The 1998 Green Bay Packers (11-5)

NAME NO POS HGT WGT COLLEGE YR PR AG G HOW ACQUIRED

Joe Andruzzi 70 G 6- 3 310 S.Connecticut St 1 1 23 15 1998 FA

Roosevelt Blackmon 23 CB 6- 1 185 Morris Brown 1 1 23 3 1998 Draft - 4th round

Michael Blair 27 RB 5-11 245 Ball State 1 1 23 11 1998 FA

Juran Bolden 46 CB 6- 2 201 Delta Comm Coll 1 3 24 3 1998 FA - Atlanta

Vaughn Booker 96 DE-DT 6- 5 300 Cincinnati 1 5 30 16 1998 Trade - K City

Corey Bradford 85 WR 6- 1 197 Jackson State 1 1 22 8 1998 Draft - 5th round

Robert Brooks 87 WR 6- 0 180 South Carolina 7 7 28 12 1992 Draft - 3rd round

Gilbert Brown 93 NT 6- 2 350 Kansas 6 6 27 12 1993 FA - Minnesota

Jonathan Brown 91 DE 6- 4 265 Tennessee 1 1 22 4 1998 Draft - 3rd round

LeRoy Butler 36 S 6- 0 198 Florida State 9 9 30 16 1990 Draft - 2nd round

Mark Chmura 89 TE 6- 5 255 Boston College 6 6 29 15 1992 Draft - 6th round

Kerry Cooks 45 S 5-11 202 Iowa 1 1 24 9 1998 FA

Russell Copeland 16 WR 6- 0 200 Memphis State 1 5 26 3 1998 FA - Philadelphia

Rob Davis 60 LS 6- 3 290 Shippensburg 2 3 29 16 1997 FA - Chi (1996)

Tyrone Davis 81 TE 6- 4 252 Virginia 2 4 26 13 1997 Trade - NY Jets

Jeff Dellenbach 67 C 6- 6 300 Wisconsin 3 14 35 16 1996 FA - New England

Earl Dotson 72 T 6- 3 315 Texas A&I 6 6 27 16 1993 Draft - 3rd round

Santana Dotson 71 DT 6- 5 285 Baylor 3 7 28 16 1996 UFA - Tampa Bay

Brett Favre 4 QB 6- 2 230 S. Mississippi 7 8 28 16 1992 Trade - Atlanta

Mike Flanagan 58 C 6- 5 290 UCLA 1 1 24 2 1996 Draft - 3rd round

Antonio Freeman 86 WR 6- 0 198 Virginia Tech 4 4 26 15 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Scott Galbraith 47 TE 6- 2 254 USC 1 9 31 1 1998 FA - Dallas (1997)

Bernardo Harris 54 LB 6- 2 248 North Carolina 4 4 26 16 1995 FA

Raymont Harris 29 RB 6- 0 225 Ohio State 1 5 29 8 1998 UFA - Chi (1997)

William Henderson 30 FB 6- 1 245 North Carolina 4 4 27 16 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Vonnie Holliday 90 DE 6- 5 296 North Carolina 1 1 22 12 1998 Draft - 1st round

Lamont Hollinquest 56 LB 6- 3 250 USC 3 5 27 14 1996 FA - Wash (1994)

Darick Holmes 22 RB 6- 0 226 Portland State 1 4 27 11 1998 Trade - Buffalo

Travis Jervey 32 RB 5-11 222 The Citadel 4 4 26 8 1995 Draft - 5th round

Jim Kitts 48 FB 6- 1 245 Ferrum 1 2 25 2 1998 FA - Washington

George Koonce 53 LB 6- 1 245 East Carolina 7 7 29 14 1992 FA

Bob Kuberski 94 NT 6- 4 298 Navy 4 4 27 16 1993 Draft - 7th round

Sean Landeta 7 P 6- 0 200 Towson State 1 14 36 16 1998 UFA - T Bay (1997)

Dorsey Levens 25 RB 6- 1 228 Georgia Tech 5 5 28 7 1994 Draft - 5th round

Antonio London 57 LB 6- 2 238 Alabama 1 6 27 1 1998 FA - Det (1997)

Ryan Longwell 8 K 6- 0 192 California 2 2 24 16 1997 FA - San Francisco

Billy Lyon 98 DT 6- 5 295 Marshall 1 1 24 4 1997 FA

Brian Manning 82 WR 5-11 186 Stanford 1 2 23 3 1998 FA - Miami (1997)

Derrick Mayes 80 WR 6- 0 205 Notre Dame 3 3 24 10 1996 Draft - 2nd round

Scott McGarrahan 43 S 6- 1 197 New Mexico 1 1 24 15 1998 Draft - 6th round

Keith McKenzie 95 DE 6- 3 264 Ball State 3 3 24 16 1996 Draft - 7th round

Craig Newsome 21 CB 6- 0 190 Arizona State 4 4 27 13 1995 Draft - 1st round

Doug Pederson 18 QB 6- 3 215 NE Lousiana 3 4 30 12 1996 FA - Miami (1993)

Roell Preston 88 WR 5-10 195 Mississippi 2 4 26 16 1997 FA - Atl (1996)

Mike Prior 45 S 6- 0 208 Illinois State 6 13 34 16 1993 UFA - Indianapolis

Marco Rivera 62 G 6- 4 305 Penn State 2 2 26 15 1996 Draft - 6th round

Bill Schroeder 84 WR 6- 2 198 UW-La Crosse 2 2 27 13 1996 FA - New England

Darren Sharper 42 DB 6- 2 210 William & Mary 2 2 22 16 1997 Draft - 2nd round

Rod Smith 31 CB 5-11 187 Notre Dame 1 7 28 8 1998 FA - Carolina

Pat Terrell 40 S 6- 1 208 Notre Dame 1 9 30 16 1998 UFA - Car (1997)

Jeff Thomason 83 TE 6- 4 255 Oregon 4 6 28 16 1995 FA - Cin (1993)

Adam Timmerman 63 G 6- 4 300 South Dakota St 4 4 27 16 1995 Draft - 7th round

Ross Verba 78 T 6- 4 302 Iowa 2 2 24 14 1997 Draft - 1st round

Jude Waddy 54 LB 6- 2 220 William & Mary 1 1 22 14 1998 FA

Mike Wahle 68 G 6- 6 306 Navy 1 1 21 1 1998 Sup Dr - 2nd round

Reggie White 92 DE 6- 5 300 Tennessee 6 14 36 16 1993 UFA - Philadelphia

Brian Williams 51 LB 6- 1 245 USC 4 4 25 16 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Tyrone Williams 37 CB 5-11 192 Nebraska 3 3 25 16 1996 Draft - 3rd round

Matt Willig 76 T 6- 7 315 USC 1 6 27 16 1998 UFA - Atl (1997)

