1997 IN REVIEW: The Packers entered the 1997 season with an opportunity to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the second time - and came breathtakingly close to achieving their objective. Sweeping to a second consecutive 13-3 mark, their victory total equaling a club record, they primed for the playoffs by closing out the regular season with a five-game winning streak, their second of the campaign. Having earned home-field advantage for their initial postseason test by winning a third straight NFC Central Division title, they launched their bid in workmanlike fashion turning back Tampa Bay in a divisional playoff for the third straight time in the year, 21-7, thereby padding their all-time home-field, postseason record to 12-0 and extending the longest such winning streak in pro football history. Faced with the need to win on the road to assure a return trip to the NFL's ultimate game, the Packers proceeded to smother the 49ers on a soggy, rain-swept afternoon in San Francisco's 3Com Park a week later, holding them without an offensive touchdown en route to a 23-10 victory in the NFC Championship Game and a berth in Super Bowl XXXII at San Diego. The latter subsequently proved to be a see-saw affair, one which found the Green and Gold trailing Denver at halftime, 17-14. Hopes of a repeat were high, however, when quarterback Brett Favre guided them 85 yards to a third touchdown and a 24-24 tie early in the fourth quarter. But the Broncos later scored with only 1:45 remaining and a last-minute Packers drive for a deadlock fell short when a Favre pass for tight end Mark Chmura was incomplete inside the Denver 20-yard line with only 28 seconds remaining, sealing a 31-24 Denver win.
NAMENOPOSHGTWGTCOLLEGEYRPRAGGHOW ACQUIRED
Don Beebe 82 WR 5-11 185 Chadron State 2 9 32 10 1996 UFA - Carolina
Steve Bono 13 QB 6- 4 212 UCLA 1 12 35 2 1997 FA - K City (1996)
Bucky Brooks 22 CB 6- 0 195 North Carolina 2 3 26 3 1996 FA - Buff (1994)
Robert Brooks 87 WR 6- 0 180 South Carolina 6 6 27 15 1992 Draft - 3rd round
Gilbert Brown 93 NT 6- 2 345 Kansas 5 5 26 12 1993 FA - Minnesota
LeRoy Butler 36 S 6- 0 200 Florida State 8 8 29 16 1990 Draft - 2nd round
Mark Chmura 89 TE 6- 5 253 Boston College 5 5 28 15 1992 Draft - 6th round
Shannon Clavelle 91 DE 6- 2 287 Colorado 3 3 28 6 1995 FA - Buffalo
Mark Collins 26 CB 5-10 202 Cal St-Fullerton 1 12 33 1 1997 FA - K City (1996)
Frank Winters 52 C 6- 3 300 West Illinois 6 11 33 13 1992 Plan B - K City
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age on September 1 G - Games Played FA - Free Agent
1997 PACKERS PRACTICE SQUAD
NAMEPOSCOLLEGEHOW ACQUIRED
Ronnie Anderson WR Allegheny College 1997 FA
Anthony Fogle CB Oklahoma 1997 FA
Randy Kinder CB Notre Dame 1997 FA
Jim Kitts FB Ferrum 1997 FA - Miami
Steve Lee FB Indiana 1997 FA - Baltimore
Billy Lyon DE Marshall 1997 FA
Blaine McElmurry S Montana 1997 FA
Joe Rowe CB Virginia 1997 FA
Kylie Wachholtz QB USC 1996 Draft - 7th round
Bold Italics - Made Active Roster
September 1 : Green Bay Packers (1-0) 38, Chicago Bears (0-1) 24
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers varied their winning formula somewhat in dispatching the Bears for the 66th time in the 78-year history of pro football's greatest rivalry. They permitted the Bears to prevail in the statistics and time of possession, categories in which they customarily dominate, and settled for the bottom line, a 38-24 margin in the score. And even the statistical (336 yards to 315) and time of possession (32 minutes, 47 seconds to 27 minutes, 13 seconds) advantages were somewhat misleading. The Packers were comfortably out front, 31-11, early in the fourth quarter and by 38-17 in the closing minutes when the Bears' Raymont Harris pulled Chicago within 14 points by way of a 68-yard scoring excursion up the middle. As Chicago was getting thumped in the fourth quarter, LB Brian Cox threw a temper tantrum at the officials and on the sideline, and was ejected from the game after flipping the bird to the crowd.
CHICAGO - 0 11 0 13 - 24
GREEN BAY - 3 15 6 14 - 38
1st - GB - Longwell, 38-yard field goal 4:23 GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - CHI - Harris, 1-yd run (Jim Flanigan from Todd Sauerbrun) 4:57 CHI 8-3
2nd - GB - Thomason, 1-yard pass from Favre (Levens from Favre) 9:09 GB 11-8
2nd - CHI - Jeff Jaeger, 42-yard field goal 13:04 TIED 11-11
3rd - GB - Longwell, 36-yard field goal 6:36 GREEN BAY 21-11
3rd - GB - Longwell, 29-yard field goal 10:45 GREEN BAY 24-11
4th - GB - Levens, 1-yard run (Longwell kick) 6:48 GREEN BAY 31-11
4th - CHI - R. Proehl, 22-yd pass from Kramer (Conversion failed) 11:32 GB 31-17
4th - GB - Wilkins, 1-yard fumble return (Longwell kick) 12:24 GREEN BAY 38-17
4th - CHI - Harris, 68-yard run (Jaeger kick) 12:52 GREEN BAY 38-24
September 7 : Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) 10, Green Bay Packers (1-1) 9
(PHILADELPHIA) - It was bound to happen, sooner or later. As the Packers flew into Philadelphia over the weekend, they had won nine straight regular and postseason games over the last two seasons -- 14 in a row if preseason games are included. The inexorable law of averages caught up with them in Veterans Stadium, when the proverbial "given day" arrived. The Packers rolled up 370 net yards of offense to the Eagles' 258, and three times were within Philadelphia's 10-yard line during the course of the afternoon but came away with three field goals, thus failing to score a touchdown for the first time since October 18, 1992, when they settled for two Chris Jacke field goals in a 17-6 loss to the Browns, 76 games ago. Rookie Ryan Longwell kicked field goals of 22, 18 and 27 yards to give the Packers a 9-3 lead going into the fourth quarter. And, after the Eagles had gone up 10-9 in the final period on a 2-yard scoring pass to Fred Solomon and Chris Boniol's conversion, the surprising rookie -- he had made all his six previous field goal attempts -- had an opportunity to pull out a victory but his 28-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 15 seconds remaining.
GREEN BAY - 0 6 3 0 - 9
PHILADELPHIA - 0 0 3 7 - 10
2nd - GB - Longwell, 22-yard field goal 7:06 GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Longwell, 18-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 6-0
3rd - PHIL - Chris Boniol, 32-yard field goal 2:28 GREEN BAY 6-3
3rd - GB - Longwell, 27-yard field goal 9:12 GREEN BAY 9-3
4th - PHI - Freddie Solomon, 2-yard pass from Detmer (Boniol kick) 13:04 PHIL 10-9
September 14 : Green Bay Packers (2-1) 23, Miami Dolphins (2-1) 18
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers lost another Super Bowl starter and nearly another game, too. Gilbert Brown sprained his right knee in the first quarter and the Packers, playing without five starters from last year, struggled to a 23-18 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes, including one to a wide-open William Henderson from 10 yards with 5:33 left as Green Bay bounced back from a loss at Philadelphia. Ryan Longwell, who missed a chip shot in the final seconds that would have beaten the Eagles, hit all three of his field goals to counter four from Miami's Olindo Mare. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino hit former Packers receiver Charles Jordan with a 29-yard TD pass with 1:47 left to pull Miami to 23-18. That prevented Marino from going three games without a touchdown pass for the first time in his 15-year career. Jordan had four catches for a career-best 100 yards. His 2-point conversion pass failed, however, and Miami's hopes of an upset died when the onside kick was recovered by Green Bay's Terry Mickens and Dorsey Levens gained 31 yards on three runs. Levens finished with a career-high 121 yards on 21 carries.
