1996 IN REVIEW

29 years of frustration, poor personnel decisions, false hopes and questionable coaching choices ended on a January night in New Orleans, as the

Packers defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 30. Green Bay opened the season 3-0 and outscored their opponents 115-26. They ended

the season with a four-game winning streak, in which they outscored their opponents 138-36. The Packers led the NFL in scoring with 456 points, and

allowed the fewest with 210. The road to the Super Bowl did not come easy. QB Brett Favre announced in May that he was addicted to painkillers. He

spent 46 days in a Kansas rehabilitation center, then returned to throw a franchise-record 39 touchdown passes and was named NFL MVP for the

second straight year. He did this without WR Robert Brooks (lost for the season in October with a torn ACL), WR Antonio Freeman (out four games with

a broken arm) and TE Mark Chmura (out three games with a sprained arch). Don Beebe and Andre Rison provided relief for the receiver corps when it

was needed. Other key acquisitions included KR Desmond Howard (he set an NFL record with 875 punt returns), DL Santana Dotson, OT Bruce

Wilkerson, S Eugene Robinson (team-leading six interceptions).

WHERE DO THE 1996 PACKERS RANK

So where do the 1996 Packers rank among the all-time Super Bowl champions? There have been many attempts to rank the teams, and ESPN took a

shot in 2006 at ranking the top teams. Let the arguments begin:

ESPN.COM (2006) - THE BEST SUPER BOWL TEAMS

1 - 1989 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (14-2) - This team gets our nod due to its excellence on both sides of the ball, mind-boggling statistics and perhaps

the most dominant postseason run in NFL history. This team gave us Montana, Rice, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott and Charles Haley in their primes. It

also boasted the largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history, scoring 55 points against the NFL's best scoring defense.

2 -  1985 CHICAGO BEARS( 15-1) - Da Bears were great. But not quite The Greatest. Chicago won its first championship in 22 years behind one of the

most fearsome defenses in NFL history. The Bears won 14 games by double digits, including three dominant postseason performances.

3 - 1978 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (14-2) - This season would represent the zenith of a dynasty that captured four Super Bowl championships in six

years. Pittsburgh ultimately would send nine players and its head coach to the Hall of Fame. Most of them were in their prime as the Steelers blasted

their way through the defending AFC champion Broncos and the upstart Oilers in the playoffs. Pittsburgh then became the first franchise to win three

Super Bowls, by defeating an excellent Cowboys team. 

4 - 1992 DALLAS COWBOYS (13-3) - The Cowboys returned to glory in a big way, forcing a Super Bowl-record nine turnovers in one of the big game's biggest blowouts. This team boasted the NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith, behind arguably the league's best-ever offensive line. Dallas played defense, too, allowing the fewest yards in the league.

5 - 1984 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (15-1) - Like the Bears the following season, this team came up one victory shy of a perfect season en route to its title. Unlike the Bears, the 49ers' defeat was by a mere field goal, and San Francisco went on to manhandle a dominant offense in the Super Bowl.

6 - 1996 GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3) - The '96 Packers are one of two postmerger Super Bowl participants to lead the NFL in points scored while allowing the fewest points. Reggie White anchored a defense that also allowed the fewest yards in the league, had more than twice as many interceptions (26) as touchdown passes allowed (12) and limited opponents to a league-best 5.41 yards per passing attempt. All three of the Packers' losses came on the road, and its closest postseason game was 14 points.

7 - 1972 MIAMI DOLPHINS (14-0) - How can the only NFL champion with a perfect record be ranked this far down? The Dolphins played the easiest schedule of all 80 Super Bowl participants, and their passing game was ordinary. All three of Miami's postseason games were decided by seven points or fewer. We have no choice: Undefeated…and No. 7.

OTHER PACKER TEAMS

22 - 1966 GREEN BAY PACKERS (12-2) - The '66 team was pretty mediocre on offense, ranking in the middle of the NFL pack in yards gained. Nevertheless, this team suffered its two losses by a combined four points, and regular-season MVP Bart Starr enjoyed his finest season with a 105.0 passer rating.

37 - 1997 GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3)

48 - 1968 GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-4-1)

rookie Terry Glenn. When tight end Ben Coates caught a four-yard TD pass from Bledsoe, the Patriots

momentarily had their only lead of the game and had completed the highest-scoring first quarter in Super Bowl history. Green Bay rebounded to re-take the lead when Favre, seeing Patriots' strong safety Lawyer Milloy at the line of scrimmage in tight coverage on Antonio Freeman, watched Freeman elude Milloy's