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

1998 PACKERS PRACTICE SQUAD

NAME POS COLLEGE HOW ACQUIRED

Rodney Artmore S Baylor 1998 FA

Anthony Bass CB Bethune-Cookman 1998 FA

Michael Blair RB Ball State 1998 FA

Matt Hasselbeck QB Boston College 1998 Draft - 6th round

Taj Johnson WR San Diego State 1998 FA

Brian Manning WR Stanford 1998 FA - Miami

Anthony McKinney TE Connecticut 1998 FA

Denorse Mosley CB Edinboro 1998 FA

Jim Nelson LB Penn State 1998 FA

Pat Palmer WR Northwestern St 1998 FA - Washington

Pepe Pearson RB Ohio State 1998 FA

Tawambi Settles CB Duke 1998 FA

Jason Tucker WR TCU 1998 FA - Cincinnati

Bold Italics - Made Active Roster

SEASON REVIEW - A third straight trip to the Super Bowl, an entirely realistic goal at the outset, eluded the Packers in 1998, their 80th season. Historic accomplishment, however, did not. Overcoming multiple injury problems along the way, including the loss of Pro Bowl running back Dorsey Levens for nine games and center Frank Winters for the stretch run and postseason, each with a broken leg, they advanced to the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, a team record, while posting a seventh consecutive winning season. They also set another team record by stretching their Lambeau Field winning streak to 25 games -- the second-longest in NFL history -- before falling to the Minnesota Vikings the night of October 5. They went on to close out the regular season with an 11-5 mark, thus equaling another team standard by posting a double-digit victory total for the fourth consecutive year (following an 11-5 record in 1995 and 13-3 marks in both 1996 and 1997). The latter was only the second such parlay in the organization's annals, the first having come 67 years earlier, recorded by team founder Curly Lambeau's triple NFL champions of 1929-32 (12-0-1 in 1929, 10-3-1 in 1930, 12-2 in 1931 and 10-3-1 in 1932). In the wake of these considerable achievements, the Packers' season came to a dramatic and painful end in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at San Francisco on January 3, 1999, when they saw a 27-23 lead abruptly dissolve into a 30-27 49ers victory by way of a 25-yard Steve Young touchdown pass to wideout Terrell Owens, who fell across the goal line with only three seconds remaining. Only five days later, the team's head coach of seven years, Mike Holmgren, resigned to become executive vice president of football operations/general manager/head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Moving with his trademark decisiveness and swiftness, Wolf named former Philadelphia Eagles head coach (and one-time Green Bay defensive coordinator) Ray Rhodes -- the only candidate he had given serious consideration to -- as the 12th head coach in Packers history on January 11, 1999. The new Packers field general promises fans that Green Bay will be well-conditioned and more aggressive under his watch. Rhodes was subsequently able to retain Sherman Lewis, the team's highly-successful offensive coordinator under the previous coaching regime, while adding Emmitt Thomas, possessor of an excellent league-wide coaching reputation, as his defensive coordinator. The season also marked the end of Reggie White's career, as he announced his intent to retire. Hampered by a persistent back problem in 1997, he earlier had announced his retirement from the game - on the second day of the 1998 NFL draft (April 19) - but subsequently decided to play one more year to fulfill a promise he had made to Packers management when he signed a new, five-year contract late in the 1996 season - a commitment to play at least two seasons. Remembering that promise, he announced on April 21, had triggered his decision to return. He would return once more to play the 2000 season with the Carolina Panthers, and died tragically in December 2004.

(GREEN BAY) - With three seconds left and the Packers leading 27-23, 49ers quarterback Steve Young hit receiver Terrell Owens over the middle for the game-winning touchdown "It's disappointing, obviously," Coach Mike Holmgren said. "I tip my hat to them," Brett Favre said. "I thought we had 'em." On that game-winning drive, safety Scott McGarrahan forced a fumble on Jerry Rice and recovered. The referee ruled him down. General Manager Ron Wolf called for "Let's use the tool," Wolf said. "The team with the most points won the game." "We can sit here and make excuses all day," Favre said. "It's one of those great ball games." The Packers played with tremendous heart, gutting out a touchdown on the previous drive. Quarterback Brett Favre hit rookie receiver Corey Bradford on a fly pattern to get into scoring position, and then hit Freeman for his second touchdown of the game on a slant-and-go route for the score to take the lead. "(The call) was a toss sweep to the right," Favre said. "(I called) an audible. Free ran a great route." But Young made the plays when he had to, eluding a three-man rush on the final drive and making near-perfect throws under pressure. The Packers did send the blitz early. On the 49ers' opening drive, Butler blitzed untouched on third-and-three with four receivers split wide. Young ducked Butler and got off the pass to Owens. But safety Darren Sharper stripped the ball from behind and safety Pat Terrell recovered. Favre led his team down the field on the opening drive with short passes to running back Dorsey Levens and fullback William Henderson, and Levens' 28 yards rushing on the drive. On third-and-five on the San Francisco five, Favre zipped a bullet to tight end Tyrone Davis, who was split wide one-on-one with a 49er cornerback, but Davis, who hadn't played the last three weeks due to injury, let the ball shoot through his hands. The Packers settled for a 23-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to lead 3-0. On the Packers' second possession, safety Tim McDonald swatted the ball away from Levens and San Francisco recovered. On second-and-goal, Young found tight end Greg Clark alone in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. The 49ers led 7-3. On second-and-nine on the next drive, the Packers ran Levens out of the "I" formation with three receivers wide for a 17-yard gain. Henderson's block on linebacker Lee Woodall cleared the way up the gut. On fourth-and one, Holmgren split three receivers wide, sent Freeman in motion--a move that usually signals the play is a pass to Freeman--and then let Favre hand the ball to Levens, who shot through a hole on the right side outside tackle Earl Dotson and inside tight end Mark Chmura for a 22-yard gain to the San Francisco two yard line. On the next play, Favre went to Freeman on a little post pattern. Freeman, dragging safety Merton Hanks, who was flagged for illegally holding the Packers star, made an easy catch on Favre's gentle touch-pass for his 15th touchdown this season. On the ensuing drive, Young threw a fly pattern to J.J. Stokes down the left sideline, and Packers cornerback Tyrone Williams had perfect coverage with inside position and looked back for the ball as it came, knocked it away, and Sharper made his second big play, diving to make the interception. Green Bay took over at its own 18. The 49ers defense held, and Wade Richey hit a 34-yard field goal to tie the score, 10-10. Favre hit Freeman from the slot position over the middle for a big gain into San Francisco territory. But Longwell missed a 50-yard field goal and the score remained tied. After the Packers defense held, Pro Bowl returner Roell Preston fumbled the punt and the 49ers' long snapper Randy Kirk recovered on the Green Bay 18 yard line. But two plays later, Packers defensive end Vaughn Booker forced Young to throw early to Hearst, and linebacker George Koonce picked it off. On the ensuing drive, Chris Doleman and Roy Barker hit Favre late after he threw incomplete to Davis, and the referees tacked on two 15-yard penalties. Favre came back to hit receiver Robert Brooks on a slant route over the middle of the zone defense for a 24-yard gain. Right guard Adam Timmerman and center Jeff Dellenbach executed a beautiful screen for Levens, who took the pass down to the San Francisco three-yard line. Then Levens ran behind the right side again for the two-yard touchdown. The Packers went into the locker room with a 17-10 lead. Levens went into the locker room with 106 of the Packers' 215 total yards on 22 touches, including 79 yards on 17 attempts. He finished the game with 116 yards rushing and 37 more receiving. On the first drive of the second half, receiver Derrick Mayes made a spectacular catch falling backward and almost on his back. But then the 49ers defense stiffened against the run, Favre threw an interception on third and 21 to linebacker Lee Woodall, who returned it deep into Green Bay territory. Young found Clark again on a crossing pattern for a second touchdown to tie the score at 17. Like his first score, Clark pretended to fall down at the line, then got up uncovered and was wide open. The 49ers had a player on each side of the ball step up to make an impact. On defense, it was end Charles Haley, a probable Hall of Famer who put pressure on Favre on key plays. The other was running back

September 6 : Green Bay Packers (1-0) 38, Detroit Lions (0-1) 19

(GREEN BAY) - Scores by the Packers offense, defense and special teams helped start off the season on the right foot. Among the big plays were LeRoy Butler's 32-yard fumble return for a TD, Roell Preston's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Antonio Freeman's 84-yard touchdown reception.The contest was spiced by the 1998 debut of RB Dorsey Levens, who had joined the team on the practice field only the previous Monday after being a training camp and preseason holdout while working out a new contract. The defense, meanwhile, was limiting Detroit's redoubtable Barry Sanders to 70 yards rushing in 17 attempts, ending two streaks owned by 1997's NFL Co-MVP - for most consecutive regular-season games, 100-or-more yards rushing (14); and most consecutive road games, 100-or-more yards rushing (10).