MIAMI - 6 3 3 6 - 18
GREEN BAY - 0 10 3 10 - 23
1st - MIA - Olindo Mare, 24-yard field goal 7:06 MIAMI 3-0
1st - MIA - Mare, 31-yard field goal 13:24 MIAMI 6-0
2nd - GB - Freeman, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 3:03 GREEN BAY 7-6
2nd - MIA - Mare, 22-yard field goal 13:05 MIAMI 9-7
2nd - GB - Longwell, 26-yard field goal 14:26 GREEN BAY 10-9
3rd - GB - Mare, 34-yard field goal 3:30 MIAMI 12-10
3rd - GB - Longwell, 24-yard field goal 12:34 GREEN BAY 13-12
4th - GB - Longwell, 39-yard field goal 0:08 GREEN BAY 16-12
4th - MIA - Charles.Jordan, 29-yard pass from Marino (Pass failed) 13:13 GB 23-18
September 21 : Green Bay Packers (3-1) 38, Minnesota Vikings (2-2) 32
(GREEN BAY) - Brett Favre was having such a good day that he began thinking about his golf game. Apparently he wasn't the only one who took a 24-point halftime lead for granted. Favre tied a career high with five touchdown passes and broke Bart Starr's team record with No. 153 as the Packers outlasted the Minnesota Vikings, 38-32, on Sunday for their 21st straight victory at Lambeau Field. The Vikings fell behind 31-7 at halftime but nearly stole Green Bay's victory when Brad Johnson burned the Packers' weakened secondary on four straight scoring drives. After getting outscored 24-0 in the second quarter, the Vikings quickly made a game out of it when Johnson capitalized on two turnovers with TD throws to Cris Carter and Jake Reed to cut it to 31-22. He led the Vikings to scores on their next two possessions, too, but Johnson failed when it mattered most. After completing his first 13 passes in the second half, Johnson misfired three straight times from midfield after the 2-minute warning to kill hopes of a monumental comeback. On fourth-and-10 from the Vikings 46, Reggie White blew past RT Korey Stringer and hit Johnson's arm just as he released and the ball fluttered to the grass. Green Bay got the ball back with 1.38 left and ran out the clock. Johnson hit Carter with a 3-yard scoring pass after Bill Schroeder fumbled the second-half kickoff. Then, after Jason Fisk intercepted a Favre pass at the Green Bay 24, Johnson found Reed for a 7-yard TD, and Charles Evans ran in the two-point conversion to make it 31-22. Favre responded with an 81-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard TD pass to Mark Chmura, his first since 1995, making it 38-22.
MINNESOTA - 7 0 15 10 - 32
GREEN BAY - 7 24 7 0 - 38
1st - MINN - Robert Smith, 1-yard run (Greg Davis kick) 7:36 MINNESOTA 7-0
4th - MINN - Davis, 31-yard field goal 0:48 GREEN BAY 38-25
4th - MINN - Reed, 27-yard pass from Johnson (Davis kick) 8:16 GB 38-32
September 28 : Detroit Lions (3-2) 26, Green Bay Packers (3-2) 15
(DETROIT) - They win when they should lose and lose when they're expected to win. It's hard to get a handle on the Detroit Lions. The Lions, 7 1/2-pomt underdogs, got another interception return touchdown from LB Reggie Brown and rode it to a 26-15 win over the Green Bay Packers. It left both teams with 3-2 records. Green Bay lost just three times last season on the way to the Super Bowl title. Detroit's offense, stymied in last week's upset at weak New Orleans, opened up behind the running of Barry Senders, and the passing of Scott Mitchell. Sanders, who has eight regular season 100-yard rushing games against Green Bay - including five of the last six - scampered for 139 yards on 28 carries. Mitchell, who turned the ball over four times at New Orleans, was nearly flawless in completing 17 of 27 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown without any interceptions.
GREEN BAY - 6 3 6 0 - 15
DETROIT - 0 17 3 6 - 26
1st - GB - Longwell, 36-yard field goal 6:13 GREEN BAY 3-0
1st - GB - Longwell, 19-yard field goal 11:25 GREEN BAY 6-0
2nd - DET - Reggie Brown, 45-yd int return (Jason Hanson kick) 5:00 DETROIT 7-6
2nd - DET - P. Chryplewicz, 4-yd pass from Mitchell (Hanson kick) 8:28 DET 14-6
2nd - GB - Longwell, 50-yard field goal 12:44 DETROIT 14-9
2nd - DET - Hanson, 53-yard field goal 15:00 DETROIT 17-9
3rd - GB - Schroeder, 7-yard pass from Favre (Conversion failed) 3:41 DET 17-15
3rd - DET - Hanson, 44-yard field goal 7:26 DETROIT 20-15
4th - DET - Hanson, 22-yard field goal 5:35 DETROIT 23-15
4th - DET - Hanson, 39-yard field goal 13:50 DETROIT 26-15
October 5 : Green Bay Packers (4-2) 21, Tampa Bay Buccaners (5-1) 16
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers and the Buccaneers are both back to their old ways. Barely. The reeling Packers halted their slide and thwarted Tampa's equally astonishing ascent with a 21-16 victory, their 22nd straight at Lambeau Field on Sunday. It wasn't easy. The Packers survived a second-half scare when Trent Dilfer misfired twice to Warrick Dunn from the Green Bay 42 with less than two minutes left. The Bucs, trying for their first 6-0 start, got one more shot. But with no timeouts and 38 seconds left, the game ended with Tampa Bay at its 46 after a 4-yard pass to Dunn. Tampa Bay has not had a winning season in 15 years. Dilfer led the Bucs on scoring drives of 63 and 90 yards following Hardy Nickerson's block of Ryan Longwell's 47-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter. Sparked by Nickerson's big play, the Buccaneers roared back from a 21-3 deficit, but couldn't pull off their first win in Green Bay since 1989. Dilfer drove the Buccaneers 63 yards in seven plays, with Mike Alstott leaping in from the 1 to pull Tampa Bay to 21-10 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
TAMPA BAY - 3 0 7 6 - 16
GREEN BAY - 0 21 0 0 - 21
1st - TB - Michael Husted, 23-yard field goal 11:10 TAMPA BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Freeman, 31-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 0:47 GREEN BAY 7-3
2nd - GB - Wilkins, 77-yard int return (Longwell kick) 6:41 GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - GB - Freeman, 6-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 14:16 GREEN BAY 21-3
3rd - TB - Michael Alstott, 1-yard run (Husted kick) 12:06 GREEN BAY 21-10
4th - TB - Warrick Dunn, 2-yard run (Conversion failed) 4:49 GREEN BAY 21-16
October 12 : Green Bay Packers (5-2) 24, Chicago Bears (0-7) 23
(CHICAGO) - The Green Bay Packers don't care that they were 11 1/2-point favorites over the winless Chicago Bears. And it didn't matter to the defending Super Bowl champions that they needed Chicago's unsuccessful 2-point conversion with 1:54 to go to hang on for a 24-23 victory Sunday. "Everyone expects the defending champs to blow everyone out every week. Well, that's not going to happen," Packers receiver Antonio Freeman said. "We're satisfied where we are." Brett Favre survived an early interception to throw three touchdown passes and help the Packers pull into a tie with Tampa Bay atop the NFC Central. The Bears, meanwhile, matched the worst start in their 78-year history and were defeated by their oldest rivals for the eighth straight time. Chicago also lost its first seven games in 1969, when it finished 1-13. The Bears pulled within a point on Erik Kramer's 22-yard touchdown pass to Chris Penn. Rather than go for an extra-point kick, Chicago coach Dave Wannstedt went for the lead. But Kramer's short pass sailed over Raymont Harris, who was covered on the play.