"bump" and lofted a perfect aerial to Freeman along the right sideline. Freeman, able to out-run New England's late-arriving free safety, covered 81 yards for the longest reception in Super Bowl history. After another Jacke field goal, Favre took advantage of a Mike Prior interception and escorted his troops on a nine-play, 74-yard march just before halftime which ended when, on a bootleg left, he lunged the ball over the goal line as he was rolling out of bounds. Taking a 27-14 edge out of the locker room at halftime, Green Bay maintained that lead until late in the third quarter, when the Patriots' Curtis Martin made a magnificent 18-yard run up the middle of the Packers defense to pull New England to within six points at 27-21. That margin was short-lived, though, as Desmond Howard returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a back-breaking touchdown (the longest in Super Bowl history), bursting through the center of the Packers' well-blocked wedge, then juking kicker Adam Vinatieri to bolt free. Howard, who had 244 total return yards in the game including key punt runbacks of 32 and 34 yards, was voted the game's most valuable player, becoming the first special teams player to be so honored. A subsequent, successful two-point conversion, where Favre found Mark Chmura along the back of the end zone, gave the Green and Gold an insurmountable two-touchdown lead. The top-ranked Packer defense, which had four interceptions of Bledsoe, was led by Reggie White, who sacked the New England quarterback a Super Bowl-record three times, including twice in a row on the possession immediately following Howard's scoring return. Favre, playing less than an hour from his hometown, completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and two scores without an interception, while Bledsoe threw for 253 yards and two TD on 25-of-48 passing. 

NEW ENGLAND -  14   0   7   0   -  21

GREEN BAY   -  10  17   8   0   -  35

1st - GB - Rison, 54-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick)  3:32  GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Jacke, 37-yard field goal  6:18  GREEN BAY 10-0

1st - NE - Keith Byars, 1-yard pass from Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick) 8:25 GB 10-7

1st - NE - Ben Coates, 4-yard pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick)  12:27  NE 14-10

2nd - GB - Freeman, 81-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick)  0:56  GREEN BAY 17-14

2nd - GB - Jacke, 31-yard field goal  6:45  GREEN BAY 20-14

2nd - GB - Favre, 2-yard run (Jacke kick)  13:49  GREEN BAY 27-14

3rd - NE - Curtis Martin, 18-yard run (Vinatieri kick)  1:33  GREEN BAY 27-21

3rd - GB - Howard, 99-yard kickoff return (Chmura pass from Favre) 11:50 GB 35-21

(GREEN BAY) - Brett Favre shrugged off two early turnovers, misadventures which led to 10 of Carolina's 13 points, to direct three scoring drives of 70-plus-yards and ultimately carry the day in the NFC title game with a substantial degree of comfort. Actually, the 27-year-old field general presided over a four scoring marches of that distance, the first having been sandwiched between the two giveaways and climaxed by a 29-yard strike to running back Dorsey Levens in the right corner of the end zone to tie the score at 7-7. After the Panthers had again gone ahead, 10-7, by way of a John Kasay field goal after Carolina's Lamar Lathon had recovered a Favre fumble at the Green Bay 45-yard line, the Packers quarterback responded with an impressive, 15-play, 71-yard drive capped by his 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the left corner of the end zone. A highly opportune interception by rookie cornerback Tyrone Williams at the Green Bay 38-yard line on the first play following the kickoff provided another scoring chance seconds later. Favre's 23 and 25-yard throws to Andre Rison and Freeman, respectively, moved the Packers into field goal position and Jacke connected from 31 yards out, sending them into the intermission with a permanent, 17-10 lead. The Green and Gold scored again on their first possession of the second half, Jacke finishing off an 11-play, 73-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal for a 20-10 advantage. Carolina then made their final response, second-year QB Kerry Collins escorting them 73 yards in 11 plays to set up a 23-yard Kasay field goal, and the Packers margin was reduced to seven points. Favre promptly rectified the situation, putting together an explosive, 3-play, 74-yard scoring drive which included a collaboration with Levens, who was pushed out of bounds at the Carolina 4-yard line on the second

(NEW ORLEANS) - Using several momentum-turning big plays, the Packers held off resilient New England to capture their first world championship in 29 years. For Green Bay, the victory also marked its league-high 12th NFL championship as well as its third Super Bowl triumph. The Packers jumped to an early 10-0 lead. Brett Favre, sensing a Patriots blitz, audibled on Green Bay's second play from scrimmage, hitting late-season pickup Andre Rison on a wide-open post pattern for a 54-yard touchdown pass. On the ensuing New England possession, Doug Evans intercepted Drew Bledsoe at the Patriots' 28, which led to a 37-yard field goal by Chris Jacke. New England then was able to turn the tide in its favor, however, as Bledsoe took his club on two long drives for touchdowns. The first, which covered 79 yards and culminated in a short pass to Keith Byars, was aided by two long throws to Pats running backs and a 26-yard pass interference penalty. The second, starting at the New England 43, was spurred by a leaping, 44-yard reception by

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

Mike Arthur         50    C 6- 3 280 Texas A&M        2  6 28  5 1995 Trade - N. England

Don Beebe           82   WR 5-11 183 Chadron State    1  8 31 16 1996 UFA - Carolina