DETROIT - 3 3 13 0 - 19

GREEN BAY - 10 7 7 14 - 38

1st - GB - Longwell, 32-yard field goal 5:41 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st- GB - Butler, 32-yard fumble return (Longwell kick) 8:37 GREEN BAY 10-0

1st - DET - Jason Hanson, 47-yard field goal 13:50 GREEN BAY 10-3

2nd - GB - Levens, 4-yard run (Longwell kick) 5:20 GREEN BAY 17-3

2nd - DET - Hanson, 43-yard field goal 14:17 GREEN BAY 17-6

3rd - DET - H. Moore, 25-yard pass from Mitchell (Conversion failed) 2:21 GB 17-12

3rd - GB - Freeman, 6-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 14:43 GB 24-12

3rd - DET - Terry Fair, 101-yard kickoff return (Hanson kick) 15:00 GB 24-19

4th - GB - Preston, 100-yard kickoff return (Longwell kick) 0:22 GREEN BAY 31-19

4th - GB - Freeman, 84-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 13:07 GB 38-19

September 13 : Green Bay Packers (2-0) 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) 15

(GREEN BAY) - In a strong defensive performance, the Packers limited the Buccaneers to 211 net yards and sacked Tampa QB Trent Dilfer 6 times - 3 courtesy of defensive end Reggie White. The game was a costly one, however, as RB Dorsey Levens broke his leg in the fourth quarter. Levens, still finding himself after sitting out training camp and the preseason, had to be content with 43 hard-earned yards in 18 carries, a 2.4-yard average, in the face of a tightfisted Tampa Bay defense. Brett Favre closed out a typically productive afternoon with 22 completions in 33 attempts for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns - the 185th and 186th of his seven-year Packers career - with, for the second week in a row, no interceptions. Green Bay's defense limited the Buccaneers to 211 net yards and sacked quarterback Trent Dilfer 6 times for 50 yards in losses, Reggie White posting three, Keith McKenzie two and Santana Dotson one of them. The Packers last previously managed to post six sacks in a game on December 1, 1997, in a 27-11 victory over the Vikings at the Minneapolis Metrodome.

TAMPA BAY - 0 0 0 15 - 15

GREEN BAY - 10 6 0 7 - 23

1st - GB - Longwell, 38-yard field goal 5:00 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - GB - Davis, 10-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:40 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - GB - Longwell, 27-yard field goal 7:09 GREEN BAY 13-0

2nd - GB - Longwell, 20-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 16-0

4th - GB - Freeman, 38-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 1:18 GREEN BAY 23-0

4th - TB - Jacquez Green, 95-yard punt return (Hape pass from Dilfer) 8:57 GB 23-8

4th - TB - Dave Moore, 2-yd pass from Dilfer (Michael Husted kick) 13:03 GB 23-15

September 20 : Green Bay Packers (3-0) 13, Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) 6

(CINCINNATI) - The Packers hit the road for the first time this season and put together another strong defensive effort, limiting the host Bengals to a mere 160 net yards. Bengals RB Corey Dillon was held to 28 yards on 16 carries. The offense, meanwhile, was putting up substantial numbers - 242 yards passing and 328 overall with the aid of Raymont Harris - and controlling the clock throughout, possessing the football for 35 minutes and 19 seconds compared to 24 minutes, 41 seconds for the Bengals. At the same time, Harris rushed for 76 yards in his first start with the Packers. Making his first game appearance since suffering an leg injury last December 7 while a member of the Chicago Bears, he rushed for 76 yards in 24 attempts to provide the Packers with a respectable ground attack while stepping in for the injury-idled Dorsey Levens. He also caught two passes for 10 additional yards. Brett Favre completed 23 of 35 passes for 274 gross yards and one touchdown, with one interception - his first of the season.

GREEN BAY - 7 3 0 3 - 13

CINCINNATI - 3 3 0 0 - 6

1st - CIN - Doug Pelfrey, 37-yard field goal 4:15 CINCINNATI 3-0

1st - GB - Brooks, 16-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 8:39 GREEN BAY 7-3

2nd - GB - Longwell, 30-yard field goal 5:02 GREEN BAY 10-3

2nd - CIN - Pelfrey, 19-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 10-6

4th - GB - Longwell, 35-yard field goal 1:19 GREEN BAY 13-6

September 27 : Green Bay Packers (4-0) 37, Carolina Panthers (0-3) 30

(CAROLINA) - On the road for the second consecutive week, the Packers held off a late Carolina rally to run their record to 4-0. Derrick Mayes had his most productive day as a pro, hauling in 5 passes for 87 yards and 3 touchdowns. Equally as impressive was QB Brett Favre, who threw for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns on the day. Green Bay amassed a season-high 487 yards while holding the host Panthers to 230, yet only twice during the course of a long, hot afternoon (the game required 3 hours and 29 minutes to play and the field temperature was 102 degrees at the opening kickoff) did they lead by more than a touchdown before ultimately prevailing, 37-30. Defensively, Reggie White and rookie Vonnie Holliday played havoc with Carolina QB Kerry Collins. Each sacked Collins twice, Holliday also being credited with two passes defensed and White with one pass defensed and one forced fumble.

GREEN BAY - 6 14 10 7 - 37

CAROLINA - 10 10 0 10 - 30

1st - CAR - John Kasay, 42-yard field goal 3:03 CAROLINA 3-0

1st - CAR - Raghib Ismail, 5-yd pass from Kerry Collins (Kasay kick) 4:43 CAR 10-0

1st - GB - Chmura, 25-yard pass from Favre (Kick failed) 13:56 CAROLINA 10-6

2nd - GB - Mayes, 21-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 4:20 GREEN BAY 13-10

2nd - CAR - Eric Davis, 16-yard interception return (Kasay kick) 6:02 CAR 17-13

2nd - CAR - Kasay, 42-yard field goal 12:33 CAROLINA 20-13

2nd - GB - Davis, 20-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 13:54 TIED 20-20

3rd - GB - Mayes, 4-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 6:52 GREEN BAY 27-20

3rd - GB - Longwell, 41-yard field goal 12:44 GREEN BAY 30-20

4th - CAR - Kasay, 56-yard field goal 1:56 GREEN BAY 30-23

4th - GB - Mayes, 33-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 4:24 GREEN BAY 37-23

4th - CAR - Muh. Muhammad, 15-yd pass from Collins (Kasay kick) 10:43 GB 37-30

October 5 : Minnesota Vikings (5-0) 37, Green Bay Packers (4-1) 24

(GREEN BAY) - When it rained on the 59,849 spectators at Lambeau Field Monday night, it poured on the Green Bay Packers. The Minnesota Vikings controlled the Packers on both sides of the ball, defeating them 37-24, and ending their 25-game winning streak at home. Vikings QB Randall Cunningham passed for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns in a steady downpour. WR Randy Moss caught 5 Cunningham passes for 190 yards and 2 TDs. Minnesota's 545 total yards was the most against Green Bay since the Washington Redskins gained 552 on October 17, 1983. The lone bright spot for the Packers was Roell Preston's 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw three interceptions. Adding injury to insult, three starters had to leave the game, including the Packers' best defensive playmaker, safety LeRoy Butler, tackle Ross Verba and linebacker George Koonce.