GREEN BAY - 0 14 7 3 - 24
CHICAGO - 10 0 7 6 - 23
1st - CHI - Raymont Harris, 1-yard run (Jeff Jaeger kick) 2:51 CHICAGO 7-0
1st - CHI - Jaeger, 41-yard field goal 11:02 CHICAGO 10-0
2nd - GB - Chmura, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 8:22 CHICAGO 10-7
2nd - GB - Levens, 1-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 13:24 GREEN BAY 14-10
3rd - CHI - Erik Kramer, 3-yard run (Jaeger kick) 6:42 CHICAGO 17-14
4th - GB - Longwell, 37-yard field goal 12:22 GREEN BAY 24-17
4th - CHI - Chris Penn, 22-yard pass from Kramer (Pass failed) 13:06 GB 24-23
October 27 : Green Bay Packers (6-2) 28, New England Patriots (5-3) 10
(NEW ENGLAND) - Brett Favre made the Super Bowl sequel as successful for the Packers as the original. Throwing on the run and scrambling for first downs, he baffled New England's defense with three touchdown passes as the Packers won, 28-10, Monday night, nine months and a day after they beat the Patriots for the NFL title 35-21. Trailing 10-7 late in the first half, Favre led the Packers on scoring drives of 75 yards in the second quarter, 99 in the third and 85 in the fourth. Both teams played down the rematch angle, focusing instead on correcting recent problems - two losses in three games for the Patriots and four wins by fewer than seven points for the Packers. The crowd was subdued most of the night as tradition prevailed: Super Bowl winners are 4-1 in games they have played the following season against the teams they beat for the title. Favre gave the Packers a 7-0 lead with a 6-yard pass to Dorsey Levens with 3:19 left in the first half. But the Patriots went ahead on Drew Bledsoe's 11-yard scoring pass to Ben Coates and Adam Vinatieri's 38-yard field goal. It was his 22nd consecutive successful attempt, the longest current streak in the NFL. Favre then gave the Packers a 14-10 halftime lead with a 32-yard pass to Mark Chmura 22 seconds before intermission. And when the Patriots couldn't score after getting a first down at the Green Bay l-yard line on their first series of the second half, Favre led the Packers on a 17-play, 99-yard march ending in his 20-yard scoring pass to Robert Brooks with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Levens, whose status for the game had been questionable because of a clavicle injury, finished the scoring with a 3-yard run with 2:46 left in the game. He rushed for 100 yards. Both teams had changed considerably since the Super Bowl. The Patriots have a new coach, Pete Carroll, who has been under pressure to show he can be as successful as his predecessor. Bill Parcells. And the Packers have been hurt by injuries. But Green Bay still has Favre, who completed 23-of-34 passes for 239 yards. And as he did in the Super Bowl, when he threw touchdown passes of 81 and 54 yards and ran for another, he outplayed Bledsoe.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 7 7 - 28
NEW ENGLAND - 0 10 0 0 - 10
1st - GB - Levens, 6-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 11:41 GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - NE - Coates, 11-yard pass from Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick) 4:05 TIED 7-7
2nd - NE - Vinatieri, 38-yard field goal 12:48 NEW ENGLAND 10-7
4th - GB - Levens, 3-yard run (Longwell kick) 12:14 GREEN BAY 28-10
November 2 : Green Bay Packers (7-2) 20, Detroit Lions (4-5) 10
(GREEN BAY) - The Green Bay Packers' beleaguered secondary is suddenly super, and rookie Darren Sharper is a main reason. Led by his 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Packers defeated Detroit, 20-10,
to stay atop the NFC Central with Minnesota. The Packers had struggled since losing starting CB Craig Newsome to a knee injury in their opener, but picked off four Scott Mitchell passes. Barry Sanders gained 105 yards on 23 carries for his career-high seventh straight 100-yard game. It was also his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game on the road, tying the NFL record held by Marcus Allen.
DETROIT - 7 3 0 0 - 10
GREEN BAY - 0 14 3 3 - 20
1st - DET - Tommy Vardell, 1-yard run (Jason Hanson kick) 9:32 DETROIT 7-0
2nd - GB - Hanson, 34-yard field goal 14:48 GREEN BAY 14-10
3rd - GB - Longwell, 23-yard field goal 4:36 GREEN BAY 17-10
4th - GB - Longwell, 44-yard field goal 8:16 GREEN BAY 20-10
November 9 : Green Bay Packers (8-2) 17, St. Louis Rams (2-8) 7
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers' found the St. Louis Rams' modest, 2-7 record somewhat deceptive in their latest assignment. Antonio Freeman caught seven passes for 160 yards and a touchdown as Green Bay held off the last team to beat it at Lambeau Field. The Rams, whose upset of the Packers in the 1995 opener is the only blemish in Green Bay's last 35 home games, were done in by 15 penalties that cost them 110 yards. Brett Favre had his first 300-yard passing game of the season as the Packers stay tied with Minnesota atop the NFC Central.
ST. LOUIS - 0 0 7 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 0 3 7 7 - 17
2nd - GB - Longwell, 44-yard field goal 10:58 GREEN BAY 3-0
3rd - STL - Lawrence Phillips, 8-yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick) 11:29 GB 10-7
4th - GB - Favre, 7-yard run (Longwell kick) 0:07 GREEN BAY 17-7
November 16 : Indianapolis Colts (1-10) 41, Green Bay Packers (8-3) 38
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indianapolis Colts finally found a team they could beat and it turned out to be the defending Super Bowl champions. Cary Blanchard kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colts a 41-38 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. It was the Colts' first victory this season but the third game-winning field goal by Blanchard against a defending Super Bowl champion in three years. With the Colts lined up at the Packers' 3-yard line, the game winner was nothing more than an extra-point kick, a gimme. "I'm not going to miss an extra point. I've never missed an extra point," Blanchard said. The Colts moved 72 yards in the final 5:19 after Green Bay tied the game 38-38 on Brett Favre's second touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. Paul Justin, who passed for a career-high 340 yards, completed four straight passes on the winning drive. His 27- and 28-yarders to Ken Dilger took the Colts to the Packers 1 with just under two minutes to go. Instead of trying for a touchdown, Justin dropped to his knee on three straight plays, forcing Green Bay to use its last time out and running the clock down to three seconds. Blanchard, whose field goals beat San Francisco two years ago and Dallas last year, then kicked the game-winner as time ran out. The Colts stormed onto the field in celebration.
