The Packer Pundit

Statistics add up to a bounce-back season
Packers finish 8-8 after dismal 4-12
By ROB REISCHEL / Special to Packer Plus
Posted: Feb. 7, 2007 -- Story Link
The Green Bay Packers' 2006 season will be remembered as a bounce-back year. The Packers went 8-8, rebounding from a horrendous 4-12 season in 2005. Green Bay rebounded from a 4-8 start to win its final four games. And for the 14th time in 15 years, the Packers finished the season with at least a .500 record. Here's a look inside the numbers at the season that was:

OFFENSE
• Green Bay ranked ninth in total offense - eighth in passing offense and 23rd in rushing offense. But the Packers were just 22nd in football in points per game (18.8).

• Green Bay's 301 points were their second-fewest since Brett Favre arrived in 1992. Only the 2005 Packers had fewer points (298).

• The Packers were a horrific 31st in red zone offense. Green Bay scored touchdowns on just 32.7% of its trips inside the 20-yard line.

• Green Bay scored just 27 offensive touchdowns, tying for the lowest mark of the Favre-era, which was set in 1992. It was also Green Bay's fewest number of offensive TDs since 1990 when it scored 25.

• The Packers were fourth in the NFC and 12th in the NFL in third-down offense, converting 39.2% of their chances.

• Green Bay's 33 turnovers were 12 fewer than the 2005 season. And the Packers' give-away/take-away ratio was zero, their best finish in that category since 2003. In 2005, Green Bay's turnover margin was minus-24, which tied with New Orleans for worst in the NFL.

• Ahman Green eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier for the sixth time in his seven years as a Packer. Green's 1,059 yards, though, ranked just 19th in the NFL.

• Green, an unrestricted free agent, now has 8,162 rushing yards as a member of the Packers. If Green returns in 2007, he'll need 46 yards to pass Jim Taylor (8,207) and become Green Bay's career rushing leader.

• Wide receiver Donald Driver, who was named to his second Pro Bowl, had a career-high 92 receptions. That ranked fifth in the NFL and was the most by a Packer since Robert Brooks had 102 catches in 1995.

• Driver also had a career-best 1,272 receiving yards. In the past decade, only Antonio Freeman in 1998 (1,424) and Javon Walker in 2004 (1,382) had more receiving yards in a season.

• Driver has gone 80 consecutive games with at least one reception, the ninth-longest streak in football.

• Tight end Bubba Franks didn't have a touchdown for the first time in his seven-year career.

• Green Bay ran the ball on just 39.7% of its offensive plays.

• The Packers had 2,161 yards after the catch. Only New Orleans (2,212) had more.

• Green Bay had 77 plays that went for negative yardage - 46 rushes, 24 sacks and seven passes. Only Indianapolis (73) and Philadelphia (76) had fewer such plays.

• The Packers ranked third in the NFL with a sack ratio of +22 - allowing 24 sacks and recording 46. Baltimore was first at +43. San Diego (+33) was second.

• Green Bay averaged just 4.04 yards on first down, which ranked 31st in football. Only Oakland (3.90) was worse.

BRETT FAVRE
• Favre's 613 passing attempts were a career-high. In all, the Packers threw the ball 630 times, far and away the most in football.

• Favre's quarterback rating of 72.7 was 25th in the NFL and the third lowest of his career. Favre was worse in both 1993 (72.2) and 2005 (70.9).

• Favre's 18 touchdown passes tied for the fewest he's thrown during his 15 years in Green Bay. Favre also threw 18 in 1992.

• Favre trimmed his interception total from a career-worst 29 in 2005 to 18 in 2006. Favre has averaged 18.1 interceptions per year during his 15 seasons in Green Bay.

• Favre extended his NFL record of consecutive starts by a quarterback to 237 (257 including playoffs). Favre also moved into first place on the all-time completions chart with 5,021.

• Favre could set several more records in 2007. The list includes:

All time victories: Favre has 147, one behind Denver's John Elway (148).

Touchdown passes: Favre has 414, six back of Miami's Dan Marino (420).

Career passing yards: Marino leads with 61,361, while Favre has 57,500.

Career passing attempts: Marino's 8,358 is first. Favre has 8,223.

Interceptions: Favre has 273, just four behind George Blanda's 277.

DEFENSE
• Green Bay finished the season 12th in total defense - 13th against the run and 17th vs. the pass. In 2005, the Packers were seventh in total defense, including a No. 1 ranking against the pass.