MINNESOTA - 3 21 3 10 - 37

GREEN BAY - 0 10 0 14 - 24

1st - MIN - Gary Anderson, 33-yard field goal 11:46 MINNESOTA 3-0

2nd - GB - Longwell, 40-yard field goal 0:07 TIED 3-3

2nd - MIN - J. Reed, 56-yd pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick) 2:51 MIN 10-3

2nd - GB - Preston, 101-yard kickoff return (Longwell kick) 3:08 TIED 10-10

2nd - MIN - Moss, 52-yard pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick) 5:04 MIN 17-10

2nd - MIN - R.Smith, 24-yd pass fr Cunningham (Anderson kick) 10:17 MIN 24-10

3rd - MIN - Anderson, 25-yard field goal 3:43 MINNESOTA 27-10

4th - MIN - Anderson, 19-yard field goal 1:29 MINNESOTA 30-10

4th - MIN - Moss, 44-yard pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick) 4:44 MIN 37-10

4th - GB - Davis, 11-yard pass from Pederson (Longwell kick) 11:57 MIN 37-17

4th - GB - Schroeder, 16-yard pass from Pederson (Longwell kick) 14:15 MIN 37-24

October 15 : Detroit Lions (2-4) 27, Green Bay Packers (4-2) 20

(DETROIT) - Visiting the Pontiac Silverdome for a rare Thursday night matchup with the Lions, the Packers jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. The host Lions tied the score shortly before halftime. After an uneventful third quarter, Detroit capitalized on big plays in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. The Packers did a good job containing running back Barry Sanders through three quarters, preventing the big run. Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur asked his ends to contain and his tackles to fill gaps. But late in the fourth, Sanders broke one. Seventy-three yards later, it was a touchdown, and the Lions never looked back. Sanders carried the ball 25 times for a lethal 155 yards. A final Brett Favre "hail mary" fell incomplete as the Packers fell to 4-2. If there was one bright spot, it was running back Travis Jervey. He was the team's only consistent threat, gaining 69 yards on 19 carries for a 3.6-yard average.

GREEN BAY - 10 0 3 7 - 20

DETROIT - 0 10 0 17 - 27

1st - GB - Freeman, 67-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 4:30 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Longwell, 28-yard field goal 11:52 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - DET - Jason Hanson, 25-yard field goal 1:59 GREEN BAY 10-3

2nd - DET - Chryplewicz, 3-yard pass from Batch (Hanson kick) 5:01 TIED 10-10

3rd - GB - Longwell, 40-yard field goal 3:35 GREEN BAY 13-10

4th - DET - G. Crowell, 68-yard pass from Batch (Hanson kick) 0:09 DET 17-13

4th - DET - Barry Sanders, 73-yard run (Hanson kick) 6:55 DETROIT 24-13

4th - DET - Hanson, 36-yard field goal 12:52 DETROIT 27-13

4th - GB - Freeman, 14-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 14:57 DETROIT 27-20

October 25 : Green Bay Packers (5-2) 28, Baltimore Ravens (2-5) 10

(BALTIMORE) - The Green and Gold returned to their winning ways at Lambeau Field by jumping out to a 21-0 lead over the Ravens, coasting to a convincing 28-10 victory. Roell Preston scored his 3rd return touchdown of the year, returning a punt 71-yards for the score. The defense limited the Ravens to 56 yards rushing, while the offense moved the ball effectively throughout the day. RBs Travis Jervey and Raymont Harris, along with FB William Henderson, did a superb job picking up blitzes. Favre was only sacked once for minus-eight yards. LT Ross Verba didn't give up a sack to DE Michael McCrary, who had been averaging one per game over the last two seasons. On most plays Favre had time to hit his receivers down-field. Antonio Freeman had another big day, catching nine balls for 103 yards, including a one-handed grab for 44 yards.

BALTIMORE - 0 0 3 7 - 10

GREEN BAY - 14 0 14 0 - 28

1st - GB - Preston, 71-yard punt return (Longwell kick) 1:47 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Freeman, 4-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 14:15 GREEN BAY 14-0

3rd - GB - Brooks, 28-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 2:13 GREEN BAY 21-0

3rd - BALT - Matt Stover, 38-yard field goal 4:58 GREEN BAY 21-3

3rd - GB - Favre, 4-yard run (Longwell kick) 8:46 GREEN BAY 28-3

4th - BALT - J. Lewis, 46-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Stover kick) 8:26 GB 28-10

November 1 : Green Bay Packers (6-2) 36, San Francisco 49ers (6-2) 22

(GREEN BAY) - Antonio Freeman had a huge game for the host Packers, catching 7 balls for a career-high 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was his fourth 100-yard game this season, and the eleventh of his career. The second touchdown gave him 30 through just eight games of his stellar four-year career, tying him with the legendary Don Hutson for the quickest to 30 touchdown receptions in club history. The 62-yard scoring strike also gave Brett Favre 24,720 yards in his career, breaking Hall of Famer Bart Starr's all-time team record for most yards passing by a Packer quarterback. Starr had 24,718 in 16 seasons. Favre is only eight games into his eighth NFL season. On defense, the Packers limited the high-powered 49ers offense to 132 net passing yards, sacking 49ers QB Steve Young 9 times in the process. Once again, Reggie White led the defense, this time with three sacks. He now has 11 on the year and an NFL-record 187.5 in his career. This marks the twelfth 10-sack season for White, also an NFL record. He is just two sacks shy of his season-high as a Packer, when he had 13 in 1993, and it's his best start since 1987, when he had a career-high 21 sacks.

SAN FRANCISCO - 6 7 9 0 - 22

GREEN BAY - 16 3 0 17 - 36

1st - GB - Freeman, 80-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 0:21 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Safety, ball snapped out of endzone 2:08 GREEN BAY 9-0

1st - GB - Brooks, 30-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 5:16 GREEN BAY 16-0

1st - SF - Jerry Rice, 12-yard pass from Steve Young (Kick blocked) 12:13 GB 16-6

2nd - GB - Longwell, 26-yard field goal 5:32 GREEN BAY 19-6

2nd - SF - Young, 1-yard run (Wade Richey kick) 11:24 GREEN BAY 19-13

3rd - SF - Garrison Hearst, 30-yard run (Kick failed) 4:39 TIED 19-19

3rd - SF - Richey, 20-yard field goal 10:15 SAN FRANCISCO 22-19

4th - GB - Longwell, 45-yard field goal 1:46 TIED 22-22

4th - GB - Freeman, 62-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 3:56 GB 29-22

4th - GB - Jervey, 11-yard run (Longwell kick) 5:30 GREEN BAY 36-22

November 9 : Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) 27, Green Bay Packers (6-3) 20

(PITTSBURGH) - Playing on Monday Night and trailing the Steelers by a score of 24-0 at halftime, the Packers reeled off 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull to 27-20. It was the first time in nine years that Green Bay trailed by 24 after two quarters. Pittsburgh RB Jerome Bettis was able to effectively run the ball late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Steelers. Packers DE Keith McKenzie started the rally with an 88-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown after Reggie White sacked backup QB Mike Tomczak and jarred the ball loose. On third-and-five with two minutes left and the game on the line, Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis, contained the entire game, rumbled 12 yards for a first down to run the clock out and seal the game for the Steelers. The Packers managed a meek 39 yards rushing.

GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 17 - 20

PITTSBURGH - 14 10 3 0 - 27

1st - PIT - C. Johnson, 8-yard pass from K. Stewart (N. Johnson kick) 4:32 PIT 7-0

1st - PIT - Stewart, 1-yard run (Johnson kick) 14:39 PITTSBURGH 14-0

2nd - PIT - Johnson, 45-yard field goal 8:48 PITTSBURGH 17-0

2nd - PIT - Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, 5-yard run (Johnson kick) 14:32 PIT 24-0

3rd - PIT - Johnson, 21-yard field goal 7:00 PITTSBURGH 27-0

3rd - GB - Longwell, 42-yard field goal 12:16 PITTSBURGH 27-3

4th - GB - McKenzie, 88-yard fumble return (Conversion failed) 5:40 PIT 27-9

4th - GB - Harris, 2-yard run (Freeman pass from Favre) 10:08 PITTSBURGH 27-17

4th - GB - Longwell, 37-yard field goal 12:20 PITTSBURGH 27-20

November 15 : Green Bay Packers (7-3) 37, New York Giants (3-7) 3

(NEW YORK) - Quarterback Brett Favre hit tight end Tyrone Davis for two touchdowns and running back Darick Holmes rushed for 111 yards and a score as the Green Bay Packers played their most complete game of the season and throttled the New York Giants, 37-3, at Giants Stadium. Holmes, the first 100-yard Packer rusher this season, showed speed and excellent vision, read his blocks well and made great cuts. It was Favre's 200th career touchdown pass in just 107 games over his eight seasons in the NFL. Favre is the second-fastest quarterback in league history to the two-century mark (Dan Marino, 89 games). Favre also became the second-fastest passer in league history to reach 25,000 career yards when he completed a short pass to receiver Antonio Freeman in the first quarter.

GREEN BAY - 7 13 10 7 - 37

NEW YORK GIANTS - 0 3 0 0 - 3

1st - GB - Davis, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 13:32 GREEN BAY 7-0

2nd - GB - Longwell, 39-yard field goal 6:13 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - NYG - Brad Daluiso, 24-yard field goal 10:45 GREEN BAY 10-3

2nd - GB - Davis, 60-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 12:15 GREEN BAY 17-3

2nd - GB - Longwell, 24-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 20-3

3rd - GB - Longwell, 31-yard field goal 4:38 GREEN BAY 23-3

3rd - GB - Henderson, 7-yard run (Longwell kick) 10:47 GREEN BAY 30-3

4th - GB - Holmes, 2-yard run (Longwell kick) 7:23 GREEN BAY 37-3

November 22 : Minnesota Vikings (10-1) 28, Green Bay Packers (7-4) 14

(MINNESOTA) - The Packers overcame a slow start and a boisterous Metrodome crowd to pull to within 6 points of the Vikings near the end of the fourth quarter. Minnesota put the game out of reach with a little more than 3 minutes remaining when Randall Cunningham hit Randy Moss with a 49-yard touchdown bomb. Brett Favre passed for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to TE Tyrone Davis. The Packers ran the ball well in the first half, but ended the game with just 53 yards rushing. Included in that number is the three times Favre was sacked for minus-26 yards. Meanwhile, Vikings' star RB Robert Smith was held to 27 yards rushing, but Minnesota was still able to pound away for 94 yards on the ground. Packers star receiver Antonio Freeman was held to just three catches for 46 yards. Darick Holmes caught five passes for 50 yards, and Bill Schroeder led the Packers with seven receptions for 93 yards. The Vikings (10-1) moved three games ahead of the Packers (7-4) and owned the tie-breaker after sweeping Green Bay this season.

GREEN BAY - 0 7 0 7 - 14

MINNESOTA - 10 10 0 8 - 28

1st - MIN - Gary Anderson, 35-yard field goal 3:03 MINNESOTA 3-0

1st - MIN - Jimmy Hitchcock, 58-yard int return (Anderson kick) 13:37 MINN 10-0

2nd - MIN - Anderson, 29-yard field goal 5:23 MINNESOTA 13-0

2nd - GB - Davis, 12-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 11:22 MINNESOTA 13-7

2nd - MIN - C. Carter, 4-yd pass fr R. Cunningham (Anderson kick) 14:36 MIN 20-7

4th - GB - Davis, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:29 MINNESOTA 20-14

4th - MIN - R. Moss, 49-yd pass fr Cunningham (Cunningham run) 11:43 MIN 28-14

November 29 : Green Bay Packers (8-4) 24, Philadelphia Eagles (2-10) 16

(GREEN BAY) - Plenty of stars shined for Green Bay. WR Bill Schroeder received his first career NFL start and responded with his best game as a pro - 5 catches for 128 yards. FB William Henderson enjoyed his first 2 touchdown game, catching a 1-yard TD pass and running one in from 2 yards out. RB Darick Holmes plowed and dashed for 163 yards. Holmes broke the 100-yard barrier for the second time in a Packer uniform and the fourth of his career in the third quarter. Defensively, the Packers didn't allow a first down until 2:58 remained in the first half. And that was without starting CB Craig Newsome, CB Rod Smith or DE Vonnie Holliday. They were all nursing injuries.

PHILADELPHIA - 0 6 7 3 - 16

GREEN BAY - 0 10 7 7 - 24

2nd - GB - Longwell, 30-yard field goal 6:00 GREEN BAY 3-0

2nd - GB - Henderson, 1-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 11:06 GB 10-0

2nd - PHIL - Jeff Graham, 16-yard pass from K.Detmer (Kick blocked) 14:32 GB 10-6

3rd - PHIL - Graham, 4-yard pass from Detmer (Chris Boniol kick) 5:04 PHIL 13-10

3rd - GB - Freeman, 33-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 7:51 GB 17-13

4th - PHIL - Boniol, 34-yard field goal 6:19 GREEN BAY 17-16

4th - GB - Henderson, 3-yard run (Longwell kick) 12:00 GREEN BAY 24-16

December 7 : Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) 24, Green Bay Packers (8-5) 22

(TAMPA BAY) - Two long and uncharacteristic scoring strikes by the Buccaneers, coupled with a costly turnover which led to Tampa Bay's third and final touchdown in the fourth quarter, loomed large in the Packers' losing "debut" at Raymond James Stadium. Brett Favre was sacked 8 times for 34 yards in losses and the Packers fumbled 8 times. Darick Holmes emerged as the Packers' leading rusher for the fourth straight game, gaining 47 yards in 12 carries. He also caught 3 passes for 24 additional yards. LB Brian Williams led a grudging Green Bay defense, amassing 11 tackles, 9 of them solo. Strong safety LeRoy Butler weighed in with 8 stops, followed by middle linebacker Bernardo Harris with 7. The loss ended all hopes of a fourth straight NFC Central Division title.

GREEN BAY - 3 3 3 13 - 22

TAMPA BAY - 7 7 3 7 - 24

1st - GB - Longwell, 33-yard field goal 12:10 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - TB - J. Green, 64-yard pass from T. Dilfer (Michael Husted kick) 13:47 TB 7-3

2nd - GB - Bert Emanuel, 62-yard pass from Dilfer (Husted kick) 1:44 TB 14-3

2nd - GB - Longwell, 36-yard field goal 11:03 TAMPA BAY 14-6

3rd - TB - Husted, 46-yard field goal 5:18 TAMPA BAY 17-6

3rd - GB - Longwell, 35-yard field goal 10:27 TAMPA BAY 17-9

4th - GB - Chmura, 4-yard pass from Favre (Conversion failed) 1:21 TB 17-15

4th - TB - Dilfer, 6-yard run (Husted kick) 8:59 TAMPA BAY 24-15

4th - GB - Chmura, 1-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 12:40 TB 24-22

December 13 : Green Bay Packers (9-5) 26, Chicago Bears (3-11) 20

(GREEN BAY) - Dorsey Levens rumbled for 105 yards on only 15 carries in his biggest game since returning from a broken leg. Ryan Longwell booted a season best 4 field goals and Brett Favre passed for 290 yards and two scores as the Packers defeated the Bears for the 9th consecutive time, the longest streak in the teams' 77-year series. WR Antonio Freeman grabbed eight passes for 103 yards, including a touchdown, despite his broken jaw. The defense continued to suffer injuries. Starting RE Vonnie Holliday was inactive with a sprained ankle. CB Craig Newsome left the game in the first half with a bruised knee.

