2010 Schedule Dope Sheet

2010 Schedule | Printable Schedule (PDF)

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2010 SCHEDULE RELEASED

• The Green Bay Packers" 90th NFL regular-season schedule " headlined by six nationally televised games " was released early this evening by the National Football League.

• Though the 2010 opponents have been known since the end of last season, the arrival of the complete NFL schedule is a day circled on the calendar of all football fans.

• Green Bay will open the 2010 slate on the road at Philadelphia before kicking off the home schedule with the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

• Its first prime-time appearance " against the rival Bears in Chicago on Monday Night Football " will come in Week 3. The NFL's oldest rivalry will be on display in prime time for a fifth straight season, with this first meeting of the year marking game No. 180 in the all-time series.

• 2010 marks the 18th consecutive season the Packers have appeared on Monday Night Football, the NFC's longest streak.

• Three games are slated for Sunday night on NBC, including home games against the Minnesota Vikings (Week 7) and Dallas Cowboys (Week 9). In Week 15, the Packers are scheduled to take on the Patriots on Sunday night in Foxboro, though the game is part of the NFL"s flex scheduling.

• The Packers will get their first look at the new stadium in New Jersey in Week 8 against the Jets, where they may experience some cool fall temperatures. While games at Lambeau Field later in the season always provide a home-field advantage for the Packers, the 2010 schedule is nearly void of cold-weather road games. After the Jets, three consecutive road contests will be played in domes (Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit).

• That"s good news for a Green Bay offense that seems to thrive in domes. Including playoffs, the Packers played in a dome five times last season, exceeding 400 total net yards in four of those games.

• A number of games on the Packers" 2010 schedule " namely those on national TV " are beginning to have a familiar feel. In addition to taking on the Bears for a fifth consecutive year in prime time, Green Bay will take on Minnesota in prime time for a third straight season. The Packers and Cowboys will meet on national TV for the fourth straight season.

• The schedule concludes with two home games for the first time since 2005. One of the NFL"s best teams in regular-season games played in December and January, Green Bay may need to call upon that previous success for what could prove to be two very important contests surrounding the Christmas and New Year"s holidays. Games against the Giants (Week 16) and Bears (Week 17) could determine not only the NFC North Division crown but conference playoff seeding.

• The Packers close against a division opponent for the fourth time in five years, this time against Chicago.

AT FIRST GLANCE

• Green Bay"s bye week comes in Week 10, the latest possible week for NFL teams. It marks the latest time in which the Packers have had a bye in franchise history, besting the Week 9 bye in 2004. The Packers will play nine games before the bye and seven after the open date.

• Three of four games before the bye come at Lambeau Field, while four of five games after the bye are road contests.

• Immediately following the bye comes an important division game against Minnesota, the first of three straight road games played in domes. Under McCarthy, the team has won three of four games after the bye week and 10 of its last 14 after the bye dating back further.

• Green Bay has always been a successful team after the bye and 2009 was no different, as the team compiled a 9-3 (.750) mark after the bye week. Since 2000, the team is 61-36 (.629) overall after the bye.

• Fifteen games are slated for Sunday, the most since 1993 (also 15).

• Seven of the final eight games are against NFC opponents.

• The Packers have six games on the schedule against 2009 playoff teams, beginning right away in Week 1 at Philadelphia. Beginning in Week 7 vs. Minnesota, Green Bay has a stretch of four straight games against playoff teams from a year ago. The team will travel east to take on the Jets in Week 8 and host the Cowboys in Week 9 before the bye. The stretch concludes in Minnesota in Week 11.

• The NFL"s oldest rivalry will see a first in 2010. For the first time in series history, Green Bay will host Chicago in the regular-season finale, set to be game No. 181 between the Packers and Bears.

285 AND COUNTING

• Eight more sellouts at Lambeau Field during the 2009 season brought the stadium"s consecutive sellouts streak to 285 games (269 regular season, 16 playoffs).

