This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**.
PITTSBURGH (6-8) AT GREEN BAY (7-6-1)
Sunday, Dec. 22 - Lambeau Field - 3:25 p.m. CST
- Green Bay will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at Lambeau Field in the regular-season home finale, Pittsburgh's first visit to Green Bay since 2005 and only its fourth visit to Lambeau Field in the last 30 seasons.
- The Packers are currently second in the NFC North after improving to 7-6-1 on the season with a 37-36 win at Dallas on Sunday, their first win there since 1989. Green Bay trails the Chicago Bears (8-6) in the NFC North race, but the Packers can win the division with a victory this Sunday vs. Pittsburgh and a win at Chicago in Week 17.
- Green Bay overcame a 23-point halftime deficit (26-3) in the win over the Cowboys on Sunday, matching the biggest comeback in team history (down 23 vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sept. 12, 1982, won 35-23).
- The Packers have won their home finale every season under Head Coach Mike McCarthy (2006-12) and in each of their last eight (since 2005). Dating back to 1992, Green Bay is 20-1 in home finales (.952), No. 1 in the NFL over that span (see page 2 for more).
- This will be just the third visit for the Steelers to Lambeau Field in the month of December, with the last visit in that month a memorable one for Green Bay. The Packers topped Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve in 1995 in the season finale, a win that clinched the NFC Central title for Green Bay.
- The Packers hold a 19-14 edge in the all-time series with the Steelers (including Super Bowl XLV), but Pittsburgh has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The teams first played on Oct. 15, 1933, in Green Bay, and the Packers won the first nine games between the clubs.
- This will be the first matchup between the clubs since the Packers defeated the Steelers, 31-25, in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6, 2011. The last regular-season meeting came at Pittsburgh in 2009 when the Steelers topped the Packers, 37-36, in Week 15. It was the highest-scoring game in the series with the 73 combined points.
- The Packers and Steelers have won 19 world championships between them, with Green Bay's 13 titles more than any other team in NFL history. Pittsburgh's six world titles are the most by an AFC team.
- Since the advent of free agency in 1993, Green Bay owns the second-best regular-season winning percentage in the league (.636) behind only New England (.659), with Pittsburgh checking in at No. 3 (.621).
- At 30-18 (.625), Green Bay owns the league's second-best all-time postseason winning percentage behind only Baltimore (14-7, .667). Checking in right behind the Packers at No. 3 is Pittsburgh, with a 33-21 mark (.611) in the playoffs.
- The Packers enter Sunday's game having won 13 consecutive regular-season games at Lambeau Field that were played Dec. 1 or later, the longest current home winning streak in the NFL.
- Since 2009, the Packers have a 17-5 (.773) overall regular-season record in December/January, which ranks No. 2 in the NFL over that span behind only New England (19-4, .826).
WITH THE CALL
- The Packers will make their second of two appearances on CBS this season. The network will air the contest to a regional audience.
- Play-by-play man Kevin Harlanand color analystSolomon Wilcots will have the call from the broadcast booth.
- Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 50-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee(play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro BowlerLarry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo is in its 15th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 42 markets in six states.
- WestwoodOne Sports will air the game across the country. Dave Sims(play-by-play) and Mark Malone (analyst) will call the action and Scott Grahamhosts pregame and halftime shows.
- The broadcast is also available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed) as part of the network's NFL Sunday Drive.
- DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game in HD on Channel 715.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
- Packers vs. Steelers:
- All-time, regular season:18-14
- All-time, postseason:1-0
- All-time, home:11-7
- Streaks:The Steelers have won seven of the last 10 meetings.
- Last meeting, regular season:Dec. 20, 2009, at Heinz Field; Steelers won, 37-36
COACHES CAPSULES
- Mike McCarthy: 87-48-1, .643, (incl. 6-4 postseason); 8th NFL season
- Mike Tomlin:74-44, .627; (incl. 5-3 postseason); 7th NFL season
- Head to Head:1-1
- vs. Opponent:McCarthy 1-1 vs. Steelers; Tomlin 1-1 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his eighth year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
- Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
- Has led the Packers to playoff appearances in five of his seven seasons at the helm, and the team's five postseason berths over the past six seasons are the most by an NFC team.
- Led Green Bay to 47 regular-season victories from 2009-12, the second most in the NFL over that span and the second most in franchise history over a four-year period.
- His .643 winning percentage (including playoffs) ranks No. 4 among active NFL coaches (min. 50 games).
- Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
- Became the first Packers coach since Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season (2007).
MIKE TOMLIN…Is in his seventh year as the Steelers' 16th head coach.
- Has led Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl appearances. Became the youngest head coach (36 years, 323 days) in NFL history to win a Super Bowl when the Steelers defeated the Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII.
- Is the only coach in Steelers' history to win division titles in each of his first two seasons.
- Was the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator in 2006 after spending the previous five seasons (2001-05) as defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- A three-year starter at wide receiver at William & Mary, he was a teammate of former Packers safety Darren Sharper at the school.