CHICAGO - 7 0 6 7 - 20

GREEN BAY - 3 6 7 10 - 26

1st - CHI - Steve Stenstrom, 1-yard run (Jeff Jaeger kick) 3:06 CHICAGO 7-0

1st - GB - Longwell, 35-yard field goal 9:06 CHICAGO 7-3

2nd - GB - Longwell, 43-yard field goal 13:31 CHICAGO 7-6

2nd - GB - Longwell, 40-yard field goal 15:00 GREEN BAY 9-7

3rd - CHI - Walt Harris, 13-yard interception return (Conversion failed) 4:11 CHI 13-9

3rd - GB - Chmura, 6-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 9:29 GREEN BAY 16-13

4th - GB - Freeman, 13-yd pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 0:05 GREEN BAY 23-13

4th - GB - Longwell, 24-yard field goal 11:03 GREEN BAY 26-13

4th - CHI - Glyn Milburn, 94-yd kickoff ret (Jaeger kick) 11:20 GREEN BAY 26-20

December 20 : Green Bay Packers (10-5) 30, Tennessee Oilers (8-7) 22

(GREEN BAY) - The Packers entered the game already having clinched a berth in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. In his final game at Lambeau Field as a Packer, Reggie White helped hold Oilers Pro Bowl running back Eddie George to 30 yards on 15 carries. Antonio Freeman was the big star on offense, hauling in 7 Brett Favre passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was Freeman's second three-score game. The other was on December 8, 1996 against Denver. Favre's 3 TD tosses gave him 30 for the season, giving him an NFL record 5th consecutive season with 30 or more TD passes. Despite a torn-up field, Ryan Longwell nailed kicks from 38, 40 and 40 yards out. Punter Sean Landeta set a Packers record with 29 kicks inside the 20 in a season. Oilers punter Craig Hentrich held the previous record.

TENNESSEE - 0 7 7 8 - 22

GREEN BAY - 14 7 3 6 - 30

1st - GB - Freeman, 57-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 1:38 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Freeman, 68-yd pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 12:01 GREEN BAY 14-0

2nd - TEN - D. Mason, 25-yd pass fr S. McNair (Al Del Greco kick) 1:18 GB 14-7

2nd - GB - Freeman, 32-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 13:49 GB 21-7

3rd - GB - Longwell, 38-yard field goal 4:55 GREEN BAY 24-7

3rd - TEN - Yancey Thigpen, 30-yd pass fr McNair (Del Greco kick) 13:24 GB 24-14

4th - GB - Longwell, 40-yard field goal 7:33 GREEN BAY 27-14

4th - GB - Longwell, 40-yard field goal 11:28 GREEN BAY 30-14

4th - TEN - Mason, 3-yard pass from McNair (Eddie George run) 14:07 GB 30-22

December 27 : Green Bay Packers (11-5) 16, Chicago Bears (4-12) 13

(CHICAGO) - The Green Bay defense scored once and created three turnovers as the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears for a record tenth straight time. Keith McKenzie scored on a 33-yard interception return in the first quarter and LeRoy Butler sealed the Packers victory with his sack and fumble recovery with one minute remaining. With one minute left in the game and the Packers clinging to a three-point lead, the Bears had the ball on the Green Bay 33 yard line. Butler delivered. He blitzed from the left side, untouched, hit QB Steve Stenstrum, forced him to fumble and recovered the ball.

GREEN BAY - 7 0 6 3 - 16

CHICAGO - 7 3 3 0 - 13

1st - GB - McKenzie, 28-yard int return (Longwell kick) 7:03 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - CHI - J. Allen, 14-yard pass from S. Stenstrom (Jeff Jaeger kick) 14:22 TIED 7-7

2nd - CHI - Jaeger, 29-yard field goal 11:06 CHICAGO 10-7

3rd - GB - Freeman, 8-yard pass from Favre (Kick failed) 6:41 GREEN BAY 13-10

3rd - CHI - Jaeger, 21-yard field goal 12:31 TIED 13-13

4th - GB - Longwell, 18-yard field goal 5:11 GREEN BAY 16-13

loss at Lambeau Field since Sept. 17, 1995, a span of 33 games, including five exhibitions. Woodson had an unforgettable day, too. He got his first professional start at left cornerback, because Gruden wanted him tested by Brett Favre and receivers Freeman and Derrick Mayes. He passed with flying colors. On Favre's first pass in his direction, Woodson hammered Freeman just as the ball arrived and free safety Eric Turner grabbed the ricochet and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. It was one of three turnovers the Raiders turned into 17 first-half points on their way to an insurmountable 24-7 halftime lead before a stunned crowd of 60,078.

OAKLAND - 7 17 3 0 - 27

GREEN BAY - 0 7 7 7 - 21

1st - OAK - Eric Turner, 35-yard interception return (Greg Davis kick) 5:04 OAK 7-0

2nd - OAK - Dudley, 17-yard pass from Donald Hollas (Davis kick) 11:42 OAK 14-0

2nd - OAK - Davis, 54-yard field goal 10:00 OAKLAND 17-0

2nd - GB - Mayes, 14-yard pass from Pederson (Conway kick) 4:53 OAKLAND 17-7

2nd - OAK - Rodney Williams, 25-yard pass from Hollas (Davis kick) :16 OAK 24-7

3rd - GB - Preston, 17-yard pass from Pederson (Conway kick) 5:49 OAK 24-14

3rd - OAK - Davis, 30-yard field goal 1:53 OAKLAND 27-14

4th - GB - Bradford, 5-yard pass from Klinger (Conway kick) :54 OAKLAND 27-21

PRE-SEASON - August 24: Denver 34, Green Bay (2-2) 31

(DENVER) - Jason Elam kicked a 49-yard field goal with 3:10 remaining as Denver beat Green Bay in a preseason rematch of the last Super Bowl. John Elway, who led the Broncos to a 31-24 win over the Packers in January, was 13-for-22 for 179 yards and a touchdown. Brett Favre was 13-of-23 for 155 yards and a touchdown. Roell Preston of the Packers had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

GREEN BAY - 7 10 7 7 - 31

DENVER - 14 7 7 6 - 34

1st - GB - Butler, 30-yard interception return (Longwell kick) 14:16 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - DEN - Rod Smith, 80-yard pass from Elway (Jason Elam kick) 6:40 TIED 7-7

1st - DEN - Tyrone Braxton, 7-yard fumble return (Elam kick) :28 DENVER 14-7

2nd - GB - Longwell, 44-yard field goal 12:01 DENVER 14-10

2nd - DEN - Darien Gordon, 65-yard punt return (Elam kick) 9:15 DENVER 21-10

2nd - GB - Mayes, 11-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 1:07 DENVER 21-17

3rd - DEN - Derek Loville, 1-yard run (Elam kick) 1:27 DENVER 28-17

3rd - GB - Preston, 99-yard kickoff return (Longwell kick) 1:07 DENVER 28-24

4th - DEN - Elam, 35-yard field goal 11:01 DENVER 31-24

4th - GB - Harris, 1-yard run (Longwell kick) 6:53 TIED 31-31

4th - DEN - Elam, 49-yard field goal 3:10 DENVER 34-31

PRE-SEASON - August 28: Miami 21, Green Bay (2-3) 7

(MIAMI) - Karim Abdul-Jabbar scored on two 1-yard runs as the Dolphins completed their first undefeated preseason since 1981 by beating the Packers. Jason Taylor intercepted a deflected pass and returned it 38 yards to set up Miami's second touchdown for a 14-0 halftime lead. The Dolphins finished the exhibition season 4-0. After going 4-0 in the 1981 preseason, they went 11-4-1 during the regular season. Green Bay, playing its second road game in five days, finished 2-3. Dan Marino drove the Dolphins 55 yards for a touchdown on their opening possession and finished 3-of-7 for 27 yards. With Brett Favre playing only into the fourth minute of the second quarter and Pederson finishing up the first half, Mike Holmgren called upon rookie Matt Hasselbeck to preside under the center in the second half and he responded by leading the Packers to their lone touchdown. It came on a 31-yard pass to first-year receiver Ronnie Anderson in the tenth minute of the fourth quarter.