• 2009 also saw the largest regular-season crowd in Lambeau Field history (71,213) for the Week 8 contest against Minnesota.

• The league"s longest-tenured stadium, Lambeau Field is set to host its 54th season of football this year. A total of 565,666 fans made their way through the turnstiles in the eight home contests in 2009.

• Across American professional sports, only Boston"s Fenway Park (1912) and Chicago"s Wrigley Field (1914) have longer tenures.

• In addition to the always-popular division games, Lambeau Field will play host to an attractive slate of opponents in 2010: Buffalo (Week 2), Miami (Week 6), Dallas (Week 9), San Francisco (Week 13) and the New York Giants (Week 16).

• Such an attractive schedule could push the single-season attendance mark of 566,443, set in 2007.

THE LAMBEAU ADVANTAGE

• The crown jewel of the National Football League, Lambeau Field has long been known as one of the tougher venues to play in, particularly during the harsh Wisconsin winter.

• Re-establishing home-field advantage after a 4-4 mark in 2008 was one of the goals of 2009, and with the Packers finishing at 6-2 at home, they accomplished that goal.

• Heading into 2010, the team has won 19 of its last 26 regular-season games at Lambeau Field.

• Head Coach Mike McCarthy has stated consistently since his arrival in Green Bay that one of the team"s goals would be to reclaim the mystique of playing at Lambeau Field. Mission accomplished. The team"s 19-7 mark at home since 2007 stands as a marked improvement over the prior three seasons (10-14 combined).

• Since Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren began the revitalization of the franchise in 1992, Green Bay owns the best home record in the NFL. A look at the top home W-L records since the "92 season:

Team - W-L record (Pct.)

Green Bay - 107-37-0 (.743)

Pittsburgh - 104-39-1 (.726)

Denver - 103-41-0 (.715)

Minnesota - 100-44-0 (.694)

Dallas - 97-47-0 (.674)

KICKING THINGS OFF ON THE ROAD

• In each of the first four seasons under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Green Bay started the season in front of the home crowd at Lambeau Field. This season it will do so on the road in Philadelphia as the second half of a FOX double header.

• Both clubs were playoff teams a year ago, with each losing in the Wild Card round. But while the Packers return the core of the 2009 team, Philadelphia will be under the spotlight in Week 1 as all eyes will be on the new Eagles quarterback under center, expected to be fourth-year pro QB Kevin Kolb.

• Lambeau openers have become near habit for the Packers, as 30 of 40 regular-season openers since the AFL-NFL merger (1970-2009) came at Lambeau Field.

• The Week 1 contest in Philadelphia will mark the 11th time since the merger that Green Bay has opened on the road. In those previous 10 contests, the Packers were 7-3.

• Not only is opening against the Philadelphia Eagles familiar to the Packers " Green Bay won the 2007 opener at Lambeau Field " but it is an opponent against whom the Packers have had some success to open the season.

• The Packers and Eagles will kick off the season against one another for the sixth time in the rivalry's history. The Packers hold a 4-1 mark in such games, all in Green Bay, and a 23-13 advantage in the all-time series.

• Of the previous five regular-season openers between Green Bay and Philadelphia, perhaps the most notable came in 1968. That contest marked the coaching debut of Phil Bengtson, taking over for the venerable Vince Lombardi. The Packers cruised to a 30-13 victory.

• In addition to road contests in Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota, Green Bay will play at Atlanta, at New England, at the New York Jets, and at Washington.

• Green Bay has finished above .500 on the road in three of McCarthy"s four seasons, including a 5-3 road record in 2009.

• Overall, the team is 18-14 (.563) in regular-season road games under McCarthy. That makes the Packers one of nine NFL teams to have a road record above .500 since 2006.

ON THE TUBE AND OVER THE AIRWAVES

• Consistently ranking as one of the most popular franchises in professional sports, the Green Bay Packers always attract a fair amount of national attention when it comes time to create the NFL regular-season schedule.