Edgar Bennett       34   RB 6- 0 217 Florida State    5  5 27 16 1992 Draft - 4th round

Bucky Brooks        22   CB 6- 0 195 North Carolina   1  2 25  2 1996 FA - Buff (1994)

Robert Brooks       87   WR 6- 0 180 South Carolina   5  5 26  7 1992 Draft - 3rd round

Gary Brown          71   OT 6- 4 315 Georgia Tech     3  3 25  8 1994 FA - Pittsburgh

Gilbert Brown       93   NT 6- 2 325 Kansas           4  4 25 16 1993 FA - Minnesota

LeRoy Butler        36    S 6- 0 200 Florida State    7  7 28 16 1990 Draft - 2nd round

Mark Chmura         89   TE 6- 5 250 Boston College   4  4 27 13 1992 Draft - 6th round

Shannon Clavelle    91   DE 6- 2 287 Colorado         2  2 27  8 1995 FA - Buffalo

Ron Cox             54   LB 6- 2 235 Fresno State     1  7 28 16 1996 UFA - Chicago

Jeff Dellenbach     67    C 6- 6 300 Wisconsin        1 12 33  3 1996 FA - New England

Earl Dotson         72    T 6- 3 315 Texas A&I        4  4 25 15 1993 Draft - 3rd round

Santana Dotson      71   DT 6- 5 285 Baylor           1  5 26 16 1996 UFA - Tampa Bay

Corey Dowden        42   CB 5-11 190 Tulane           1  1 27  9 1996 FA

Doug Evans          33   CB 6- 1 190 Louisiana Tech   4  4 26 16 1993 Draft - 6th round

Brett Favre          4   QB 6- 2 225 S. Mississippi   5  6 26 16 1992 Trade - Atlanta

Antonio Freeman     86   WR 6- 0 190 Virginia Tech    2  2 24 12 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Bernardo Harris     54   LB 6- 2 243 North Carolina   2  2 24 16 1995 FA

Chris Hayes         40    S 6- 0 200 Washington State 1  1 24  2 1996 FA - NY Jets

William Henderson   30   FB 6- 1 248 North Carolina   2  2 25 16 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Craig Hentrich      17    P 6- 3 200 Notre Dame       3  3 25 16 1993 FA-Jets (PS-1993)

Darius Holland      90   DT 6- 4 310 Colorado         2  2 22 14 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Lamont Hollinquest  56   LB 6- 3 243 USC              1  3 25 16 1996 FA - Wash (1994)

Desmond Howard      81   WR 5-10 180 Michigan         1  5 26 16 1996 UFA - Jacksonville

Chris Jacke         13    K 6- 0 205 Texas-El Paso    8  8 30 16 1989 Draft - 6th round

Keith Jackson       88   TE 6- 2 258 Oklahoma         2  9 31 16 1995 Trade - Miami

Travis Jervey       32   RB 5-11 225 The Citadel      2  2 24 16 1995 Draft - 5th round

Calvin Jones        27   RB 5-11 205 Nebraska         1  3 25  1 1996 FA - Oak (1995)

Sean Jones          96   DE 6- 7 283 Northeastern     3 13 33 15 1994 UFA - Houston

Lindsey Knapp       53    G 6- 6 300 Notre Dame       1  2 26  9 1995 Trade - KC

George Koonce       53   LB 6- 1 243 East Carolina    5  5 27 16 1992 FA

Bob Kuberski        94   NT 6- 4 295 Navy             2  2 25  1 1993 Draft - 7th round

Dorsey Levens       25   RB 6- 1 235 Georgia Tech     3  3 26 16 1994 Draft - 5th round

Derrick Mayes       80   WR 6- 0 200 Notre Dame       1  1 22  7 1996 Draft - 2nd round

Gene McGuire        60    T 6- 7 290 Notre Dame       1  2 26  8 1996 FA - Chi (1993)

Keith McKenzie      95   DE 6- 3 242 Ball State       1  1 22 10 1996 Draft - 7th round

Jim McMahon          9   QB 6- 1 195 BYU              2 15 37  5 1995 FA - Ari (1994)

John Michels        77    T 6- 7 290 USC              1  1 23 15 1996 Draft - 1st round

Terry Mickens       88   WR 6- 0 198 Florida A&M      3  3 25  8 1994 Draft - 5th round

Anthony Morgan      81   WR 6- 1 200 Tennessee        4  6 28  3 1993 FA - Chicago

Roderick Mullen     28   CB 6- 1 204 Grambling State  2  2 23 14 1995 FA

Craig Newsome       21   CB 6- 0 190 Arizona State    2  2 25 16 1995 Draft - 1st round

Doug Pederson       18   QB 6- 3 215 NE Lousiana      1  2 28  1 1996 FA - Miami (1993)

Mike Prior          45    S 6- 0 208 Illinois State   4 11 32 16 1993 UFA - Indianapolis

Andre Rison         84   WR 6- 1 195 Michigan State   1  8 29  5 1996 FA - Jacksonville