GREEN BAY - 7 7 21 0 - 7

MIAMI - 3 14 0 6 - 21

1st - MIA - Karim Abdul-Jabbar, 1-yard run (Olindo Mare kick) 7:49 MIAMI 7-0

2nd - MIA - Abdul-Jabbar, 2-yard run (Mare kick) :29 MIAMI 14-0

3rd - MIA - H. Lusk, 7-yard pass from Damon Huard (Mare kick) 8:47 MIAMI 21-0

4th - GB - Anderson, 32-yard pass from Hasselbeck (Longwell kick) 4:40 MIA 21-7

PRE-SEASON - August 1: Green Bay (1-0) 27, Kansas City 24 (OT)

(TOKYO) - The Packers won their exhibition opener, but there were too many mistakes for coach Mike Holmgren to be satisfied. Despite spotting Kansas City a 14-point lead by fumbling on their first two possessions and missing field goals at the end of regulation and in overtime, the Packers beat the Chiefs Sunday on Ryan Longwell's 27-yard field goal 10 minutes into sudden-death overtime. The game wasn't much cleaner for the Chiefs, who faltered after jumping out to an early 14-0 lead on a 2-yard pass from Elvis Grbac to Tony Richardson and a 7-yard run by Kimble Anders. The Chiefs also had problems in the kicking game, as Pete Stoyanovich missed a 40-yard field goal late in the first half and a 42-yarder in overtime. The Packers' then capitalized with Longwell's game-winner, atoning for his miss from 45 yards at the end of regulation and teammate Brett Conway's 25-yard miss in overtime. Except for starter Brett Favre, each of Green Bay's four quarterbacks was on the field for at least one scoring drive. David Klingler led the two drives in overtime, setting up the field goal attempts with long passes to Bill Schroeder. Klingler, who came on in the fourth quarter, was 6:for-7 for 102 yards. No. 2 quarterback Doug Pederson led three first-half scoring drives for the Packers to tie the game at 14. He was 6-for-12 for 91 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Schroeder. The victory was the Packers' first overtime triumph ever in preseason play, in six sudden death experiences since the NFL's current overtime rule was implemented in 1974. They had gone 0-4-1 in their five preseason overtime contests, the most recent a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in 1992.

KANSAS CITY - 14 0 10 0 0 - 24

GREEN BAY - 0 14 7 3 3 - 27

1st - KC - Richardson, 2-yard pass from Grbac (Pete Stoyanovich kick) 3:40 KC 7-0

1st - KC - Kimble Anders, 7-yard run (Stoyanovich kick) 7:42 KANSAS CITY 14-0

2nd - GB - Longwell, 51-yard field goal 2:34 KANSAS CITY 14-3

2nd - GB - Conway, 38-yard field goal 3:44 KANSAS CITY 14-6

2nd - GB - Schroeder, 26-yd pass fr Pederson (Mayes fr Pederson) 13:22 TIED 14-14

3rd - KC - Stoyanovich, 34-yard field goal 4:24 KANSAS CITY 17-14

3rd - GB - Harris, 1-yard run (Longwell kick) 7:28 GREEN BAY 21-17

3rd - KC - Willy Tate, 30-yd pass fr Pat Barnes (Stoyanovich kick) 14:35 KC 24-21

4th - GB - Conway, 27-yard field goal 6:19 TIED 24-24

OT - GB - Longwell, 27-yard field goal 9:57 GREEN BAY 27-24

PRE-SEASON - August 8: Green Bay (2-0) 31, New Orleans 7

(GREEN BAY) - Travis Jervey rushed nine times for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Packers beat the Saints on Saturday. Jervey has rushed 14 times for 172 yards during the preseason, an average of more than 12 yards a carry. Brett Favre, who was just 1 of 5 for 2 yards and a fumble against Kansas City last week, completed all 7 of his passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Saints' Billy Joe Hobert, starting for Heath Shuler, out with an injured foot, was 7 of 16 for 81 yards. Doug Pederson closed out his stint with 3 completions for 54 yards, with one interception, David Klingler hit on 2 of 10 attempts for 10 yards, also with one interception; and rookie Matt Hasselbeck was 0-for-1 in his fourth quarter appearance.

NEW ORLEANS - 0 0 7 0 - 7

GREEN BAY - 14 7 0 10 - 31

1st - GB - Chmura, 2-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) 12:10 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Jervey, 2-yard run (Conway kick) 4:31 GREEN BAY 14-0

2nd - GB - Jervey, 44-yard run (Longwell kick) 4:57 GREEN BAY 21-0

3rd - NO - Chris Hewitt, 25-yard interception return (Doug Bnen kick) 4:38 GB 21-7

4th - GB - Conway, 32-yard field goal 13:02 GREEN BAY 24-7

4th - GB - Harris, 1-yard run (Longwell kick) 2:08 GREEN BAY 31-7

PRE-SEASON - August 16: Oakland 27, Green Bay (2-1) 21

(GREEN BAY) - Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson had a great coming out party, and Jon Gruden got a nice welcome home. Woodson's ferocious first-quarter hit on Antonio Freeman forced a turnover that ignited the Raiders to a victory over the bumbling Packers. Returning to the city where he began his NFL coaching career as an assistant on Mike Holmgren's staff in 1992, Gruden saw his Raiders hand the Packers their first

MIKE HOLMGREN LEAVES GREEN BAY FOR SEATTLE (January 8, 1999)

(SEATTLE) - Mike Holmgren wanted total control. The Seattle Seahawks gave it to him, not to mention $4 million a year, to become their coach and general manager on Friday. Holmgren got an eight-year contract that reportedly will pay him $4 million a season, making him the highestpaid coach in the NFL. George Seifert received $2.5 million in his contract to become coach of the Carolina Panthers. Neither Bob LaMonte, Holmgren's agent, nor the Seahawks would confirm the amount of Holmgren's contract. The Seahawks, a franchise that has missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, got their man and they paid a high price for him. "With the NBA lockout, I wasn't in midseason form with these agents," said Bob Whitsitt, who also is president of owner Paul Allen's Portland Trail Blazers. "I should have been in better form at this time of the year." Holmgren, who took the Packers to the last two Super Bowls, told team president Bob Whitsitt on Friday morning that he was accepting the job and canceled trips to Baltimore and Philadelphia for job interviews. He called the Packers to tell them they'd have to find a new coach to work with Green Bay GM Ron Wolf. Holmgren was accompanied to Seattle by his wife, Kathy, and the youngest of four daughters, Gretchen, a high school student. He said he reached a decision to accept the Seattle job Thursday night after having dinner with Allen. "Obviously the commitment is here," Holmgren said, referring to Allen, who has spent lavishly on free agents the past two seasons. After meeting with Whitsitt at team headquarters for five hours Thursday, he spent Thursday night at Allen's house for a private dinner. "My first impression was awesome," Holmgren said of Allen, who is listed as the third-richest American behind Bill Gates and Warren Buffett with a total worth of $22 billion. "We had a wonderful time last night. He's a very interesting man, interested in a lot of things. I knew right away that I had all the support I could ever need or ask for right away." Most important for Holmgren, 50, was becoming general manager as well as coach. "I'll be in charge of the football operations," he said during a news conference. "Decision- making, personnel, all football decisions. Now, I'll have both (GM and coach) those responsiblities." He will be in charge of Randy Mueller, vice president of football operations for the Seahawks for four seasons. In effect, Mueller has been Seattle's de facto general manager. Holmgren compiled a 75-37 record as coach of the Packers, leading them to a victory over New England in the Super Bowl after the 1996 season. In 1997, Green Bay lost in the Super Bowl to Denver. In Green Bay, Holmgren coached his teams into the playoffs six years in a row. In order, the Packers went 9-7, 9-7, 9-7,11-5,13-3, 13-3 and 11-5. In Seattle, Holmgren will take over a franchise that went 31-33 the last four seasons under Dennis Erickson. Erickson was fired Dec. 28, one day after the Seahawks ended their disappointing season. Holmgren said he didn't know when he would form a coaching staff.