• In addition to a game on ESPN"s Monday Night Football in Week 3 at Chicago, Green Bay will also appear on national TV in Week 7 against Minnesota and Week 9 against Dallas. Both of those contests are set for Sunday night on NBC.

• A third Sunday night game on NBC is slated for Week 15 at New England, though that game still remains part of the NFL"s flexible scheduling.

• Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles is set for the second half of the national FOX double header, meaning the majority of the country will receive the game. The Week 16 contest against the New York Giants is also slated for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff to be broadcast to most of the country, though it too remains a candidate to be flexed.

• Games against Buffalo (Week 2) and Miami (Week 6) will be broadcast by CBS, airing locally on WFRV-TV (Ch. 5). FOX is currently set to air 10 games in 2010.

• Over the airwaves, Milwaukee"s Newsradio 620 WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 53-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 12th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers markets in five states.

• Out-of-town fans can listen to Larrivee and McCarren"s call as NFL Field Pass subscribers on www.packers.com as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio as part of the network"s NFL Sunday Drive.

2010 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• The 2010 schedule includes six games against 2009 playoff teams. Two of those games (Dallas, Minnesota) will be at Lambeau Field, while four (Minnesota, New England, N.Y. Jets and Philadelphia) come on the road.

• Two of those teams advanced to their respective conference championship game (Minnesota and N.Y. Jets).

• Two interesting notes arise with both the N.Y. Giants and N.Y. Jets contests. Green Bay will be playing the N.Y. Giants for the first time since the 2007 NFC Championship, while its game against the Jets will mark its first regular-season appearance at the new stadium constructed in New Jersey. It marks the first time since 1985 that the Packers will play the Giants and Jets in the same season.

• Though they played an away game against the Giants in "07, the Packers have not traveled to play the Jets since "02. That season also marked the last year Green Bay traveled to New England, another trip it makes this coming season.

• Strength of schedule is a hard statistic to gauge in the spring time, as rosters will still see plenty of turnover before the regular season kicks off in early September. And, looking at upcoming opponents in April is forecasting a game which could look drastically different in the fall.

• Still, at this point the 2010 schedule looms a little tougher than the "09 slate based upon records. Green Bay"s "09 opponents finished the season with a combined 113-143 (.441) mark. The 2010 opponents finished a combined 125-131 (.488) last season.

• Based upon their second-place finish in the NFC North, the Packers will take on Atlanta (NFC South) and San Francisco (NFC West), both of whom also finished second in their respective divisions.

• Additionally, Green Bay will play all four division teams from the AFC East and NFC East.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

• For an 18th consecutive season, the Green Bay Packers will appear on Monday Night Football, the most successful series in sports television history. The Packers will take on the rival Bears in Week 3 on MNF.

• At 18 straight seasons, the Packers own the NFC"s longest appearance streak (1993-2010) on MNF. Denver, appearing on MNF this season for a 19th straight year (1992-2010), owns the NFL"s longest streak.

• Packers vs. Bears, the NFL"s oldest rivalry, has attracted the national spotlight in recent years. This will mark the fifth straight season in which the teams will meet in prime time, including the second time on MNF.

• The Sept. 27 contest, game No. 180 in the all-time series, will mark the 10th time the old rivals have squared off on Monday night. Green Bay owns a slight 5-4 advantage in those games.

• The last Monday night game between the two came in 2008 in Chicago, a 20-17 Bears victory in overtime. The close contest was befitting of a rivalry that has swung back and forth over the years, with Chicago owning a 90-82-6 advantage in the series. Green Bay did sweep the season series in 2009 for the first time since 2003.

• The bright lights of Monday night are nothing new for Head Coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers. In his four seasons as coach, the team has made eight regular-season appearances on MNF, including two last season.

• Green Bay is 27-28-1 all-time on Monday night. The ESPN crew will also come to Lambeau for a Week 3 preseason contest against the Colts.

THE SCHEDULE FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL

• No other professional sport exhibits parity like the National Football League, making it almost impossible to predict what teams will look like when they line up across from the Packers next fall.

