The "Countdown to Kickoff" is underway.
The Packers face off against Dallas on Thursday night at Texas Stadium, and the matchup of 10-1 teams represents one of the more highly anticipated regular-season games in recent memory.
The hype from TV, radio, newspaper and Web outlets will be inescapable this week. With help from the Packers media relations department, OnMilwaukee.com is here to contribute to the buildup with some informational nuggets about the game:
After beating Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, the Packers are 10-1 for the first time since 1962.
This is only the eighth time in NFL history that two 10-1 teams have met. It's the second time since 1970. The last time was Dec. 3, 1990, when San Francisco played the New York Giants.
The Packers and Cowboys, two of the more popular franchises in the NFL, have combined for 17 NFL championships and eight Super Bowl titles.
The Packers have won seven straight road games. But ...
Texas Stadium has been a house of horrors. Green Bay has lost eight in a row and 11 of 12 against the Cowboys in Dallas. The lone victory during that time came on Christmas Eve, 1989, a 20-10 packers victory.
Packers quarterback Brett Favre is having one of his better seasons, but he is 2-8 against the Cowboys (0-3 in the playoffs) and he is 0-8 (0-5 regular season, 0-3 playoffs) at Texas Stadium, one of nine NFL stadiums in which he has played, but not won a game.
The last time the Packers played in Dallas was Nov. 14, 1999. The Cowboys won that game, 27-13, with former Packers safety George Teague running back an interception 95 yards for a touchdown. Dallas had a 20-3 lead in the game, but hung on to win.
The only three current Packers who were on the roster for that 1999 game are Favre, long snapper Rob Davis and Donald Driver.
The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network, which is unavailable to about 70 percent of homes in the country. Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will broadcast the game, which will be simulcast on Channel 12 in Milwaukee. It will also be available "over the air" in Green Bay, but cities like Madison, La Crosse, Wausau and others will not be able to see the game.
Packers receivers have amassed 1,577 yards after the catch, tops in the NFL.
The Packers have intercepted a pass in 16 of their last 17 games. Over the past 24 games, Packers defensive backs have allowed only two wide receivers to surpass 100 receiving yards.
The Packers have not allowed a touchdown return - interception, fumble, punt or kickoff - this season. They are the only NFL team that can make that claim.
Favre has thrown five touchdown passes of 40 or more yards this season. His personal record is seven, in 1998.
Favre threw for three touchdowns in Detroit. His 63rd three-touchdown game eclipses Dan Marino for the most all-time.
Favre has thrown for 300 yards 55 times in his career. Marino holds the record with 63.
The Packers have scored 79 points off turnovers this year. Opponents have scored 26. The game on Thursday could be decided on turnovers.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