Eugene Robinson     41    S 6- 0 195 Colgate          1 12 33 16 1996 Trade - Seattle

Michael Robinson    46   CB 6- 1 192 Hampton          1  1 23  6 1996 FA

Ken Ruettgers       75    T 6- 5 292 USC             12 12 34  4 1985 Draft - 1st round

developments with renewed resolve, the Packers decided it was time to reassert themselves. Taking the succeeding kickoff,they methodically swept 72 yards in plays to mount a 28-14 lead, a drive completed by wide receiver Antonio Freeman's recovery of an Edgar Bennett fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Unwilling to concede, the 49ers made two other significant bids before calling it a day. The first, midway through the third quarter, saw them go for it on fourth-and-one at the 50, a maneuver which failed when Packers nose tackle Gilbert Brown plugged up the middle and right end Sean Jones and linebacker Wayne Simmons stopped Grbac for no gain on a quarterback sneak. The issue was largely settled when the Packers completed their scoring with only 5:31 remaining. Hayes recovered a Kirby fumble, forced by safety Mike Prior, at the San Francisco 32-yard line. Favre then put together a 6-play drive, climaxed by Bennett's 11-yard sweep of right end for the touchdown. With a driving rain and soggy field conditions on this blustery afternoon, it was not a day conducive to producing impressive statistics. The Packers, who had averaged 345.9 yards per game over the regular-season, settled for a modest 210 net yards - 139 rushing and 71 passing. 

SAN FRANCISCO -   0   7   7   0   -  14

GREEN BAY     -  14   7   7   7   -  35

1st - GB - Howard, 71-yard punt return (Jacke kick)  2:15  GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Rison, 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick)  8:44  GREEN BAY 14-0

2nd - GB - Bennett, 2-yard run (Jacke kick)  11:42  GREEN BAY 21-0

2nd - SF - Terry Kirby, 8-yard pass from Grbac (Jeff Wilkins kick)  14:36 GB 21-7

3rd - SF - Grbac, 2-yard run (Wilkins kick)  0:16  GREEN BAY 21-14

3rd - GB - Freeman recovered fumble in end zone (Jacke kick)  8:10 GB 28-14

4th - GB - Bennett, 11-yard run (Jacke kick)  9:29  GREEN BAY 35-14

Eagles at Packers

September 9th

NFC Championship Program

Super Bowl XXXI Program

TRADES AND TRANSACTIONS

JUNE 6 - Traded DB Lenny McGill to ATLANTA for RB Robert Baldwin

JUNE 27 - Traded DE Matt LaBounty to SEATTLE for DB Eugene Robinson

JULY 17 - Traded S George Teague to ATLANTA for a conditional draft choice

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

Brian Satterfield   38   FB 6- 0 225 North Alabama    1  1 26  1 1996 FA

Wayne Simmons       59   LB 6- 2 248 Clemson          4  4 26 16 1993 Draft - 1st round

Kevin Smith         49   TE 6- 4 255 UCLA             1  4 27  1 1996 FA-Raiders (1994)

Aaron Taylor        73    G 6- 4 305 Notre Dame       2  2 23 16 1994 Draft - 1st round

Jeff Thomason       83   TE 6- 4 250 Oregon           2  4 26 16 1995 FA - Cin (1993)

Adam Timmerman      63    G 6- 4 295 South Dakota St  2  2 25 16 1995 Draft - 7th round

Reggie White        92   DE 6- 5 300 Tennessee        4 12 34 16 1993 UFA - Philadelphia

Bruce Wilkerson     64    T 6- 5 305 Tennessee        1 10 32 14 1996 FA - Jack (1995)

Gabe Wilkins        98   DE 6- 4 305 Gardner-Webb     3  3 24 16 1994 Draft - 4th round

Brian Williams      51   LB 6- 1 235 USC              2  2 23 16 1995 Draft - 3rd round

Tyrone Williams     37   CB 5-11 195 Nebraska         1  1 23 16 1996 Draft - 3rd round

Frank Winters       52    C 6- 3 295 West Illinois    5 10 32 16 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

1996 PACKERS PRACTICE SQUAD

NAME                POS COLLEGE           HOW ACQUIRED

Chris Hayes           S Washington St     1996 FA - NY Jets

Eric Matthews        WR Indiana           1996 FA

Buster Owens         CB Georgia           1996 FA

Michael Robinson     CB Hampton           1996 FA

Bill Schroeder       WR UW-La Crossee     1996 FA - New England

Walter Scott         DE East Carolina     1996 FA

Chris Sedoris        OL Purdue            1996 FA

Kylie Wachholtz      QB USC               1996 Draft - 7th round

Bold Italics - Made Active Roster

1996 PACKERS DRAFT (April 20-21, 1996)

RND-PCK NAME                POS COLLEGE       NOTES

1    27 John Michels          T USC

2    56 Derrick Mayes        WR Notre Dame 

3a   90 Mike Flanagan         C UCLA 

3b   93 Tyrone Williams      CB Nebraska      (A) 