GREEN BAY - 14 14 0 10 - 38
INDIANAPOLIS - 9 18 3 11 - 41
1st - GB - Levens, 3-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 1:57 GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - IN - Cary Blanchard, 42-yard field goal 7:12 GREEN BAY 7-3
1st - GB - Levens, 52-yard run (Longwell kick) 8:08 GREEN BAY 14-3
1st - IN - Harrison, 17-yard pass from Justin (Conversion failed) 12:37 GB 14-9
2nd - IN - Al Fontenot, 33-yd fumble ret (Brian Stablein fr Justin) 0:10 IND 17-14
2nd - IN - Belser, 50-yd lateral fr Robert Blackmon (Blanchard kick) 6:24 IND 24-14
2nd - GB - Levens, 1-yard run (Longwell kick) 10:28 INDIANAPOLIS 24-21
4th - IND - Blanchard, 20-yard field goal 15:00 INDIANAPOLIS 41-38
GAME 12 - November 24 : Green Bay Packers (9-3) 45, Dallas Cowboys (6-6) 17
(GREEN BAY) - For the Packers, finally getting the home tundra advantage over Dallas turned out to be less important than Dorsey Levens and Brett Favre. Levens rushed for a Packers-record 190 yards and Favre threw four touchdown passes as Green Bay routed Dallas, breaking a 10-10 halftime tie by scoring every time it touched the ball after intermission Green Bay was 9-of-9 on third downs after intermission, 13-of-17 for the game. After surrendering 467 yards last week in a loss to previously winless Indianapolis, it allowed Dallas only 211, and chipped in with a touchdown of its own - a 34-yard fumble return by Darren Sharper. A telling stat: Dallas had as many first downs as it had penalties, 11. But the most important is that the victory puts the Packers a game ahead in the NFC Central of Minnesota and Tampa Bay, which both lost. Their next two games are on the road against the Vikings and Bucs.
DALLAS - 3 7 0 7 - 17
GREEN BAY - 7 3 14 21 - 45
1st - GB - Levens, 7-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 9:12 GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - DAL - Richie Cunningham, 29-yard field goal 14:27 GREEN BAY 7-3
2nd - DAL - Deion Sanders, 50-yard int return (Cunningham kick) 13:41 DAL 10-7
4th - GB - Levens, 5-yard run (Longwell kick) 13:05 GREEN BAY 38-17
4th - GB - Sharper, 34-yard fumble return (Longwell kick) 13:27 GREEN BAY 45-17
December 1 : Green Bay Packers (10-3) 27, Minnesota Vikings (8-5) 11
(MINNESOTA) - Mike Holmgren has no more demons to exorcise and neither does a Green Bay defense that just two weeks ago gave up 41 points and 467 yards to the worst team in the NFL. Holmgren's Packers made it back to the playofts by beating the Vikings 27-11 Monday night as Dorsey Levens ran for two touchdowns, Brett Favre threw for another and Reggie White recorded 2 1/2 of the Packers' six sacks. The win ensured Green Bay of at least a wild-card playoff berth and sent Minnesota to its third straight loss. The Packers can clinch the NFC Central title and a first-round bye with a win next week in Tampa. It was the first win in the six games the Packers have played under Holmgren in the Metrodome. It came eight days after his first victory in eight tries against Dallas. And Green Bay's defense dominated for the second straight week after a 41-38 loss in Indianapolis two weeks ago. The Packers sacked Brad Johnson six times, and held Minnesota to just 144 yards in the first three quarters. As they often do, the Packers started slowly, breaking a 3-3 tie on Favre's 18-yard TD pass to Robert Brooks with 2:10 left in the first half, then scoring again 3:36 into the second half on Levens' 3-yard run. Levens' score was set up by Doug Evans' interception of Johnson on the second play after intermission. Green Bay also got the luck it hadn't had in previous forays to Minneapolis, like Minnesota's Corey Fuller dropping a sure interception in the end zone one play before Favre hit Brooks for the touchdown. Unlike the first game, a 38-32 Packer win in Green Bay, there was little offense early. For almost 28 minutes, the only scores were field goals of 30 yards by Green Bay's Ryan Longwell and 42 by Minnesota's Eddie Murray. But late in the half, Favre, who completed just 4 of his first 14 passes, hit 3 of 4 in moving the Packers 86 yards in 11 plays. He scrambled 12 yards on a third down to keep the drive alive and capped it with his TD pass to Brooks. Levens' first TD, from 3 yards out, made it 17-3 and then the defense took over. After Longwell's 35-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright, the Vikings got two quick first downs. But Seth Joyner hurried Johnson into an incomplete pass on third down at midfleld. Then David Palmer returned a punt 38 yards to the Green Bay 31, but the Vikings went nowhere and Murray missed a 44-yard field goal attempt. Midway through the fourth quarter, Green Bay's defense set up Longwell's 19-yard field goal by recovering a Johnson fumble. Leroy Hoard's 4-yard run with 3:30 left in the game and Randall Cunningham's pass to Cris Carter for a 2-point conversion made it 20-11.
GREEN BAY - 3 7 7 10 - 27
MINNESOTA - 0 3 0 8 - 11
1st - GB - Longwell, 30-yard field goal 9:44 GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - MIN - Eddie Murray, 42-yard field goal 0:09 TIED 3-3
2nd - GB - Brooks, 18-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 12:50 GREEN BAY 10-3
3rd - GB - Levens, 3-yard run (Longwell kick) 3:36 GREEN BAY 17-3
4th - GB - Longwell, 19-yard field goal 6:58 GREEN BAY 20-3
4th - MIN - Leroy Hoard, 4-yard run (Carter pass from Cunningham) 11:30 GB 20-11
4th - GB - Levens, 5-yard run (Longwell kick) 13:17 GREEN BAY 27-11
December 7 : Green Bay Packers (11-3) 17, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) 6
(TAMPA BAY) - The Green Bay Packers aren't ready to relinquish supremacy in the NFC Central. The defending Super Bowl champions clinched their third straight division title, as well as a first-round bye in the playoffs, with a 17-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. With the second-place Bucs needing a victory to earn their first playoff berth since 1982, the game was billed as Tampa Bay's biggest since the franchise appeared in the 1979 NFC title game. The crowd of 73,523 at Houlihan's Stadium was the largest ever to watch a Bucs home game and saw Brett Favre throw two touchdown passes to become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 30 TDs in four consecutive seasons. Favre, the two-time league MVP, threw 43 yards to Robert Brooks and 8 yards to Dorsey Levens for scores before leading an 88-yard field goal drive that lasted more than 10 minutes to put the game out of reach with 6:24 to go. Tampa Bay's offense sputtered all day, but especially after Trent Dilfer sprained his right ankle late in the first half. The Bucs quarterback was not effective when he returned in the third quarter and eventually was replaced by Steve Walsh. The Packers, coming off emotional victories over Dallas and Minnesota the previous two weeks, beat Tampa Bay for the ninth time in 10 meetings. Favre completed 25 of 33 passes for 280 yards and was intercepted once. Dilfer was 6-of-l 7 for 67 yards and was injured when Reggie White dropped him for a 6-yard loss on one of Green Bay's four sacks. The Bucs, who outplayed the Packers during a 21-16 loss at Lambeau Field on Oct 5, can still clinch a playoff berth by winning one of their remaining two games against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears.