• And as coaches often say, it"s not who you play, but when you play them. Looking at the schedule five months before the regular season kicks off, it is certain to say that both sides of the ball will be faced with a number of challenges.

• Nine games will come against defenses that ranked among the top 15 last season, but it"s safe to say those same teams have been concerned this offseason with facing the Packers" offense. All 11 primary starters and nearly every significant backup returns to the team in 2010, not to mention any number of offensive threats who could be joining the Green and Gold in this weekend"s NFL Draft. A mix of veteran leadership and young, emerging playmakers makes this group one of the NFL"s most dangerous heading into 2010.

• On defense, the Packers will have six games against opposing offenses which ranked in the top 15 in 2009. However, teams such as Miami, the New York Jets, San Francisco and Washington, none of whom ranked among the top 15 in offense last season, all made significant upgrades on offense through trades and free agency.

• Plenty of offseason time is spent scouting the division opponents, each of whom will present a significant challenge to the Packers in 2010. Though the Packers have won nine straight games over Detroit, the Lions are expected to be an improved club in their second season under coach Jim Schwartz and will have the opportunity to add another top-tier rookie with the No. 2 overall selection on Thursday.

• New coordinator Mike Martz takes over the offense in Chicago, where the Bears also signed Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers.

• Minnesota enters 2010 as defending division champions. Along with Green Bay, Minnesota was the only other NFL team in 2009 to rank in the league"s top 6 in both offense (No. 5) and defense (No. 6).

• McCarthy has always stressed the importance of division play. Through the "09 season, the Packers own the best division mark over the four seasons of McCarthy"s tenure at 17-7. The Packers are trailed by Chicago (15-9) and Minnesota (14-10) over that period.

SO FAR THIS OFFSEASON

• Change is a constant in the NFL, as players and coaches turning over becomes the norm. While there hasn"t been much change with the Green Bay Packers this offseason, it hasn"t exactly been quiet either, as General Manager Ted Thompson signed the majority of the team"s unrestricted and restricted free agents.

• Along the offensive line, the team will welcome back tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. Clifton (138 career starts) and Tauscher (128 career starts) have spent their entire careers in Green Bay and are two of the most experienced offensive linemen in the NFL.

• Continuity was an issue on the offensive line a year ago, but the return of the two veteran tackles should help assuage those concerns. Over the final seven games of the season, the team allowed just 10 sacks.

• On defense, the Packers were able to lock up both S Nick Collins and NT Ryan Pickett to long-term contract extensions. Pickett was instrumental in the team"s No. 1-ranked run defense, a first in franchise history.

• Collins is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl selections and has turned himself into one of the game"s premier safeties. His 13 interceptions over the past two seasons tops all safeties, while his 405 interception return yards since 2008 leads all NFL players.

• Improvement from within has become a theme for the Packers in the offseason, and this year is no exception. A number of younger players and even some yet-to-be determined rookies will be counted on to make increased contributions in 2010, and nearly all of the roster has been hard at work under new strength and conditioning coordinator Mark Lovat since the offseason program began on March 15.

WITH THE 23RD PICK IN THE 2010 NFL DRAFT...

• Later this week, the Green Bay Packers will welcome another rookie class to its roster through the NFL Draft, held April 22-24 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

• Armed with seven of its own selections - plus a fifth-round choice as a compensatory selection - the Packers will have plenty of opportunities to add to their roster. All picks are eligible to be traded except for the compensatory selection.

• Again the NFL made new changes to the NFL Draft this year, as the event now begins in prime time on Thursday night, April 22, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Round 1 will be held that night.

• Rounds 2-3 also will be held in prime time, beginning on Friday, April 23, at 5 p.m. CDT. Rounds 4-7 will complete the draft on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

• The time allotted in between picks will remain the same. Teams will have 10 minutes in between selections in the first round and seven minutes between each choice for Round 2. Each subsequent round will allow up to five minutes in between picks. A look at where Green Bay currently stands in the draft process:

Round-Round #, Overall #

1-23, 23

2-24, 56

3-22, 86

4-24, 122

5-23, 154

5-38, 169 (Compensatory)

6-24, 193

7-23, 230

IN THE PRESEASON

• Highlighted by a game at Lambeau Field in front of a national TV audience, the preseason schedule was finalized April 9.