4   123 Chris Darkins        RB Minnesota 

5   161 Traded to Kansas City in Lindsay Knapp

6a  197 Traded to Philadelphia for Joe Sims

6b  208 Marco Rivera          G Penn State    (A)

7a  240 Kyle Wachholtz       QB USC

7b  252 Keith McKenzie       LB Ball State    (A)

A-Free agency compensatory pick

Bold Italics - Played for the Green Bay Packers

FREE AGENCY - UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

PLAYERS SIGNED - WR Don Beebe (Carolina), LB Ron Cox (Chicago), DT Santana Dotson (Tampa Bay), WR/KR Desmond Howard (Jacksonville)

PLAYERS LOST - QB Ty Detmer (Philadelphia), G Harry Galbreath (N.Y. Jets), NT John Jurkovic (Jacksonville), LB Fred Strickland (Dallas)

FREE AGENCY - RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

PLAYERS LOST - WR Charles Jordan (Miami)

TRANSISTION PLAYER DESIGNATION

S LeRoy Butler

1996 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (3-1)

AUGUST (3-1)                           RESULT       RECORD    ATT STARTING QB             LEADING RUSHER              LEADING PASSER              LEADING RECEIVER

2  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS               W 24- 7       1- 0-0 57,918 Brett Favre             Travis Jervey (28)          Doug Pederson (125)         William Henderson (3-23)

11 PITTSBURGH STEELERS                W 24-17       2- 0-0 59,284 Brett Favre             James Bostic (39)           Doug Pederson (139)         Terry Mickens (3-22)

17 at Baltimore Ravens                W 17-15       3- 0-0 62,025 Brett Favre             Edgar Bennett (27)          Brett Favre (186)           Robert Brooks (4-45)

24 at Indianapolis Colts              L  6-30       3- 1-0 49,081 Brett Favre             Travis Jervey (43)          Brett Favre (83)            Anthony Morgan (3-45)

1996 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (13-3)

SEPTEMBER (4-1)

1  at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)      W 34- 3       1- 0-0 54,102 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (62)         Brett Favre (247)           Antonio Freeman (6-82)

9  PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (1-0)          W 39-13       2- 0-0 60,666 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (93)         Brett Favre (261)           Robert Brooks (5-130)

15 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (2-0)           W 42-10       3- 0-0 60,584 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (65)         Brett Favre (231)           Robert Brooks (8-108)

22 at Minnesota Vikings (3-0)         L 21-30       3- 1-0 64,168 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (33)         Brett Favre (198)           Don Beebe (3-96)

29 at Seattle Seahawks (1-3)          W 31-10       4- 1-0 59,973 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (94)         Brett Favre (209)           Antonio Freeman (7-108)

OCTOBER (3-0)

6  at Chicago Bears (2-3)             W 37- 6       5- 1-0 65,480 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (32)         Brett Favre (246)           Antonio Freeman (7-146)

14 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-1)          W 23-20 (OT)  6- 1-0 60,716 Brett Favre              Brett Favre (24)           Brett Favre (395)           Don Beebe (11-220)

27 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1-6)         W 13- 7       7- 1-0 60,627 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (93)         Brett Favre (178)           Desmond Howard (5-30)

NOVEMBER (2-2)

3  DETROIT LIONS (4-4)                W 28-18       8- 1-0 60,695 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (68)         Brett Favre (281)           Terry Mickens (7-52)

10 at Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)        L 20-27       8- 2-0 79,281 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (37)         Brett Favre (314)           Dorsey Levens (5-83)

18 at Dallas Cowboys (6-4)            L  6-21       8- 3-0 65,032 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (48)         Brett Favre (194)           Keith Jackson (7-98)

24 at St. Louis Rams (3-8)            W 24- 9       9- 3-0 61,499 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (31)         Brett Favre (192)           Andre Rison (5-44)

DECEMBER (4-0)

1  CHICAGO BEARS (5-7)                W 28-17      10- 3-0 59,682 Brett Favre              Dorsey Levens (69)         Brett Favre (231)           Antonio Freeman (10-156)

8  DENVER BRONCOS (12-1)              W 41- 6      11- 3-0 60,712 Brett Favre              Dorsey Levens (86)         Brett Favre (280)           Antonio Freeman (9-175)

15 at Detroit Lions (5-9)             W 31- 3      12- 3-0 73,214 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (60)         Brett Favre (240)           Don Beebe (4-79)

22 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (9-6)            W 38-10      13- 3-0 59,306 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (109)        Brett Favre (202)           Mark Chmura (4-43)

1996 PLAYOFFS (3-0)

JANUARY - NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF

4  SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (13-4)         W 35-14              60,787 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (80)         Brett Favre (79)            Antonio Freeman (2-26)