GREEN BAY - 7 0 7 3 - 17
TAMPA BAY - 3 3 0 0 - 6
1st - TB - Michael Husted, 24-yard field goal 6:18 TAMPA BAY 3-0
1st - GB - Brooks, 43-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 10:14 GREEN BAY 7-3
2nd - TB - Husted, 48-yard field goal 13:15 GREEN BAY 7-6
3rd - GB - Levens, 8-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 8:57 GREEN BAY 14-6
4th - GB - Longwell, 27-yard field goal 8:36 GREEN BAY 17-6
December 14 : Green Bay Packers (12-3) 31, Carolina Panthers (7-8) 10
(CAROLINA) - Different season, same result. The Green Bay Packers once again methodically knocked the last breaths of hope out of the Carolina Panthers. Brett Favre threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns and the Packers got 86 yards rushing from Aaron Hayden and 73 from Dorsey Levens to extend their winning streak to four games with a 31-10 victory over Carolina on Sunday. The Packers had already wrapped up its third consecutive NFC Central title and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs and a second-round game at Lambeau Field. Green Bay can get home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs if it wins its regular season finale and the San Francisco 49ers lose both their remaining games. The Panthers' future is much more certain. The loss eliminated Carolina from postseason contention, regardless of what it does in its final game against St. Louis. Green Bay defeated Carolina 30-13 in last season's NFC title game because the Panthers repeatedly make big plays on the way to completing 18 of 34 passes. Levens took off most of the fourth quarter and was replaced by Hayden, who found the Carolina defense just as receptive. Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins completed just six of 26 passes for 51 yards.
GREEN BAY - 14 3 7 7 - 31
CAROLINA - 0 3 0 7 - 10
1st - GB - Freeman, 58-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:22 GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Brooks, 20-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 14:34 GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - CAR - John Kasay, 43-yard field goal 6:55 GREEN BAY 14-3
2nd - GB - Longwell, 31-yard field goal 13:37 GREEN BAY 17-3
3rd - GB - Freeman, 6-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:10 GREEN BAY 24-3
4th - CAR - Fred Lane, 35-yard run (Kasay kick) 0:44 GREEN BAY 24-10
4th - GB - Hayden, 6-yard run (Longwell kick) 10:54 GREEN BAY 31-10
December 20 : Green Bay Packers (13-3) 31, Buffalo Bills (6-10) 21
(GREEN BAY) - The only mission the Green Bay Packers didn't accomplish Saturday was getting Dorsey Levens the club single-season rushing record. They achieved all their other goals in a 31-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills, the most significant of which was keeping Brett Favre & Co. healthy. In a regular season finale that meant nothing for the playoff picture, the Packers kept their momentum going - despite a clumsy second half by their subs - in stretching their winning streak at Lambeau Field to 26. They even made history. Flanker Robert Brooks joined Antonio Freeman in giving the Packers two 1,000-yard receivers for the first time in their 78-year history. Factor in Levens' 1,000-yard rushing season, and the Packers have a balanced attack as they head into the playoffs in defense of their Super Bowl title. Levens fell 39 yards short of Jim Taylor's 35-year-old record of 1,474 rushing yards. Playing into the fourth quarter, Levens gained 71 yards on 22 carries. He had 25 more yards wiped out by two holding penalties. Rookie Darren Sharper tied the team record for most defensive TDs in a season (three) with a 20-yard interception of Alex Van Pelt in the fourth quarter. Favre was slow getting up after a hit by defensive end Phil Hansen on his first dropback, but he bounced back to put on another strong display, making him a strong candidate for an unprecedented third consecutive MVP award. On one play, Favre scrambled right, slipped three rushers and hit Mark Chmura for a first down. Then, he hit a leaping Brooks with an 18-yard bullet in tight coverage and the crowd chanted, "MVP! MVP! MVP!" Favre completed 12-of-18 passes for 156 yards and two TDs, his 34th and 35th of the season, and left at halftime with Green Bay ahead 21-0. Buffalo lost for the sixth time in seven games, and Bills special teams star Steve Tasker said goodbye a little early by getting ejected on the day he retired. Tasker decided not to catch a punt deep in his own territory less than two minutes into the game. As he got out of the way, the ball bounced inside the 5-yard line and grazed the back of the Bills' Raymond Jackson and caromed into the hands of Tyrone Davis for a Packers touchdown. Referee Mike Carey immediately signaled the score, and the usually easygoing Tasker protested. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected. It was Davis' first career touchdown. Then, the tight end added his first TD reception, a 2-yarder, that made it 21-0 in the second quarter.
BUFFALO - 0 0 8 13 - 21
GREEN BAY - 14 7 3 7 - 31
1st - GB - Davis recovered fumble in end zone (Longwell kick) 1:37 GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Freeman, 4-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 11:41 GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - GB - Davis, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:34 GREEN BAY 21-0
3rd - GB - Longwell, 35-yard field goal 11:22 GREEN BAY 24-0
3rd - BUF - A. Smith, 5-yard run (Jay Riemersma from Alex Van Pelt) 14:37 GB 24-8
4th - BUF - Smith, 1-yard run (Conversion failed) 3:36 GREEN BAY 24-14
4th - GB - Sharper, 20-yard int return (Longwell kick) 10:18 GREEN BAY 31-14
4th - BUF - Van Pelt, 1-yard run (Steve Christie kick) 12:55 GREEN BAY 31-21
(SAN FRANCISCO) - In the final accounting, the game appeared to turn on a dramatic second quarter interception - a theft that abruptly converted a major 49er threat into a Green Bay touchdown - the Packers' first of the game. Appropriately, the larceny was committed by the NFL's leading active interceptor, free safety Eugene Robinson, possessor of 49 career "picks" in regular season play. Four plays earlier, a 43-yard pass-run collaboration between San Francisco QB Steve Young and WR J.J. Stokes had flown the 49ers all the way to the Packers' 30-yard line. With the Niners in a third-and-8 situation at the Green Bay 28 and trailing by only 3-0, Young unfurled a pass intended for tight end Brent Jones. Robinson, however, swept in front of Jones, pulled in the football and headed up the field. Cutting back to his right when he was about to be tackled, he cantered 58 yards to the San Francisco 28-yard line before being run to earth by 49ers' C Chris Dalman. Following the "exchange," Levens had to be content with one yard on first down but, on second down, Favre found split end Antonio Freeman in the open and, the latter, making deft maneuvers through the San Francisco secondary, raced 27 yards into the end zone. The conversion by Ryan Longwell, who earlier had provided the Packers' first points with a 19-yard field goal in the first quarter, padded the Packers' lead to 10-0. The 49ers subsequently were able to end their scoring drought with a 28-yard Gary Anderson field goal, but the Packers retaliated with a 43-yard three-pointer by Longwell on the final play of the first half, sending the Green and Gold into the intermission with a 13-3 lead - one that was eventually decisive though they later added a third Longwell field goal in the third quarter and a second and final touchdown by way of a 5-yard burst up the middle by Levens with 3:10 left in the game. With the 10-point lead, the Packers turned over the ball control responsibilities to Levens in the second half and he responded with a slashing performance, rushing for 71 yards in 17 of his game-high 27 attempts en route to the his new postseason, single-game record, which surpasses his 112-yard effort in the divisional playoff game against the Buccaneers January 4. Favre, who threw no interceptions and was sacked only once, had a remarkably efficient passing performance under the soggy circumstances, completing 16
(SAN DIEGO) - Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns to lead the Broncos to their first NFL championship and break the NFC's streak of Super Bowl victories at 13. The defending Super Bowl champion Packers took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards in just over four minutes, scoring the first points on Brett Favre's 22-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. The Broncos responded with a 10-play, 58-yard drive capped by Davis's 1-yard run to tie the game. Tyrone Braxton intercepted Favre two plays later, and John Elway scored on a third-and-goal play to begin the second quarter. Steve Atwater forced Favre to fumble three plays later, and Neil Smith recovered at the Packers' 33. Jason Elam converted a 51-yard field goal, the second longest in Super Bowl history, to give the Broncos a 17-7 lead with 12:21 left in the half. After an exchange of punts, the Packers produced a 17-play, 95-yard drive that consumed 7:26 and finished with Favre's 6-yard touchdown pass to Mark Chmura on third-and-5 with 12 seconds left in the half. Tyrone Williams forced and recovered Davis's fumble at the Broncos' 26 on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. However, the Broncos' defense kept the Packers out of the end zone as Ryan Longwell's 27-yard field goal tied the game with 11:59 left in the third quarter. After another exchange of punts, Elway's 36-yard pass to Ed McCaffrey keyed a 13-play, 92-yard drive capped by Davis's 1-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left in the third quarter. Tim McKyer recovered Freeman's fumble at the Packers' 22 on the
ensuing kickoff return, giving the Broncos a golden opportunity, but Eugene Robinson intercepted Elway's pass in the end zone on the next play. Sparked by Robinson's play, the Packers took just four plays, three on passes to Freeman, to score the tying touchdown with 13:32 to go. Each defense stiffened, forcing two punts, but the Broncos got great field position following Craig Hentrich's 39-yard punt to the Packers' 49 with 3:27 left and the score tied 24-24. Davis rushed for two yards on the first play, but Darrius Holland's 15-yard facemask
penalty moved the ball to the Packers' 32. Elway threw a 23-yard pass to Howard Griffith two plays later, and after a holding penalty, Davis rushed 17 yards to the Packers' 1 with 1:47 left. After a timeout, Davis waltzed into the end zone to give Denver a 31-24 lead with 1:45 remaining. Freeman returned the kickoff 22 yards to the Packers' 30, and Favre completed 22- and 13-yard screen passes to Dorsey Levens to reach the Broncos' 35 with 1:04 left. But after a 4-yard pass to Levens and incompletions to Freeman and Brooks, John Mobley knocked away Favre's pass to Chmura with 32 seconds left to give the Broncos the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Elway was 12 of 22 for 123 yards, with an interception. Favre was 25 of 42 for 256 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. Freeman had nine receptions for 126 yards.