• The Packers open the preseason against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field for the second consecutive year, this year on August 14. A 17-0 Green Bay victory last preseason left the all-time preseason record nearly even between the two clubs, with Cleveland holding a slight 11-10 advantage. The game is designated as the 61st annual Upper Midwest Shrine Game, a tradition which began in 1950 and has raised more than $3.1 million for the Midwest Shrine"s burn centers and hospitals for crippled children. Green Bay has won five of the last six and nine of the last 11 in the Shrine series.

• One week later on August 21, Green Bay will head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks, led by new head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, who spent 12 seasons in the Packers front office. This marks the fourth all-time preseason meeting between the teams. Green Bay"s only other preseason meeting in Seattle came in 1983.

• ESPN will televise the Colts contest in Week 3 to a national TV audience on Thursday, August 26. This marks the eighth preseason contest between Indianapolis and Green Bay and the first since 1996. Also, the Colts game marks the 50th annual Bishop"s Charities Game, a charitable contest initiated in 1961 by Vince Lombardi and the Diocese of Green Bay that has raised more than $3.4 million to date. Green Bay"s win over Buffalo in the Bishop"s Charities Game last summer snapped a six-game losing streak in the annual preseason contest.

• The preseason concludes with a road contest at Kansas City on September 2, which will mark the 12th all-time preseason meeting between the Packers and Chiefs. The Packers last played a preseason contest in Kansas City in 1990. Green Bay and Tennessee had met in the preseason finale each of the last eight years.

LAST THOUGHTS ON 2009

• Though Green Bay ultimately fell short of its Super Bowl aspirations, the team did record the 25th playoff berth in franchise history. It was the team"s 12th appearance in the last 17 seasons, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the most playoff appearances in the free-agency era (1993-2009).

• In its first season in the 3-4 defensive scheme, the Packers hit their stride in the second half of the season, winning seven of their last eight regular-season games. That 7-1 mark was tops in the NFC and second in the league behind San Diego (8-0).

• Green Bay"s offense finished among the NFL"s top 10 for the fourth consecutive season as it ranked No. 6 with an average of over 379 yards per game. In fact, it ranked as one of the most potent offenses in team history, producing a franchise-record 461 points scored and becoming the third team in franchise history to surpass 6,000 total net yards.

• The Packers became the first team in NFL history to have a 4,000-yard passer (QB Aaron Rodgers), 1,200-yard rusher (RB Ryan Grant) and two 1,000-yard receivers (WRs Donald Driver and Greg Jennings) in back-to-back seasons.

• On defense, Green Bay ranked No. 2 overall, the highest league ranking by a Packers defensive unit since the "96 Super Bowl team (No. 1). For the first time in franchise history, the Packers ranked No. 1 in run defense, allowing 83.3 yards per game, lowest in team history.

• CB Charles Woodson thrived in the new scheme, as he was awarded The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

• Both of the Packers" offensive (No. 6) and defensive (No. 2) units ranked among the league"s top 10 for the first time since 1998, when both units ranked among the top 10 for a third consecutive season (1996-98).

• Green Bay led the league with 40 takeaways, including an NFL best 30 interceptions, and had 16 giveaways, fewest in the NFL. Not since 1997 (N.Y. Giants) had a team led the league in most takeaways and fewest giveaways. Green Bay"s plus-24 turnover margin also led the league.

NOTES ON THE 2010 SCHEDULE

Sun., Sept. 12, at Philadelphia, 3:15 p.m., FOX

• Green Bay kicks off its 92nd season in team history " and 90th as a member of the National Football League " on the road, a bit of a rarity in team history.