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

12 CAROLINA PANTHERS (13-4)           W 30-13              60,216 Brett Favre              Edgar Bennett (99)         Brett Favre (292)           Dorsey Levens (5-117)

SUPER BOWL XXXI AT NEW ORLEANS

26 New England Patriots (13-5)        W 35-21              72,301 Brett Favre              Dorsey Levens (61)         Brett Favre (246)           Antonio Freeman (3-105)

(GREEN BAY) - Brett Favre got in his work Friday night and then the reigning MVP headed to the sideline. His backup, Doug Pederson, came in and led the Packers over New England. Pederson, getting extended playing time because of an injury to Jim McMahon, sparked scoring drives of 80, 73 and 53 yards in the second half in the exhibition opener for both teams. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 125 yards, hitting nine straight passes at one stretch. Favre, in his first game since completing a stay at an NFL-sanctioned rehabilitation center after admitting he was addicted to painkillers, completed 5-of-10 passes for 54 yards. He played all but the final two series of the first half.

NEW ENGLAND -  0  7  0  0 -  7

GREEN BAY   -  0  3  7 14 - 24

                     NEW ENGLAND     GREEN BAY

First downs                   17            21

Rush-yards                 31-67        33-102

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 19-25-233-1-1 18-29-179-1-0

Yards sacked                2-21           0-0

Total Passing Yards          212           179

Total yards                  279           281

Fumbles-lost                 3-2           2-1

Turnovers                      3             1

Yards penalized             5-68          3-15

Time of Possession         29:01         30:59

SCORING

2nd - NE - Vincent Brisby, 41-yard pass from Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick) NEW ENGLAND 7-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 39-yard field goal NEW ENGLAND 7-3

3rd - GB - Thomason, 5-yard pass from Pederson (Jacke kick) GREEN BAY 10-7

4th - GB - Brian Satterfield, 1-yard run (Richie Cunningham kick) GREEN BAY 17-7

4th - GB - Satterfield, 3-yard run (Cunningham kick) GREEN BAY 24-7

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Travis Jervey 8-28, William Henderson 3-20, James Bostic 4-19, Edgar Bennett 5-14, Brian Satterfield 4-11 2 TD, Dorsey Levens 3-8, Chris Darkins 4-3, Brett Favre 1-0, Doug Pederson 1-0

NEW ENGLAND - Curtis Martin 13-23, Sylvester Croom 10-22, Jay Barker 3-10, Dave Meggeett 2-7, Drew Bledsoe 1-4, Marrio Grier 1-2, Sam Gash 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 10-5-54, Doug Pederson 19-13-125 1 TD

NEW ENGLAND - Drew Bledsoe 12-11-140 1 TD 1 INT, Jay Barker 8-5-63, Scott Zolak 5-3-30

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - William Henderson 3-43, Travis Jervey 2-32, Jeff Thomason 2-14 1 TD, Chris Darkins 2-12, Dorsey Levens 2-7, Anthony Morgan 1-20, Don Beebe 1-17, Edgar Bennett 1-10, Brian Satterfield 1-10, Terry Mickens 1-6, Robert Brooks 1-6, Antonio Freeman 1-4

NEW ENGLAND - Will Moore 5-57, John Burke 3-34, Lovett Purnell 2-38, Sam Gash 2-13, Ben Coates 2-6, Vincent Brisby 1-41 1 TD, Hason Graham 1-27, Bill Schroeder 1-7, Kantroy Barber 1-6, Curtis Martin 1-4

(BALTIMORE) - So much for the phrase, "It's only an exhibition game." The Packers are quite serious about the preseason, particularly because they've got a hunch these exhibition games are a prelude to what could turn out to be a very special regular season. So the Packers are delighted to remain undefeated after beating the Ravens Saturday night on a 42-yard field goal by Richie Cunningham with three seconds left. The kick capped a frenzied drive that came after the Ravens took the lead for the first time with 66 seconds to go. Brett Favre played into the third quarter and directed scoring drives of 93 and 94 yards. The first touchdown march came on Green Bay's first possession of the game, no small feat for a first-team unit that previously had produced only seven points in eight possessions.

GREEN BAY -  7  0  7  3 - 17

BALTIMORE -  0  2  7  6 - 15

                       GREEN BAY     BALTIMORE

First downs                   17            20

Rush-yards                 21-88        33-131

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 18-37-273-1-0 21-36-206-2-1

Yards sacked                 1-5          2-14

Total Passing Yards          268           192

Total yards                  356           323

Fumbles-lost                 2-2           2-1

Turnovers                      2             2

Yards penalized             8-79          7-30

Time of Possession         24:43         35:17

SCORING

1st - GB - R.Brooks, 3-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GREEN BAY 7-0

2nd - BAL - Safety, Favre called for intentional grounding in end zone GREEN BAY 7-2

3rd - GB - Satterfield, 5-yard run (Cunningham kick) GREEN BAY 14-2

3rd - BALT - James Roe, 2-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick) GREEN BAY 14-9