GREEN BAY - 7 7 3 7 - 24
DENVER - 0 3 0 7 - 31
1st - GB - Freeman, 22-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 4:02 GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - DEN - Terrell Davis, 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick) 9:21 TIED 7-7
2nd - DEN - John Elway, 1-yard run (Elam kick) 0:05 DENVER 14-7
2nd - DEN - Elam, 51-yard field goal 2:39 DENVER 17-7
4th - DEN - Davis, 1-yard run (Elam kick) 13:15 DENVER 31-24
NOVEMBER (3-1)
2 DETROIT LIONS (4-4) W 20-10 7- 2-0 60,126 Favre
9 ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-7) W 17- 7 8- 2-0 60,093 Favre
16 at Indianapolis Colts (0-10) L 38-41 8- 3-0 60,928 Favre
23 DALLAS COWBOYS (6-5) W 45-17 9- 3-0 60,111 Favre
DECEMBER (4-0)
1 at Minnesota Vikings (8-4) W 27-11 10- 3-0 64,001 Favre
7 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) W 17- 6 11- 3-0 73,523 Favre
14 at Carolina Panthers (7-7) W 31-10 12- 3-0 70,887 Favre
20 BUFFALO BILLS (6-9) W 31-21 13- 3-0 60,108 Favre
1997 PLAYOFFS (2-1)
JANUARY - NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF
4 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (11-6) W 21- 7 60,327 Favre
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
11 at San Francisco 49ers (14-3) W 23-10 68,987 Favre
SUPER BOWL XXXII AT SAN DIEGO
25 Denver Broncos (15-4) L 24-31 68,912 Favre
1997 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (5-0) - JULY (2-0)
26 MIAMI DOLPHINS W 20- 0 1- 0-0 59,089
31 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS W 7- 3 2- 0-0 60,778
AUGUST (3-0)
8 at Oakland Raiders W 37-24 3- 0-0 42,956
16 vs Buffalo Bills at Toronto W 35- 3 4- 0-0 53,896
22 MADISON-NEW YORK GIANTS W 22-17 5- 0-0 76,704
1997 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (13-3) - SEPTEMBER (3-2)
1 CHICAGO BEARS (0-0) W 38-24 1- 0-0 60,766 Favre
7 at Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) L 9-10 1- 1-0 66,803 Favre
14 MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-0) W 23-18 2- 1-0 60,075 Favre
21 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-1) W 38-32 3- 1-0 60,115 Favre
28 at Detroit Lions (2-2) L 15-26 3- 2-0 78,110 Favre
OCTOBER (3-0)
5 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-0) W 21-16 4- 2-0 60,100 Favre
12 at Chicago Bears (0-6) W 24-23 5- 2-0 62,212 Favre
27 at New England Patriots (5-2) W 28-10 6- 2-0 59,972 Favre
2nd - GB - Longwell, 21-yard field goal TIED 10-10
2nd - GB - Longwell, 44-yard field goal GREEN BAY 13-10
3rd - GB - Emory Smith, 3-yard pass from Bono (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 20-10
3rd - GB - Mayes, 10-yard pass from Pederson (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 27-10
3rd - OAK - Joe Aska, 1-yard run (Ford kick) GREEN BAY 27-17
4th - GB - Longwell, 34-yard field goal GREEN BAY 30-17
4th - GB - Darkins, 6-yard run (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 37-17
4th - OAK - Olanda Truitt, 11-yard pass from Donald (Ford kick) GB 37-24
PRE-SEASON - August 16: Green Bay (4-0) 35, Buffalo 3
(TORONTO) - As if the Packers don't have enough weapons already, rookie Darren Sharper has given the defending Super Bowl champions yet another one. Sharper set up three touchdowns, and the Packers scored on three of their first four possessions en route to a 35-3 victory over the Bills on Saturday in the American Bowl. Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Freeman, and Dorsey Levens scored on a 25-yard touchdown run as the Packers built a 21-0 first-half lead. Doug Pederson added a 16-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mayes, and Aaron Hayden had a 15-yard TD run in the second half as the Packers improved to 4-0 in the exhibition season
BUFFALO - 0 2 7 6 - 3
GREEN BAY - 7 0 7 3 - 35
1st - GB - Freeman, 18-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - GB - Levens, 24-yard run (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 14-0
2nd - GB - Freeman, 3-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 21-0
3rd - GB - Mayes, 15-yard pass from Pederson (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 28-0
3rd - BUF - Steve Christie, 41-yard field goal GREEN BAY 28-3
4th - GB - Hayden, 15-yard run (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 35-3
PRE-SEASON - August 22: Green Bay (5-0) 22, New York Giants 17
(MADISON) - Despite committing 5 turnovers, the Packers closed out their preseason with a winning effort before a vocal, record-breaking crowd. The capacity house, 76,704, represented the largest gathering ever to attend a Packers game in Wisconsin. The previous record came on August 9, 1986, when a turnout of 73,959 sat in on the Packers' very first appearance in Madison. Doug Pederson engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to pull out the come-from-behind victory, scoring the first of them himself on a one-yard run to cap a 10-play, 83-yard push, thus lifting the Packers to within two points of the Giants, 17-15. An attempted pass for a 2-point conversion failed when Pederson's throw intended for Don Beebe was incomplete. After the Giants were forced to punt following the succeeding kickoff, Bill Schroeder put the Packers in prime position to win with an electrifying, 55-yard punt return to the Giants' 7-yard line. Pederson promptly passed for the winning touchdown, hitting Jeff Thomason for the score on first down. Rookie Ryan Longwell, a pleasant surprise in the absence of the injured heir apparent to Chris Jacke, Brett Conway, provided the Packers' other points. Longwell made three field goals and added one conversion. Brett Favre retired to the sideline early in the second quarter after completing 4 of 8 passing attempts for 45 yards, with one interception, his first of the preseason in 56 attempts. Successor Steve Bono, playing into the third quarter, had to settle for 7 completions in 20 attempts, good for 94 yards, with 2 interceptions.