• Of the last 25 season openers (1986-2010), 21 have been at home, making this year just the fourth road opener in the past 25 seasons.

• Green Bay has won its first road game each of the last four seasons.

• Green Bay opens up against the Eagles for the sixth time in team history and for the first time in Philadelphia. The Packers are 4-1 in previous openers against Philadelphia, all five of which have come in Green Bay. Most recently, Green Bay beat Philadelphia 16-13 to open 2007.

• The game will attract the majority of the country as the second half of a FOX double header weekend. Both teams made the playoffs in 2009, but the Eagles enter the season with a new starting signal caller.

Sun., Sept. 19, vs. Buffalo, 12 p.m., CBS

• Buffalo opens the regular-season home schedule, the first AFC team to do so since Cleveland in 2005.

• Buffalo is now led by Chan Gailey, one of two new head coaches on the Packers" 2010 schedule (Mike Shanahan, Washington). Gailey and Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers were on the staff together in Pittsburgh (1994).

• This will be only the fourth time the teams have met in Green Bay since the 1970 merger (teams also played twice in Milwaukee). The Bills" only win in Green Bay came in the very first matchup between the teams, a 27-7 Buffalo victory on Oct. 6, 1974.

Mon., Sept. 27, at Chicago, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

• The NFL"s oldest rivalry marks game No. 180 in the all-time series, this time played in front of a national TV audience on Monday Night Football.

• The Packers and Bears meet on MNF for the 10th time, with Green Bay owning a slight 5-4 advantage in Monday night games.

• Traveling to Chicago early in the season has been a rarity, as each of the last six trips to the Windy City had been in December or later. This game marks the earliest trip since 1995, when the teams met on Sept. 11.

• Though familiar opponents, Chicago comes into the game with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Mike Martz takes control of the offense while Rod Marinelli orchestrates the defense.

• Last season, Green Bay swept the season series against Chicago for the first time since 2003.

Sun., Oct. 3, vs. Detroit, 12 p.m., FOX

• Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers are 8-0 against Detroit. Over a longer period, Green Bay has won 18 consecutive regular-season games over the Lions in the state of Wisconsin.

• That ties the Redskins" 18-game regular-season home winning streak, also against the Lions, for the longest active streak in the NFL. Including a 1994 playoff victory, the Packers have won 19 straight over the Lions in the state.

• QB Aaron Rodgers has thrown 11 TD passes against Detroit, his most against any opponent, and just one interception for a 121.7 career passer rating in four games against the Lions.

• The game is part of the "Gold" package, which is made up of primarily Milwaukee-area season-ticket holders.

• No other NFL teams have met every year since 1932, the first year the two franchises began their home-and-home series. This marks game No. 162 in the all-time series, with Green Bay owning an 88-64-7 advantage in the regular season.

Sun., Oct. 10, at Washington, 12 p.m., FOX

• Green Bay makes just its second trip to Washington since 1979 to take on the Redskins under new head coach Mike Shanahan.

• Just as noteworthy is new Redskins QB Donovan McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who was traded to Washington in the offseason.

• The Packers own a 17-12-1 advantage in the all-time series and have won four straight against the Redskins, most recently defeating them at Lambeau Field, 17-14, in 2007.

• The game marks a homecoming of sorts for Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, who played eight seasons (1977-84) for the Redskins. A co-captain from 1980-84, including the 1982 Super Bowl Championship squad, Murphy earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in "83. Murphy served as a player representative for the NFLPA from 1980-84, including a stint as vice president of the players union (1983-84).

Sun., Oct. 17, vs. Miami, 12 p.m., CBS

• The Dolphins make a rare appearance at Lambeau Field, just the fifth in franchise history.

• While Miami does own a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series, including the first eight in the series, Green Bay has rebounded to win three of the last four. The most recent matchup came in 2006 in Miami, a 34-24 Green Bay win.

• Miami does avoid a vaunted "cold-weather" game at Lambeau Field, instead arriving in mid-October when temperatures have hovered around 45-60 degrees in recent seasons during that period.

