this season, including rookies Nick Perry (two sacks), Jerel Worthy (two), Mike Daniels (two) and Dezman Moses (one). That ranks No. 2 in the NFL this season behind only Cleveland (14 players).
Since 2010, the Packers have registered 104 sacks as a team, which is No. 3 in the league over that span.

SUPER SIX

After getting off to a slower start this season by his standards (87.0 rating in the first three games), QB Aaron Rodgers has put together a torrid six-game stretch, completing 141 of 212 passes (66.5 percent) for 1,638 yards and 22 TDs with just three INTs for a 118.4 passer rating.
A look at where Rodgers’ numbers stack up in the league since Week 4:

Quarterback, Passer Rating
1. Peyton Manning, DEN, 123.6
2. Aaron Rodgers, GB, 118.4
3. Drew Brees, NO, 108.3

Quarterback, Passing TDs
1. Aaron Rodgers, GB, 22
2t. Drew Brees, NO, 15
2t. Peyton Manning, DEN, 15

Quarterback, Passing Yards
1. Drew Brees, NO, 1,645
2. Aaron Rodgers, GB, 1,638
3. Peyton Manning, DEN, 1,580

Rodgers’ 22 TD passes over the past six games set a franchise record for the most TD throws over a six-game span in a single season, topping the mark of 20 by Rodgers (twice in 2011) and Brett Favre (1996).
Rodgers’ TD/INT ratio of 7.33 (22/3) since Week 4 ranks No. 1 in the NFL, ahead of Patriots QB Tom Brady and Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman (6.00, 12/2).

STAT OF THE WEEK

In Green Bay’s 31-17 victory over Arizona on Sunday at Lambeau Field, TE Tom Crabtree caught a 72-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the third quarter to extend the Packers’ lead to 31-17.
It marked the longest TD reception by a Green Bay tight end since Paul Coffman scored on a 78-yard grab at Miami on Oct. 28, 1979.
For Crabtree, it was his second TD catch of 45-plus yards this season. In Green Bay’s Week 6 win at Houston, he caught a 48-yard TD pass from Rodgers in the fourth quarter.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crabtree is the first Green Bay tight end since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have two touchdown catches of 45-plus yards in a season.
Crabtree has three TD receptions this season, with the other coming in Week 2 when he posted a 27-yard scoring grab on a shovel pass from P Tim Masthay on a fake field goal.
Crabtree has a 49.0-yard average on his three TDs this season, No. 2 in the NFL this season among players with three or more TD grabs (Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts, 53.7-yard average on three TDs).