RAY RHODES NAMED PACKERS HEAD COACH (January 11, 1999)

(GREEN BAY) - When the Philadelphia Eagles fired Ray Rhodes, Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf knew he had his man. "To me; there was only one choice when he became available," Wolf said. Two weeks after being fired by one of the NFL's worst teams, Rhodes was hired Monday to coach one of the best. Rhodes left the Philadelphia Eagles, who were 3-13 this season, to return to the place where he was defensive coordinator in 1992-93 under Mike Holmgren, who left Friday to become coach and general manager of the Seattle Scahawks. "When you look at the football team and everything around it, you are in awe," Rhodes said. "I don't want to compare the Philadelphia Eagles football team with the Green Bay Packers," Rhodes said. "That is not fair to anybody. We were never able to get the core players that this team has here right now." Rhodes is known as a master motivator who gets the most out of his players. Even the Eagles were glad to see him land on his feet. "I'm happy he didn't have to take a step backwards and then start over again," Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent said. "I'm very happy for him. And he needed a fresh start. He can rejuvenate his career after the last two years. "Everyone knows that Ray Rhodes is a great coach," Vincent added. "I know that, you know that. I think people that know football know Ray can get it done. He did it, he's proven it. He got it done as a coordinator, he got it done here. Ron Wolf knew what he was doing in hiring Ray Rhodes." Rhodes is one of only three black head coaches in the NFL, all in the NFC Central Division. Minnesota's Dennis Green and Tampa Bay's Tony Dungy are the others. Rhodes was hired seven years to the day after Holmgren took over the Packers. Holmgren led Green Bay to the last two Super Bowls. "The seat is going to be hot. The shoes arc going to be big to fill," Rhodes said. 'The key is to keep the machine running, keep the machine going. Make sure if you need a new tire here, or a new tire there, you put it on. But don't mess with the engine. Don't mess with it," he said. The Packers, done in by injury and inconsistency, slipped to 11-6 this season, losing a wild-card playoff game at San Francisco and leaving Holmgren with an 84-42 mark, second only to Vince Lombardi in the team's 80-year history. The team still has a solid nucleus, including Brett Favre, Antonio Freeman, Dorsey Levens, LeRoy Butler and Vonnie Holliday and averted a free agency plunge by re-signing tight end Mark Chmura and right tackle Earl Dotson. But the Packers have to replace defensive end Reggie White and need to shore up a suspect secondary. "Right now, what you do is you pull a few spark plugs out, you wipe them off," Rhodes said. "You make sure you keep the car fine-tuned. That is what we intend to do." Rhodes, who reportedly signed a four-year deal at about $1 million a season, said the offensive scheme won't change and that the defense needs only minor tinkering, which he intends to provide. 'We want the team to be a little more aggressive in a lot of cases," Rhodes said. Linebacker Lament Hollinquest said the players applauded Rhodes' hiring. "All the guys like him. 1 guess he's a players' coach," Hollinqucst said. "And obviously, he is very aggressive as far as his defensive scheme." Wolf said Rhodes, 48, was the only person he interviewed for the job. "He understands what winning is all about... the bigger the game, the better the team he is with performs," Wolf said. Wolf called the Eagles' dismal season "an aberration" for Rhodes, who was an assistant for 14 seasons, including 12 in San Francisco, before being hired as the Eagles' head coach in 1995. Rhodes went 10-6 his first two seasons but was 6-9-1 in 1997 and even worse this season. Rhodes is the Packers' 12th head coach and first black to hold the job. But Wolf said race was not a factor. "We need to erase that idea. I wanted to hire, in my opinion, the best football coacn available," Wolf said. "I did that." Wolf bristled when asked why he didn't hire the Packers' veteran offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis instead. Lewis, who also is black, has been mentioned for a number of head coaching jobs in the NFL for several seasons. 'To bring that up at this time, I think is in very poor taste," Wolf said. Rhodes said he already has spoken with Favre and Butler. "The excitement they have shown about me coming back has been great," he said.

WHAT IF - RON WOLF AND MIKE HOLMGREN IN NEW YORK

BASED ON A 1997 NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE

What if Mike Holmgren, the Packers' coach, had agreed to be the Jets' coach in 1990 instead of remaining with the 49ers as their offensive coordinator? What if Ron Wolf, the Packers' general manager, had stayed in the Jets' front office instead of leaving for Green Bay late in the 1991 season? More than most National Football League franchises, the Jets have often wondered what if the twists and turns of their history were different.

Not long after the late Dick Steinberg arrived as the Jets' general manager late in the 1989 season, he was rebuffed in trying to hire George Perles, then the Michigan State coach. Steinberg turned to Holmgren, the 49ers' offensive coordinator who was coming off a 55-10 rout of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. ''I was offered the Jets' job and it was a tough decision, but I turned it down,'' Holmgren said. ''I just didn't think I could move the family. Our twins, Calla and Jenny, would have gone into their senior year in high school that season. I didn't want to uproot them. I just hoped I'd get another chance.'' Holmgren also spurned the Arizona Cardinals that year as the Jets hired Bruce Coslet, who lifted the Jets into the 1991 playoffs soon after Wolf, who had been Steinberg's assistant, went to Green Bay as the Packer general manager. Wolf's first major move was to offer Holmgren the Packer job; Holmgren took it. Wolf then acquired Favre in a trade with the Falcons for a first-round draft choice. During the 1991 Jets draft, Wolf coveted Favre, but the Falcons snatched him. With the next pick, the Jets took Browning Nagle.

During the N.F.L.'s first free-agent frenzy in 1993, the Jets pursued Reggie White, but the ordained minister decided to go to Green Bay instead. ''I knew that Reggie would be listening for God to tell him what to do,'' Holmgren said at the time. ''I called Reggie and left a message on his answering machine -- 'This is God. He wants you to come to Green Bay.' '' But what if Holmgren had taken the Jets job? And what if Wolf had stayed with the Jets? Would Wolf have swung the trade for Brett Favre? Would Holmgren have left a message for Reggie White that God wanted him to go to the Jets' complex?

WOLF BLAMES HOLMGREN FOR SUPER BOWL LOSS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS (2007)

Ten years have passed since the Green Bay Packers lost Super Bowl 32 to the Denver Broncos. But, it wasn't until several years ago, that retired general manager Ron Wolf says he learned more about how the Packers lost the game. And, he places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Mike Holmgren. Wolf says "certain calls were to be made, that weren't made." He says Holmgren should have altered the blocking scheme, but refused to make adjustments. The Packers couldn't handle the blitzing of Broncos defensive coordinator Greg Robinson. Wolf says it wasn't until about four years ago that he learned Holmgren mishandled the offense from two people who were in a position to know. Wolf hasn't talked to Holmgren about what he learned and doesn't plan to. He says it's over and he's retired. "I'm probably still not over it. It's like a dot in history now, and one of the teams was a one-year wonder. But for somebody to bring it up and explain to you what could have been done and what should have been done, it rekindles the fire every once in a while."