NY GIANTS - 3 14 0 6 - 17
GREEN BAY - 7 7 21 0 - 22
1st - GB - Longwell, 50-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - NY - Brad Daluiso, 53-yard field goal TIED 3-3
2nd - NY - Ike Hilliard, 30-yard pass from Kanell (Daluiso kick) NY GIANTS 10-3
2nd - GB - Longwell, 28-yard field goal NEW YORK GIANTS 10-6
3rd - GB - Longwell, 49-yard field goal NEW YORK GIANTS 10-9
4th - NY - Tyrone Wheatley, 1-yard run (Daluiso kick) NEW YORK GIANTS 17-9
4th - GB - Pederson, 1-yard run (Pass failed) NEW YORK GIANTS 17-15
(GREEN BAY) - Last year, Robert Brooks. This year, Edgar Bennett. The Packers, who lost their best receiver to a knee injury last October, will have to ditch the tailback tandem that diversified their offense and carried them to the Super Bowl title. The champions lost Bennett for the season with a torn Achilles tendon in a 20-0 preseason win Saturday over Miami. Bennett was injured on an 18-yard run on the Packers' second possession. His loss leaves Dorsey Levens as Green Bay's primary rusher. "It just put a damper on what we did today," said All-Pro safety LeRoy Butler, who has played with Bennett since high school. "He's like a brother to me." Levens, a fourth-year pro from Georgia Tech who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, has never been an every-down back but has exceled in everything the Packers have asked him to do. He'll be asked to do a lot more now that Bennett, the Packers' leading rusher the last three seasons, is gone. The game was the first played on the new hybrid surface called SportGrass, a concoction of sand, plastic matting and grass that drains better than the old grass-and-sand surface but which might not be as soft. The new surface was put in when the heating coils underneath were replaced following the NFC championship win at Lambeau Field.
MIAMI - 0 0 0 0 - 0
GREEN BAY - 3 10 0 3 - 20
1st - GB - Conway, 21-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Darkins, 1-yard Run (Conway kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - GB - Schroeder, 22-yard pass from Bono (Conway kick) GREEN BAY 17-0
4th - GB - Conway, 24-yard field goal GREEN BAY 20-0
PRE-SEASON - July 31: Green Bay (2-0) 7, New England 3
(GREEN BAY) - Brett Conway thought he had pressure on him before the Packers' preseason game against the Patriots. Now it's threefold. Conway missed three field goals in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Patriots, giving him four straight misses in six days. The Packers bade adieu to Chris Jacke, an unrestricted free agent, when they picked Conway in the third round of the draft. In eight seasons, Jacke scored 820 points for the Packers, three shy of the team record held by Don Hutson, including 114 points last season. He never missed three field goals in any game. Neither had Conway before. The Patriots, under new coach Pete Carroll, who took over when Bill Parcells left to coach the New York Jets, went ahead 3-0 on Adam Vinatieri's 52-yard field goal with 1:03 left in the third quarter. The 32-yard scoring drive was set up by LB Marty Moore's interception of a pass by Doug Pederson at the Patriots' 29-yard line. The Packers, who won their 22nd straight game at Lambeau Field, scored on Pederson's 11- yard screen pass to Aaron Hayden with nine minutes left, ending the Patriots' bid for their first shutout in 170 preseason games in their 37-year history.
NEW ENGLAND - 0 0 3 0 - 3
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 0 - 7
3rd - NE - Adam Vinatieri, 52-yard field goal (1:03) NEW ENGLAND 3-0
PRE-SEASON - August 8: Green Bay (3-0) 37, Oakland 24
(OAKLAND) - Brett Favre was trying to escape from a high pressure situation unscathed. Instead, he scored. Favre's acrobatic 5-yard scoring pass, as Raiders defensive end Lance Johnstone tried to pull him down, hit Derrick Mayes and set the tone for the Packers' victory over the Raiders. "I wanted to throw it out of the end zone, but it kind of floated on me a little bit," said Favre, who finished 11-of-17 for 158 yards. Mayes, Favre's unintentional target, caught 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Packers to their third straight exhibition victory. After missing the Raiders' exhibition opener with a right hamstring strain, former Packer Desmond Howard made his Oakland debut with kickoff returns of 18 and 26 yards in the first half. Raiders quarterback Jeff George, also making his first appearance in front of the hometown fans, was 2-of-7 for 63 yards, including a 52-yarder to James Jett.
GREEN BAY - 3 10 14 10 - 37
OAKLAND - 10 0 7 7 - 24
1st - OAK - Cole Ford, 35-yard field goal OAKLAND 3-0
1st - GB - Mayes, 5-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) GREEN BAY 7-3
1st - OAK - Napoleon Kaufman, 70-yard run (Ford kick) OAKLAND 10-7
of 27 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. The defense, which had shut down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense en route to a 21-7 victory in a divisional playoff game a week earlier, was even more effective against the 49ers. Fritz Shurmur's miserly defenders limited San Francisco to a lone field goal, the 49ers' touchdown having come on Chuck Levy's 95-yard kickoff return with 2:52 remaining in the game. The defensive unit, up on the bit throughout the dreary afternoon, literally put the clamps to San Francisco's running game, restricting the Californians to 33 yards in 18 attempts, an average of only 1.8 yards per rush. Young, a wily left-hander, was permitted to complete 23 of 38 passes for 250 yards, but also authored the second quarter interception that loomed large in the outcome, and was sacked four times for 26 yards in losses. The Williamses - Tyrone and Brian - led the Packers' defensive charge, the former weighing in with 7 unassisted tackles and the latter with 6. Tyrone Williams also was credited with three passes defensed and forced one fumble. Designated pass rusher Keith McKenzie played a key role in pressuring Young, sacking him twice for 13 yards in losses. In holding the 49ers without an offensive touchdown, the defense now has gone 31 consecutive quarters - reaching back into the regular season - without allowing a touchdown pass.
