Green Bay (6-5) at Dallas (9-2)
LINE -- Dallas by 7 1/2.
RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Packers 6-4-1; Cowboys 6-5.
SERIES RECORD -- Packers lead 8-6.
LAST TIME MET -- Cowboys eliminated Packers in second round of last
year's playoffs 27-17 in Dallas.
LAST GAME -- Cowboys routed Redskins 31-7 to sweep season series.
Packers had fourth-quarter rally fall short and lost to Bills 29-20.
PACKERS OFFENSE -- RUSH (No. 23), PASS (No. 13), OVERALL (No. 19t)
QB Brett Favre threw three TD passes last week. He has 18 TD passes
and just nine INTs. Running game has struggled most of year and had
just 61 yards last week. WR Sterling Sharpe, who is battling hamstring
injury, caught two TDs last week. Sharpe has 56 catches and seven TDs.
RB Edgar Bennett has 56 catches, 334 yards rushing and seven TDs.
COWBOYS OFFENSE -- RUSH (No. 4), PASS (No. 9), OVERALL (No. 5)
QB Troy Aikman suffered sprained knee ligament and is out two to three
weeks. Backup QB Rodney Peete sprained his right thumb and will miss
this week's game. So third-string QB Jason Garrett will start. He was
9-for-19 for 61 yards in limited duty last year. RB Emmitt Smith
scored two more TDs last week and leads NFL with 15.
PACKERS DEFENSE -- RUSH (No. 2), PASS (No. 16), OVERALL (No. 5)
DE Reggie White injured his elbow vs. Bills and is out two to four
weeks. Unit played by far its worst game of year giving up season-high
455 yards to Bills. S Leroy Butler had 13 tackles last week. DE Sean
Jones has 9.5 sacks and team has 31 (second in NFC). OLB Bryce Paup
has 7.5 sacks and three INTs. CB Terrell Buckley leads team with four
INTs.
COWBOYS DEFENSE -- RUSH (No. 11), PASS (No. 1), OVERALL (No. 1)
Had four INTs last week and are second in NFC with 17. CB Kevin Smith
had his first two of season vs. Redskins. S James Washington had his
fifth INT last week to tie for conference lead. Unit's 33 sacks are
tops in NFC. Seven players have at least two sacks. DE Jim Jeffcoat
leads team with seven sacks. Also leading NFC in points allowed (148).
SPECIAL TEAMS -- Packers P Craig Hentrich is averaging 41.3 yards. K
Chris Jacke leads team with 55 points. ... Cowboys KR Kevin Williams
had 83-yard punt return for TD vs. Redskins. K Chris Boniol has 83
points.
STATS AND NOTES -- Smith went over 1,000-yard rushing mark for fourth
straight year. He is second in NFC with 1,074 yards. ... Last
Thanksgiving, Cowboys lost to Dolphins 16-14 in infamous Leon Lett
game. ... Dallas signed former New England QB Tommy Hodson to backup
Garrett this week. ... Jacke had extra-point blocked for first time in
his six-year career vs. Bills. ... Green Bay allowed Bills rushing TD
on opening drive last week. It was first rushing TD Packers had
permitted in 30 quarters. ... Packers are 4-11-1 on Thanksgiving.
Dallas has 17-8-1 Thanksgiving Day record. ... Packers and Cowboys are
tied for NFC lead with plus-10 turnover differentials.