Everyone remembers Reggie White's three sacks of Drew Bledsoe in that game. White was tired. So was the entire Packer defense. But they never got off the field for long periods of time which was desperately needed. I place that blame on the Walrus. Holmgren went for the jugular many times in the fourth quarter when the situation called for more conservative play calling. Maybe one day Holmgren can explain his thinking. John Elway's legacy will be that he played in five Super Bowls, winning his final two.
Favre's legacy will contain many attributes. He should have two rings instead of one. Only Mike Holmgren knows why. Let me also say that Mike Holmgren was a fine coach in the Pack's glorious history. He does have a street named after him not far from Lambeau Field. Holmgren helped the Packers to return to their glory and also helped harness Favre into a three-time MVP quarterback in his tenure there.
Holmgren helped the team win their first Super Bowl since Vince Lombardi did it in I, and others, think that there should have been at least one more championship. But that doesn't take away from the new winning tradition that Holmgren started in and which remains there until this day. But the Packers did it the hard way when it was all said and done.
It was an incredible journey with many hills and valleys, but the expedition led to the prize of all prizes Many of us thought it would be a two team race in the NFC North in , with the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings battling for the division title. But the Vikings were a mess on the field in , as injuries took their toll on the Vikes and the team finished and in 4th place in the division.
The surprise team of the division was clearly the Chicago Bears who ended up winning the NFC North with an record. But even that took some doing. Back to the injuries. The Green Bay squad was decimated by injuries. More quickly followed. All told, the Packers lost three starters each on offense and defense. The Packers also had their fair share of players who have still played in despite some having some lingering injury issues as well. In addition to the injuries, the Packers also were hurt by close losses throughout the season.
In their six losses, the Packers lost twice by field goals in overtime, twice by field goals in the last 10 seconds of the fourth quarter, and twice by four points, with both of those four-point losses coming on the road with quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured.
No team in NFL history had ever before had a six-loss season with all six losses by four points or fewer, according to Stats Inc. In addition to that unbelievable statistic, the Packers never trailed an opponent by more than seven points all season long. Why would I say that? For one, the Giants allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to score 28 points in the 4th quarter, which included a 65 yard game winning punt return by DeSean Jackson on the last play of the game.
The play was wiped out and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal only. The Giants and Bucs both finished , just like the Packers, but those losses that Sunday allowed the Packers to hold the tiebreaker over both teams.
The Packers still had to beat the Giants and Bears at home to make the playoffs, which they did, but it was the events of Week 15 of the NFL season which really allowed the Packers a chance to be a Wild Card team.
To the Super Bowl, the Packers had to play three games on the road and in hostile environments. It started in Philadelphia, where the Packers had to try and exorcise a demon in the Eagles, who in the past had given the Packers two painful playoff losses in the City of Brotherly Love. The Packers did indeed exorcise a demon with a hard fought victory over the 3rd seeded Eagles, who they had also beaten in week one of the season , also in Philly.
The Packers once again got out to a lead, but once again the Eagles came back. The next opponent would be the 1st seeded Atlanta Falcons, who had beaten the Packers earlier in the season, also in Atlanta.
The Packers truly showed how good they could be in a dominant victory over the Dirty Birds. The Falcons took and early lead, but the Packers behind Rodgers, quickly tied the score.
The Packers then had one of their special teams hiccups, as they allowed a yard kickoff return by Eric Weems, as the Falcons took a lead. That would be the last time the Falcons would have the lead as Rodgers had a game for the ages, completing 31 out of 36 passes for yards and three TDs. Rodgers also had a rushing TD to boot. Williams had ended the game in Philly with a pick and the young CB had two more interceptions in this game.
None bigger than the 70 yard pick Williams took to the house with no time remaining in the 1st half. That interception for a TD gave the Packers a lead and the Pack never looked back. It would only be the second playoff game between these storied teams in their history. The Packers ended up winning the game , but the score should not have been as close as it was. But give da Bears credit, they ended up going through three QBs that day, and who would have guessed that the 3rd string QB would have the biggest amount of success against the Green Bay defense.
Rodgers had his poorest game in the playoffs this postseason, but he did get the Packers off to a quick start. But his play deteriorated after that as the Bears came back.
Defensively, the Packers were dominant until a QB by the name of Caleb Hanie entered the ball game due to injuries to starter Jay Cutler knee and backup Todd Collins shoulder. The Green Bay defense was led by CB Sam Shields, who had two picks, including the game winning clincher in the final minute of the game. Another big pick occurred earlier in the 4th quarter when NT B. Raji on a zone blitz, picked off Hanie and returned the pass 18 yards for a TD.
Rodgers was really sensational in the postseason. Rodgers had a That led to Rodgers being named MVP. But Rodgers could have had an even bigger game, as both Jordy Nelson and James Jones dropped some key passes, including a couple that could have been TD passes. That same affliction happened to Jones earlier this year against the Giants in the regular season and against Philly in the playoffs, when he dropped sure TD passes.
But Rodgers never stopped believing in his receivers and his receiving corp paid him back when he needed it. Nelson had a huge game in the Super Bowl as he had nine receptions for yards and a TD. Nelson dropped at least four other passes though, but he came through big time on the Packers last touchdown scoring drive with a 38 yard reception. As usual though, Rodgers looked for No.
Greg Jennings Jennings had four catches for 64 yards and two TDs, but none was bigger than the 3rd and 10 reception he made with the Packers holding a lead with about 6 minutes to go in the game. The Packers were on their own 25 yard line when Rodgers threw a frozen rope to Jennings on a skinny post that led to a 31 yard reception.
They didn't waste the opportunity. On the strength of some big-time plays — including Brett Favre's yard touchdown pass to Andre Rison in the first quarter and Desmond Howard's yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third — Green Bay powered past New England with relative ease.
The Patriots' four turnovers certainly helped. Green Bay's latest run to the Super Bowl required a series of improbable playoff victories, and the No. Green Bay jumped out to a lead, but Pittsburgh scored 14 unanswered and found itself down just four points going into the fourth quarter. Then Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. After the teams traded field goals, the Packers' defense stopped Ben Roethlisberger's comeback attempt in the final two minutes.
Below are all of their appearances, including their one loss from the season. Green Bay, of course, has had several chances to increase its number of Super Bowl appearances. The Packers have lost in the NFC championship game four times. Ahead of their Week 9 matchup, watch the Denver Broncos' greatest five plays against the Dallas Cowboys.
Ahead of their Week 9 matchup, watch the Chicago Bears greatest five plays against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ahead of their Week 9 matchup, watch the Pittsburgh Steelers' greatest five plays against the Chicago Bears. Ahead of their Week 9 matchup, watch the Cincinnati Bengals five greatest plays against the Cleveland Browns. Ahead of their Week 9 matchup, watch highlights from the Indianapolis Colts dominant win over the New York Jets in Week 3 of the season.
Watch Peyton Manning set an Indianapolis Colts single-game record with passing yards against the Chiefs in NFL Throwback.
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