GREEN BAY - 3 10 0 10 - 23
SAN FRANCISCO - 0 3 0 7 - 10
1st - GB - Longwell, 19-yard field goal 12:12 GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Freeman, 27-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 3:30 GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - SF - Gary Anderson, 28-yard field goal 14:02 GREEN BAY 10-7
2nd - GB - Longwell, 43-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 13-7
4th - GB - Longwell, 25-yard field goal 9:56 GREEN BAY 16-7
4th - GB - Levens, 5-yard run (Longwell kick) 11:50 GREEN BAY 23-7
PLAYERS SIGNED - S Brad Edwards (Atlanta), LS Harper Le Bel (Atlanta), WR Qadry Ismail (Minnesota)
PLAYERS LOST - WR/KR Desmond Howard (Oakland)
FREE AGENCY - RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
PLAYERS LOST - None
TRANSISTION PLAYER DESIGNATION
None
1997 Packers Yearbook
1997 Packers Media Guide
Sports Illustrated - 19 January 1998
Sporting News Super Bowl Edition
Giants at Packers Program - 22 August
Lions at Packers Program - 2 November
Dolphins at Packers Program - 14 September
Vikings at Packers Program - 21 September
Buccaneers at Packers Program - 5 October
NFL Divisional Playoff Program
Super Bowl XXXII Program
Don Beebe
Brett Favre
Terry Mickens
Santana Dotson
Edgar Bennett
Antonio Freeman
(GREEN BAY) - In a contest more than slightly reminiscent of two earlier regular-season encounters, the resourceful Packers outlasted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-7, in their divisional playoff - the first postseason meeting between the teams. The Packers, defeating the Bucs for the third time this season in a tightfisted, defensive struggle, had bested Tampa Bay, 21-16, in the Floridians' first visit of the season to Lambeau Field (October 5) and subsequently repeated that success with 17-6 win at Tampa's Houlihan's Stadium December 7. The Green and Gold, holding a 13-0 lead at halftime on this occasion, appeared in position to put the game away at the start of the third quarter when Antonio Freeman returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown, but Darren Sharper drew a 10-yard holding penalty en route and the Packers found themselves beginning their third period exertions from their own 11-yard line. Favre, undeterred by the "setback," quickly maneuvered the Green and Gold into scoring position, directing a march that carried them to a first down at the Tampa Bay 25-yard line. On the eighth play of the drive, however, the Bucs' Donnie Abraham put an abrupt end to it, waylaying a Favre pass at the 6-yard line. The Buccaneers, taking advantage of the contretemps, then drove 94 yards in 8 plays for their only touchdown of the game, fullback Mike Alstott sweeping left end from 6 yards out for the score, and at 13-7, it briefly was a new game. Two exchanges later, the Packers decided it was time to settle the issue and they moved 54 yards in 9 plays for their final TD of the afternoon, Dorsey Levens bolting over left guard from the 2 for the score. QB Brett Favre then provided one of the afternoon's more titillating moments, scoring a 2-point conversion on a quarterback draw which saw him exuberantly attempt to "dunk" the football over the crossbar after charging into the end zone. Levens was a key factor in the winning process, setting a new Packer postseason single-game rushing record, 112 yards in 25
Dorsey Levens
Andre Rison
Reggie White
carries, to play a major role in both controlling and advancing the football. He also caught 4 passes for 29 yards to close out the day with 141 yards of total offense. Favre, meanwhile, had a productive afternoon despite heavy pressure from the Bucs' defense, weathering 4 sacks to completed 15 of 28 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown - the 19th postseason TD of his remarkable career. FS Eugene Robinson, mounting one of his best efforts, paced a miserly defense with 10 tackles (4 solos and 6 assists), fellow S LeRoy Butler and Keith McKenzie weighing in with key sacks and CB Tyrone Williams and S Mike Prior with interceptions. DT Bob Kuberski also authored one of the day's biggest plays, knocking snapper Dave Moore back from the line of scrimmage and blocking Michael Husted's 43-yard field goal attempt, which would have provided the first points of the game. The statistics reflect the tenor of the contest, the Packers finishing with 289 yards to the Bucs' 263, the visitors with 66 offensive plays to the Green and Gold's 64. The Packers, however, did manage to emerge with an edge in time of possession, 32:03 to the Buccaneers' 27:57.
TAMPA BAY - 0 0 7 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 7 6 0 8 - 21
1st - GB - Chmura, 3-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 9:24 GREEN BAY 7-0
2nd - GB - Longwell, 21-yard field goal 13:08 GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - GB - Longwell, 32-yard field goal 14:58 GREEN BAY 13-0
3rd - TB - Mike Alstott, 6-yard run (Michael Husted kick) 8:43 GREEN BAY 13-7
4th - GB - Levens, 2-yard run (Favre run) 1:23 GREEN BAY 21-7
TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS
APRIL 20 - Traded a 1997 6th-round choice to OAKLAND for a 1997 7th-round draft choice (WR Chris Miller)
AUGUST 26 - Traded past considerations to NY JETS for TE Tyrone Davis
OCTOBER 7 - Traded LB Wayne Simmons to KANSAS CITY for a 1998 5th-round draft choice (WR Corey Bradford)
BRETT FAVRE'S BACKUPS - PART TWO
FOR MORE FAVRE BACKUPS, GO TO THE 1995 PACKERS
* STEVE BONO (1997) - Bono played for Minnesota (1985-86), Pittsburgh (1987-88) and San Francisco (1989-93), before the 49ers traded him to Kansas City. He led the Chiefs to a 13-3 record and was selected for the AFC Pro Bowl team in 1995. The Chiefs turned the starting job over to Elvis Grbac and released Bono in 1997. He signed as a free agent with the Packers and appeared in two games, completing 5 of 10 passes for 29 yards. He spent the 1998 season with the Rams and 1999 backing up Steve Beuerlein in Carolina before retiring.
* RICK MIRER (1998) - Mirer was selected second in the 1993 draft by the Seahawks. He was traded to the Bears (with a 4th-round pick) for a 1st-round choice. Mirer signed a three-year, $11.4 million contract with the Bears, but played sparingly and was cut in the beginning of the 1998 season. He signed with the Packers, but did not appear in a game. They traded him to the Jets in 1999, where he replaced the injured Vinny Testaverde. He spent 2000 and 2001 in San Francisco, then two season with Oakland. Mirer was a starter for part of 2003. The Lions signed him in 2004, but he never threw a pass.
* MATT HASSELBACK (1999-2000) - Hasselbeck spent the 1998 season on the practice squad and then backed up Brett Favre for two seasons, throwing two touchdowns passes. He was traded to Seattle, and holds several franchise records, including leading the team to a franchise-best 13-3 record in 2005.
* AARON BROOKS (1999) - Brooks spent 1999 as a third-string backup, before the Packers traded him to New Orleans. He left the Saints after the 2005 season as the franchise leader in season and career touchdown passes. He spent an injury-riddled 2006 season with Oakland before retiring.
* DANNY WUERFFEL (2000) - The 1996 Heisman Trophy winner played seven seasons in the NFL for the Saints, Packers, Bears, and Redskins. He never threw a pass for the Packers. His pro highlight was winning the MVP award in World Bowl 2000 while playing for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europa.
* HENRY BURRIS (2001) - After a break-out season with Saskatchewan (2000), Burris spent several weeks as the Packers' third-string quarterback and on the practice squad in 2001. After spending 2002 with the Bears, he returned to the CFL, where he led Calgary to a 22-14 Grey Cup victory in 2008.
* CRAIG NALL (2002-05, 2007) - Nall started for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2003 and was the league's leading passer. In 2004, he played in 5 games for Green Bay, throwing for 4 touchdowns and a passer rating of 139.4. He went to Buffalo (2005) and Houston (2006), before he returned to Green Bay in December 2007. He went back to Houston in 2008, and then the UFL (2009).
* J.T. O'SULLIVAN (2004) - After two season in New Orleans, he was traded to the Packers in 2004, where he took a knee twice to end the game. Since then, he has been with the Bears (2005, 2007), Vikings (2005), Patriots (2006), Panthers (2006), Lions (2007), 49ers (2008) and Bengals (2009).
* AARON RODGERS (2005-07) - Rodgers spent 2005 as the Packers' #2 quarterback, and saw time in a win over the Saints and in a loss to the Ravens. In November 2006, Rodgers broke his left foot against the Patriots while filling in for an injured Brett Favre and missed the remainder of the season. Rodgers replaced an injured Favre against the Cowboys in November 2007. Rodgers completed 18 passes for 201 yards. He also threw his first touchdown pass.
* INGLE MARTIN (2006) - Martin spent 2006 as the Packers 3rd-string quarterback. After being released, he was with the Titans (2007-08), Chiefs (2008), Broncos (2009) and UFL (2009). He never threw an NFL pass.
* TODD BOUMAN (2006) - He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997, and remained there until 2002. He also played for the Saints, Packers, Rams, Ravens and Jaguars. He never appeared in a Packer game.
