The Associated Press
Genaro C. Armas
GREEN BAY, Wis.—A prime-time game between the longtime NFC North rivals Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers usually is enough to make for must-watch viewing on U.S. Thanksgiving.
It will have to compete tonight with Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field.
At halftime, Favre’s No. 4 will be unveiled on the north facade of the stadium next to Favre’s name alongside the Packers’ five other retired numbers.
It’s the culmination of a season-long reconciliation process between the team and their former franchise quarterback following their messy split in 2008.
It’s a Thanksgiving to remember in Green Bay.
“I think the healing process is great to really honour him for what he accomplished here and move forward together,” said Aaron Rodgers, who replaced Favre at quarterback.
Favre’s number actually already has been retired by the Packers. That happened in July in a ceremony held in conjunction with his induction into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Judging by the overwhelmingly favourable reaction that Favre received then from a crowd of 70,000, Lambeau should be rocking tonight.
Too bad Rodgers and the rest of the Packers will be in the locker-room at halftime while Favre is feted on the field.
Hall-of-Fame quarterback Bart Starr, who is recovering from two strokes and a heart attack, also is scheduled to attend the game.
“We’ve got to stay focused on the game, and our players will,” said Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy.
“But this is obviously a very special, special time in the Green Bay Packers’ history,” he noted.
“The fact that you’ll have Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers together for a moment I think will obviously be special and unique.”
There’s a game to play, too, and one thing to note is Green Bay’s offence is back.
It’s not nearly back to the high-octane level that mystified defences last season, though the 30-13 victory Sunday over Minnesota broke the Packers out of their slumber.
A key for Green Bay tonight is to get continued production out of running back Eddie Lacy.
He broke out of a season-long slump after gaining 100 yards on 22 carries against the Vikings.
As for Chicago, Bears’ running back Matt Forte appears set to return after missing three games with a knee injury.
Forte this week said he was able to cut and run at full speed at practice.
Forte had 141 yards rushing with a touchdown on 24 carries in the teams’ first meeting in the season-opener in September.
“I think the offence has evolved a lot since that first week,” noted Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler.
“So hopefully we can do much of the same, control the clock, get the run game get going.”
Cutler has been awful against the Packers on the road. He is 0-4 at Lambeau Field, with a quarterback rating of 41.1, three touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
But the Packers remain wary, especially since Cutler is 10 games into his first season with coach John Fox and offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase.
“He’s shown a lot of toughness to all of his teammates and the coaching staff. He’s working extremely hard,” Fox said about Cutler.
“I’ve got nothing but praise for him at this point.”
Meanwhile, the quick turnaround wont’t help two teams that had a combined 27 players on the injury report, including 16 for Green Bay.
Coaches faced the prospect of juggling as much work as possible at practice with the desire to get players rest.
It put a premium this week on paying attention in meetings and mastering the playbook.