• The Packers ranked in a tie for 25th in scoring defense, allowing 22.88 points per game. The 366 points Green Bay allowed was its second-highest total since 1986. Only the 2004 team, which gave up 380 points, allowed more in the last 20 years.

• Green Bay was outstanding on third downs, allowing opponents to convert just 32.6% of their chances. That ranked third in the NFC and fourth in the NFL.

• The Packers' red zone defense was fantastically ordinary. Green Bay allowed foes to score touchdowns 51.1% of the time, which ranked 16th in the league.

• Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 75.4 after foes had a rating of 86.2 in 2005.

• Defensive end Aaron Kampman had 15½ sacks, which ranked first in the NFC and second in the NFL. Since sacks became an official league statistic in 1983, the only Green Bay players with more in a season were Tim Harris (19½) in 1989 and Reggie White in 1998 (16.0).

• Kampman also set a team record for tackles by a defensive lineman with 113. The old mark was 107 by Ezra Johnson in 1983.

• Green Bay's 46 sacks were its most since 2001, when it had 52.0. The Packers finished fourth in the NFL in total sacks behind San Diego (61), Baltimore (60) and Miami (47).

• Cornerback Charles Woodson had a career-high eight interceptions, which tied for first in the NFC and tied for third in the NFL. Since 1987, the only Green Bay player with more picks in a season was Darren Sharper (9) in 2000.

• Rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk led the Packers with 155 tackles. Since 1975, the only rookie with more tackles than Hawk was Rich Wingo (166) in 1979.

• For the first time in team history, Green Bay had three players record at least three sacks in a game in the same season. Kampman did it against New Orleans and Minnesota at home, Corey Williams did it at Buffalo and Cullen Jenkins did it at home against Detroit.

• Green Bay had five defensive touchdowns. Woodson, cornerback Patrick Dendy, and safeties Nick Collins and Marquand Manuel all had interception returns for TDs. Linebacker Abdul Hodge had a fumble return for a score.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Green Bay was 24th in yards per punt return (7.8) and 31st in yards per kick return (19.7). The Packers ranked 18th in punt coverage (9.1) and 19th in kick coverage (22.5).

• Kicker Dave Rayner made 26-of-35 field-goal attempts, a clip of 74.3% that ranked 26th in the NFL.

• Rayner's 54-yard field goal at Philadelphia tied for the longest in team history. Chris Jacke also hit a 54-yarder in 1994 at Detroit and Ryan Longwell had one in 2001 at Tennessee.

• Rayner's 11 touchbacks were the most by a Green Bay kicker since Longwell had 11 in 1997. Jacke holds the team record with 15 in 1991.

• Punter Jon Ryan had a gross average of 44.5, which was the third-highest in team history. Craig Hentrich's gross was 45.0 in 1997. Jerry Norton had a gross of 44.7 in 1963.

• Ryan's net was just 35.7, though, which ranked 26th in the NFL.

• Thanks in large part to primary punt returner Charles Woodson, the Packers had just three fair catches all season. The previous team low was five in 1971.

• Woodson ranked tied for 17th in the NFL in punt return average (8.9).

• Vernand Morency averaged 21.6 yards per kick return, which ranked 30th in the league.

• Tracy White's 17 special-teams tackles led the Packers. Donald Lee was second with 15. Jarrett Bush, Ben Taylor and Dendy all had 13.

MISCELLANEOUS
• Green Bay went just 3-5 at Lambeau Field. Only Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit, who all went 2-6, had poorer home records.

• The Packers were 5-3 on the road. The only times in the last 20 years Green Bay had a better road record than home mark were 2004, 1987 and 1986.

• Green Bay went 5-1 against the NFC North, which tied Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Carolina and Baltimore for the best divisional record in football.

• The Packers were outscored, 366-301. Of the 20 teams in football to finish .500 or better, only Tennessee had a worse scoring margin (-76).

• Green Bay began the year 1-4 for the third consecutive season. In two of those, the Packers finished .500 or better.

• The Packers joined San Diego, Baltimore and Philadelphia as the only teams in football to end the regular season with at least four consecutive victories.

• Green Bay is 26-8 in December this decade, a .765 winning percentage. Only Pittsburgh (27-7, .794) and New England (25-7, .781) are better in that time.

• Green Bay ranked 10th in fewest penalties (90) and eighth in penalty yards (689). In 2005, the Packers were 19th in penalties (119) and 16th in penalty yards (918).

• Green Bay's starters missed a combined 13 games due to injury. In 2005, the Packers missed 66 starts due to injury.

• The Packers had 12 players finish the season on injured reserve. Not one was a starter, though.