Sun., Oct. 24, vs. Minnesota, 7:20 p.m., NBC

• Bitter border rivals meet for the 99th time in the regular season, this time in front of a national TV audience on NBC.

• Since Sunday night football returned to NBC in 2006, Green Bay has appeared once each season on the network. This season it is slated for three games, including a Week 15 matchup in New England that is part of the NFL"s flexible scheduling.

• After winning five straight against the Vikings from 2006-08, Minnesota enters the game with a three-game winning streak in the series.

• Few rivalries have exhibited as much parity as Packers-Vikings, as Green Bay enters the game with a slight 49-48-1 advantage in the all-time series.

• Not only is the all-time series close, but 13 of the last 15 regular-season games have been decided by seven points or less.

Sun., Oct. 31, at New York Jets, 12 p.m., FOX

• Green Bay heads east to take on the Jets for the first time there since 2002, though it did play a road game against the Giants in 2007.

• This will mark the Packers" first game in the new stadium, which is set to open on Kickoff Weekend with primetime games for both the Giants and Jets.

• This is just the second time that Green Bay has visited the Jets since 1991, with the 2002 game resulting in a 42-17 Jets victory in Week 17.

• A matchup of two of the game"s top young signal callers, the contest also features the top two defenses from 2009.

Sun., Nov. 7, vs. Dallas, 7:20 p.m., NBC

• The Packers and Cowboys meet in front of a national TV audience for the fourth consecutive season, with this Week 9 contest marking the third straight game of the series at Lambeau Field.

• This marks the first time in the series that Dallas has come to Lambeau Field in three consecutive seasons. The series is nearly even, with Dallas holding a slight 12-11-0 advantage.

• Dallas is one of seven teams on the 2010 schedule that employs a 3-4 base defense. The Packers posted a 4-1 mark against 3-4 teams in 2009, a year in which Green Bay switched to its own version of the 3-4.

• The Cowboys have had most of the recent success in the rivalry, winning 11 of the last 14 meetings (including playoffs). All three Green Bay wins over that span (1997, 2004, 2009) have come at Lambeau Field.

Sun., Nov. 14, Open Date

*Sun., Nov. 21, at Minnesota, 12 p.m., FOX

• For the second straight season, Green Bay and Minnesota will play both contests less than a month apart.

• This serves as a milestone game in the all-time series, marking meeting No. 100 in the regular season between the division rivals.

• Despite being one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, the HHH Metrodome has not played to any particular advantage. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings at the stadium.

• Green Bay stands at 23-25-0 all-time in the state of Minnesota, including a 12-15-0 mark at the Metrodome.

• Green Bay will be coming off the bye week and has won three of four games, and 10 of 14 going back further, in games immediately following the week off.

*Sun., Nov. 28, at Atlanta, 12 p.m., FOX

• While Green Bay did visit Atlanta in 2005, this game marks just the second trip to the city since 1992.

• The all-time series is nearly even, with Green Bay winning 12 of the 23 regular-season games. The teams have split the two postseason meetings, as the Falcons" 2002 Wild Card win marked the first postseason loss at Lambeau Field in Green Bay history.

• Atlanta and Green Bay met in 2008 at Lambeau Field, with the Falcons winning 27-24.

• This will mark the middle of three straight road games played in a dome. Under McCarthy, Green Bay is 9-3 (.750) in the regular season in domes. That is the league"s fourth-best mark in domes since 2006.

• Including playoffs, the Packers played in domes five times in 2009. In four of those contests, the offense produced more than 400 total net yards.

*Sun., Dec. 5, vs. San Francisco, 12 p.m., FOX

• For the second consecutive season, the Packers host the 49ers at Lambeau Field for a late-season showdown.

• Green Bay has won seven straight games against the 49ers, including a Divisional playoff contest in 2001, and have won 12 of the last 13.

• Last season, the Packers jumped out to a 23-3 halftime advantage before holding on for a 30-24 victory.