4th - BALT - Ray Ethridge, 12-yard pass from Zeier (Run failed) BALTIMORE 15-14

4th - GB - Cunningham, 42-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-15

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 7-27, Brian Satterfield 5-19 1 TD, James Bostic 4-14, William Henderson 3-12, Brett Favre 1-12, Robert Baldwin 1-4

BALTIMORE - Earnest Byner 6-37, Derrick Cullors 4-31, Leroy Hoard 11-23, Carwell Gardner 2-17, Earnest Hunter 6-16, Eric Zeier 3-8, Richard Thomas 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 23-13-186, Doug Pederson 10-4-83, Kyle Wachholtz 4-1-4

BALTIMORE - Vinny Testaverde 15-7-77 1 INT, Eric Zeier 21-14-129 2 TD

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Robert Brooks 4-45 1 TD, Antonio Freeman 4-65, Eric Matthews 2-61, James Bostic 1-35, Keith Jackson 1-19, Brian Satterfield 1-15, Edgar Bennett 1-11, William Henderson 1-11, Derrick Mayes 1-7, Kevin Smith 1-4

BALTIMORE - Ray Ethridge 5-68 1 TD, Jermaine Lewis 3-39, Carwell Gardner 2-16, Earnest Hunter 2-15, James Roe 2-13 1 TD, Derrick Cullors 2-11, Thomas 2-7, Frank Hartley 1-27, Kelvin Williams 1-8, Earnest Byner 1-2

(GREEN BAY) - It was like old times for Kordell Stewart. Ditto Desmond Howard. Both put on performances reminiscent of old days in Sunday preseason game between the Steelers and Packers. Howard's legs meant just a bit more to the Packers than Stewart's arm did to the Steelers as the Packers prevailed. Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, returned a punt 77 yards in the third period to give the Packers a 21-14 lead the Steelers could never overcome. To end the first half, Stewart had tossed a desperation pass that Corey Holliday grabbed in the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown play. The play was reminiscent of Stewart's 64-yard TD pass to Michael Westbrook with six seconds left that gave Colorado a 27-26 upset of Michigan in 1994. With the Packers' glut at receiver, Howard's heroics before a crowd of 59,284, the largest ever for a preseason game at Lambeau Field, probably earned him a role on special teams for the Packers. Howard has been an NFL disappointment for the Redskins and Jaguars and he sat out 20 summer practices and the Packers' preseason opener with a hip pointer. Meanwhile, Stewart earned some points in his fight for the Steelers' No. 1 quarterback job. Stewart is competing with Mike Tomczak and Jim Miller for the job vacated by Neil O'Donnell.

PITTSBURGH -  0 11  3  3 - 17

GREEN BAY  -  7  7  7  3 - 24

                      PITTSBURGH     GREEN BAY

First downs                   20             9

Rush-yards                 32-55         20-62

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-41-287-1-2 14-24-196-2-1

Yards sacked                5-28           0-0

Total Passing Yards          259           196

Total yards                  314           258

Fumbles-lost                 1-1           2-2

Turnovers                      3             3

Yards penalized             8-49          9-75

Time of Possession         37:55         22:05

SCORING

1st - GB - Jackson, 35-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GREEN BAY 7-0

2nd - PIT - Norm Johnson, 35-yard field goal GREEN BAY 7-3

2nd - GB - Freeman, 64-yard pass from Pederson (Jacke kick) GREEN BAY 14-3

2nd - PIT - Corey Holliday, 54-yard pass from Stewart (Stewart run) GREEN BAY 14-11

3rd - PIT - Joe Wood, 35-yard field goal TIED 14-14

3rd - GB - Howard, 77-yard punt return (Cunningham kick) GREEN BAY 21-14

4th - PIT - Wood, 35-yard field goal GREEN BAY 21-17

4th - GB - Jacke, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 24-17

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - James Bostic 10-39, Dorsey Levens 3-8, Brian Satterfield 1-5, Edgar Bennett 2-4, William Henderson 2-3, Travis Jervey 1-3, Doug Pederson 1-0

PITTSBURGH - Jerome Bettis 13-33, Erric Pegram 7-18, Kordell Stewart 2-6, Jon Vaughn 2-4, Steve Avery 2-2, Fred McAfee 4-(-3), Charles Johnson 1-(-5), Mike Tomczak 1-0

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 9-5-57 1 TD, Doug Pederson 15-9-139 1 TD 1 INT

PITTSBURGH - Kordell Stewart 25-13-195 1 TD 2 INT, Mike Tomczak 8-4-60, Jim Miller 8-4-32

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Terry Mickens 3-22, Antonio Freeman 2-76 1 TD, Jeff Thomason 2-28, Brian Satterfield 2-15, Edgar Bennett 2-7, Keith Jackson 1-36 1 TD, William Henderson 1-8, Desmond Howard 1-4