THE PACKERS-STEELERS SERIES
- The Packers lead the all-time regular-season series with an 18-14 edge, having won the first nine contests between the two teams from 1933-46. Green Bay won the lone postseason meeting between the clubs with a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
- Pittsburgh played its first-ever road game in the NFL at City Stadium on Oct. 15, 1933, a 47-0 Packers victory.
- The Packers' last win in the series was a memorable won, coming on Christmas Eve in 1995. Pittsburgh receiver Yancey Thigpen dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone in the closing moments to give the Packers a 24-19 victory and the NFC Central Division title.
- The 2009 meeting won by the Steelers was the highest-scoring game (combined score) in the 32 contests. The 73 total points (37-36) surpassed the 1969 matchup by one point (38-34 Packers).
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy grew up in Greenfield, a neighboorhood just outside of downtown Pittsburgh. He also coached at the University of Pittsburgh for four seasons (1989-92)...Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers held the same job with the Steelers from 1992-94, and Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene played for the Steelers during that same time...Packers secondary/safeties coach Darren Perry played seven seasons (1992-98) with the Steelers, starting in Super Bowl XXX, and also coached DBs for Pittsburgh for four seasons (2003-06)...Greene and Perry were teammates of Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake in Pittsburgh and Capers coached Lake in both Pittsburgh and Jacksonville when he was the defensive coordinator with those clubs...Greene and Steelers tight ends coach James Daniel were teammates at Auburn..Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements, who was born in McKees Rocks, Pa., served as QBs coach for the Steelers for three seasons under Bill Cowher (2001-03)...Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo, a Homer City, Pa., native, graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and coached at Pitt as an offensive assistant in 2003...Packers running backs coach Alex Van Pelt is a Pittsburgh native and played QB at the University of Pittsburgh from 1989-92. He was drafted by the Steelers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft...Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum was a graduate assistant for the defense at Pitt in 1990...Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau coached DBs for the Packers for four seasons (1976-79)…Perry's first NFL coaching job was with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002 when LeBeau was the head coach there…Packers FB John Kuhn entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent with the Steelers in 2005 and played in nine games for Pittsburgh in 2006; he is also a York, Pa., native and played his college ball at Shippensburg University (Pa.)…Packers director of player development Rob Davis also played at Shippensburg…Packers T/G Don Barclay attended Seneca Valley High in Harmony, Pa., and played at West Virginia...Packers defensive quality control coach Scott McCurley was a four-year letterman (1999-2002) at linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, and was born in New Castle, Pa. ...Steelers offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. was the head coach at Louisiana Tech when Packers CB Tramon Williams played there...Packers LB A.J. Hawk and Steelers CB Will Allen were teammates on Ohio State's 2002 national championship team. Packers DT Ryan Pickett also was a Buckeye teammate of Allen's....Other former college teammates include Barclay and Steelers LB Terence Garvin and FB Will Johnson (West Virginia), Packers DE Jerel Worthy and Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell (Michigan State), Packers S Morgan Burnett and Steelers RB Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech), Packers LS Brett Goode and Steelers RB Felix Jones (Arkansas), Packers QB Matt Flynn and Steelers DE Al Woods (Louisiana State), Packers WR Jarrett Boykin and Steelers LB Jason Worilds (Virginia Tech), and Packers S Chris Banjo and Steelers G Kelvin Beachum and WR Emmanuel Sanders (SMU).
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
- Dec. 20, 2009, at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh; Steelers won, 37-36.
- Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for a franchise-record 503 yards and hit WR Mike Wallace with a 19-yard TD pass on the final play to give the Steelers a dramatic win and hand the Packers their lone loss over the final eight games of the regular season.
- Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 26 of 48 for 383 yards and three TDs. He rallied the Packers from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter, as the lead changed hands four times in the final eight minutes. Rodgers' 24-yard TD pass to WR James Jones with 2:06 left had given the Packers a 36-30 lead before Roethlisberger drove the Steelers 86 yards in 11 plays for the victory.
- Packers TE Jermichael Finley matched the single-game franchise record for receptions by a TE with nine, for 74 yards. WRs Greg Jennings (5-118), Jordy Nelson (4-71) and Donald Driver (3-76) also put up big numbers for Green Bay in the loss.
stat of the week
- This Sunday's game vs. Pittsburgh will be Green Bay's final home contest of the regular season, the second straight season that the Packers' finale at Lambeau Field has come in Week 16. It will mark the first time since 2001-02 that Green Bay has closed its season out away from home in consecutive years (at N.Y Giants in '01, at N.Y. Jets in '02).
- The Packers have won their final home game of the season each year under Head Coach Mike McCarthy (2006-12). Green Bay also won its last game at Lambeau in 2005, giving them an eight-game winning streak in home finales, the second-longest current winning streak in the NFL behind only Baltimore (10 straight home finales).
- Over the past 21 seasons (1992-2012), the Packers have won their final home game in every year but one (2004). Green Bay's 20-1 record (.952) in home finales over that span ranks No. 1 in the NFL.
- Green Bay has scored 45-plus points in three of its last four home finales, racking up 48 points vs. Seattle in 2009, 45 against Detroit in 2011 and 55 vs. Tennessee last season. The Packers have averaged 37.2 points per game in their last home contest since 2007.
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. To read the full version, download the PDF by **clicking here**.