• Two of the NFL"s most storied franchises, the Packers and 49ers took their rivalry to a new level in the late 1990s, when the teams met four consecutive years in the postseason. Green Bay owns a 29-25-1 advantage in the regular season and has won four of five postseason games.

• The game has personal meaning for both McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy"s last stop as an NFL assistant came as the 49ers" offensive coordinator in 2005, while Rodgers, a Chico, Calif., native, will line up against the team he grew up rooting for.

*Sun., Dec. 12, at Detroit, 12 p.m., FOX

• Green Bay will conclude its home-and-home series against the Lions in Detroit, where it is 4-0 under McCarthy.

• While its all-time mark in the city is below .500 (36-40-3), the Packers are 6-2 at Ford Field, which opened in 2002.

• Green Bay enters 2010 with nine straight victories over Detroit and could push the winning streak to 11 with another series sweep.

• That would mark the longest winning streak in the series by either team since 1949-54, when the Lions won 11 straight.

• Though weather will not be a factor at temperature-controlled Ford Field, it is a rarity for Green Bay to play this late in Detroit. It marks the latest Packers game in Detroit since Dec. 15, 1996, a late-season win over the Lions as the Packers went on to win Super Bowl XXXI.

*Sun., Dec. 19, at New England, 7:20 p.m., NBC

• Two of the winningest franchises in recent years square off in front of a national TV audience in Foxboro for a late-season showdown in prime time.

• Since the advent of free agency in 1993, New England has the league"s top W-L mark at 171-101-0 (.629). Green Bay is not far behind, ranking No. 3 behind Pittsburgh, with a record of 169-103-0 (.621).

• While they are used to the cold weather, this marks the first time the Packers have played in New England in December in franchise history.

• The game is scheduled to be in prime time on Sunday night but is subject to the NFL"s flexible schedule, which aims at getting key matchups late in the season.

• Should the game stay on Sunday night, it will mark the first prime-time contest against the Patriots in New England since 1997, when the two teams met in October on a Monday night following their Super Bowl XXXI matchup earlier in the year.

• Green Bay is making its sixth appearance in New England. While the Patriots won the first three, the Packers have won the last two, including the most recent matchup in 2002.

*Sun., Dec. 26, vs. New York Giants, 3:15 p.m., FOX

• Having first played on Oct. 7, 1928, the Packers and Giants will square off more than 82 years later in a Week 16 matchup at Lambeau Field.

• Green Bay can extend its lead in the all-time series, as it enters with a 25-21-2 advantage.

• With cold weather expected and potential playoff berths and seeding on the line, the two teams will square off for the first time since the 2007 NFC Championship Game, a 23-20 Giants win in overtime in legendarily cold temperatures.

• With the Packers playing NFC opponents in seven of their final eight games, these late-season contests could ultimately determine the fate of Green Bay"s 2010 season.

• Few players have more ties to a single team and area than RB Ryan Grant. The Nyack, N.Y., native joined the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2005 and spent two seasons with the club before being traded to Green Bay in 2007. He made his NFL debut in 2007 against his former (and hometown) team in Week 2.

*Sun., Jan. 2, vs. Chicago, 12 p.m., FOX

• Green Bay wraps up the regular season against its oldest rival " the Chicago Bears.

• With this marking game No. 181 between the two teams, it does come as a surprise that this game will mark the first time the Bears have closed out a regular season in Green Bay.

• Though both games came in Chicago, Green Bay also ended its season against the Bears in 2004 and "06.

• As Lambeau Field hosts its 54th season of Packers football in 2010, the Week 17 contest marks just the third regular-season game ever played in the stadium in the month of January.

• The NFL made a conscious decision to end with division games in 2010 in order to ensure late-season matchups will still have plenty on the line.

• It"s not something the Packers have to get used to, as it marks the fourth time in five years that Green Bay will close the regular-season slate against an NFC North club.

"Start time and broadcast may shift due to NFL flexible scheduling *