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PACKERS-BEARS: THE NFL'S GREATEST RIVALRY
-Green Bay heads south to Chicago to face the Bears Sunday in the 175th installment of the most historic rivalry in professional football.
-The Packers come into the matchup winners of 16 of their last 18 games and have already clinched their 18th division title in team history.
-Winners of eight of its last nine road contests, Green Bay also has clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 1997.
-No two professional football teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears. The two clubs sit No. 1 and 2 in world championships (Packers 12, Bears 9) and also No. 1 and 2 for most players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Bears 26, Packers 21).
-The two teams have enjoyed recent success as well, with the last seven division titles going to Green Bay (4) and Chicago (3).
-Quarterback Brett Favre is 12-2 (.857) in his career at Soldier Field. That's actually a better winning percentage than his remarkable regular-season record at Lambeau Field (88-28, .759). Also, Favre's 12 wins at Soldier Field are twice as many as the next closest road venue (6 wins, HHH Metrodome). His 25 touchdown passes at Soldier Field are more than he has thrown at any stadium other than Lambeau Field.
-A win would match Green Bay's franchise record for wins in one season.
PACKERS AMONG NFL'S BEST AWAY FROM LAMBEAU
-Green Bay has enjoyed remarkable success on the road, winning eight of its last nine contests. Its recent seven-game road winning streak, which was snapped at Dallas, was something the franchise had not accomplished since Vince Lombardi's final two seasons (1966-67) in Green and Gold.
-A win on the road today would give Green Bay its best road record since 1941, when it finished 5-0 in games on the road. A seventh road win would tie the 1929 club (7-0-1) for the most road wins in franchise history.
-One of the most impressive accomplishments of Head Coach Mike McCarthy's first year as head coach was the way his club performed on the road. The Packers finished 5-3 away from home in 2006, recording the most road wins in franchise history for a coach in his first season.
-McCarthy and the Packers have picked up right where they left off, winning six of their first seven road games of the season.
-A look at the top road teams in the NFL since 2006:
Team (Road Record) Pct.
New England (14-1) .933
Dallas (11-3) .786
Green Bay (11-4) .733
N.Y. Giants (10-4) .714
Indianapolis (11-5) .687
New Orleans (10-5) ----
Chicago (10-6) .625
San Diego (9-6) .600
Carolina (8-7) .533
IN THE NFL'S 'BLACK AND BLUE' DIVISION
-The Packers have clinched the team's first NFC North crown since 2004.
-McCarthy is 8-2 in NFC North games since taking over in Green Bay and has yet to lose on the road in the division (5-0). Both division losses, however, came to the Chicago Bears.
-The Packers have won eight of their last nine division games.
-Last season, the Packers finished tied for the NFL's best division record at 5-1, losing only to Chicago in the season opener. No other head coach in team annals had a better division mark in his rookie season than McCarthy.
DECEMBER IS TIME TO REMEMBER
-With home-field advantage in the NFC up for grabs through the end of the regular season, the Packers will look to sweep the final month of the season. History, it seems, is on their side.
-The home stretch of the NFL calendar has proved extremely successful for the Packers over the years. Since 1997, they own the league's best mark in games played in the final month (including regular-season games played in January) at 37-12-0. New England's 34-13-0 mark ranks second.
-Head Coach Mike McCarthy certainly has continued the tradition of December success. He is now 6-1 in the month.
WEARING THE STRIPES
Today's officiating crew includes referee Jeff Triplette (42), umpire Jim Quirk (5), head linesman Steve Stelljes (22), line judge Jeff Seeman (45), field judge Duke Carroll (11), side judge Greg Meyer (78) and back judge Greg Steed (12).
NEXT WEEK
In the regular-season finale, the Packers host the Lions while the Bears host the Saints.
**
WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY
4 BRETT FAVRE
-Has played in 253 straight games (273 including playoffs) and started 251 in a row (271 including playoffs), the NFL's record among quarterbacks and the second-longest recorded streak in NFL history. Only Jim Marshall (270, 1961-79) has been documented to have started more games in consecutive fashion.
-With four TD passes, Favre can extend his NFL record with a ninth season with 30-or-more TD passes. Dan Marino stands at No. 2 with four such seasons.
-Has 40 career game-winning comebacks (fourth quarter deficit or tie), including four this season.
-Has 55 career 300-yard passing games, including seven already this season, tying his own record of seven 300-yard passing games established in 1995.
-Surpassed 30,000 road passing yards at Denver. Favre enters with an NFL record 31,309 road passing yards.
-Needs 7 scoring drives for 1,000.
80 DONALD DRIVER
-Needs one reception to become the third player in team history to reach 500, joining Sterling Sharpe (595) and James Lofton (530). Driver enters with 499.
-Needs two repections to become only the second Packers player with four 80-catch seasons, joining Sterling Sharpe (four).
-Has a reception in 94 consecutive games, the franchise's second-longest streak behind Sterling Sharpe's 103 (1988-94).
-Tied a franchise record with 1,000 receiving yards in a fifth overall season. Only Lofton and Sharpe have five 1,000-yard campaigns. Driver enters with 1,016 yards.
74 AARON KAMPMAN
-Needs 1 sack to surpass No. 4 Ezra Johnson (411/2) on the franchise list. He enters with 41 career sacks.
-Has started 72 consecutive games.
94 KABEER GBAJA-BIAMILA
-Needs 1/2 sack for his fifth season of 10-or-more sacks. He stands tied with Reggie White (4) for the most seasons with 10-or-more sacks.
31 AL HARRIS
-Has played in 168 straight games (158 regular season, 10 playoffs), a streak that began in Philadelphia in 1998. Since coming to Green Bay in 2003, has started all 81 games (78 regular season, 3 playoffs).
21 CHARLES WOODSON
-Needs one interception for 30 career.
2 MASON CROSBY
-Needs 2 points to surpass Ryan Longwell's franchise record of points in a season by a kicker (131 points, 2000) and 9 to surpass No. 3 Don Hutson (138, 1942) on the team's single-season scoring list.
-Needs 15 points to surpass the NFL record for points in a season by a rookie kicker, established by Kevin Butler (144 points) in 1985.