PITTSBURGH - Corey Holliday 4-79 1 TD, Yancey Thigpen 3-46, Charles Johnson 3-26, Jahine Arnold 2-46, Johnnie Barnes 2-19, Scott Greene 2-18, Mark Bruener 1-24, Fred McAfee 1-10, Chris George 1-7, Erric Pegram 1-7, Jon Vaughn 1-5

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Once again, Jim Harbaugh wrecked Green Bay's shot at a perfect preseason. Harbaugh, who rallied Indianapolis in the final period and beat the Packers in overtime last year, barely needed more than the first two quarters Saturday night as the Colts won. Harbaugh was 11-of-15 for 223 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game early in the third quarter. Paul Justin replaced Harbaugh on the next series and passed 69 yards to Aaron Bailey for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Green Bay, trying for its first unbeaten and untied preseason since 1967, did not get a first down until early in the second quarter. By that time, the Colts had a 13-0 lead on two field goals by Cary Blanchard and a 54-yard touchdown pass from Harbaugh to rookie Marvin Harrison. Blanchard's field goals of 19 and 36 yards were the only first-quarter points the Packers allowed the entire preseason. And both of the field goals were set up with long passes by Harbaugh, a 43-yarder to Sean Dawkins on the Colts' second possession and 38 yards to Marcus Pollard on the next series.

GREEN BAY    -  7  7 21  0 -  6

INDIANAPOLIS -  3 14  0  6 - 30

                       GREEN BAY  INDIANAPOLIS

First downs                   14            15

Rush-yards                 22-86         30-95

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-35-200-0-0 17-24-362-3-0

Yards sacked                3-18           2-7

Total Passing Yards          182           355

Total yards                  268           450

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           2-1

Turnovers                      0             1

Yards penalized            13-88          7-55

Time of Possession         31:30         28:30

SCORING

1st - IND - Cary Blanchard, 19-yard field goal INDIANAPOLIS 3-0

1st - IND - Blanchard, 36-yard field goal INDIANAPOLIS 6-0

2nd - IND - Marvin Harrison, 54-yard pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick) INDIANAPOLIS 13-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 32-yard field goal INDIANAPOLIS 13-3

3rd - IND - Sean Dawkins, 39-yard pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick) INDIANAPOLIS 20-3

3rd - GB - Jacke, 47-yard field goal INDIANAPOLIS 20-6

4th - IND - Blanchard, 47-yard field goal INDIANAPOLIS 23-6

4th - IND - Aaron Bailey, 69-yard pass from Justin (Blanchard kick) INDIANAPOLIS 30-6

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Travis Jervey 11-43, William Henderson 1-12, Dorsey Levens 2-9, Edgar Bennett 2-7, Jim McMahon 2-4, Doug Pederson 2-1

INDIANAPOLIS - Marshall Faulk 8-28, Vince Workman 6-21, Zack Crockett 6-18, Jim Harbaugh 2-11, Lamont Warren 5-10, Cliff Groce 2-5, Paul Justin 1-2

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 14-9-83, Doug Pederson 12-6-43, Jim McMahon 9-6-74

INDIANAPOLIS - Jim Harbaugh 15-11-223 2 TD, Paul Hustin 9-6-139 1 TD

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Anthony Morgan 3-45, Antonio Freeman 3-12, Robert Brooks 2-28, Mark Chmura 2-24, William Henderson 2-24, Travis Jervey 2-17, Don Beebe 2-7, Dorsey Levens 2-7, Keith Jackson 1-21, Jeff Thomason 1-12, Edgar Bennett 1-3

INDIANAPOLIS - Marvin Harrison 3-69 1 TD, Cliff Groce 3-53, Sean Dawkins 2-82 1 TD, Marcus Pollard 2-50, Zack Crockett 2-18, Marshall Faulk 2-14, Lamont Warren 2-7, Aaron Bailey 1-69 1 TD

(TAMPA BAY) - The Green Bay Packers looked like the Super Bowl contenders they're supposed to be, and Brett Favre played like the quarterback who can get them there. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Well, they were a lot like the perennial NFL losers they've been for 20 years Sunday in their first game under coach Tony Dungy, a 34-3 loss to the Packers. Favre, last year's league MVP, launched his comeback from an off-season battle to overcome an addiction to painkillers with 247 yards passing and four touchdown passes, answering the question of how long it might take him to regain his 1995 form. Favre threw three of his TD passes to Keith Jackson (1, 4 and 51 yards), all in the first half when the Packers built a 24-3 lead. The other was a 1-yarder to Dorsey Levens set up by completions of 21 yards to Antonio Freeman and 18 yards to Mark Chmura.

GREEN BAY - 10 14 10  0 - 34

TAMPA BAY -  0  3  0  0 -  3

                       GREEN BAY     TAMPA BAY

First downs                   24            15

Rush-yards-TDs          35-139-0       23-59-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-28-271-4-0 13-30-123-0-4

Sacked-yards                 1-4           1-6

Net pass yards               267           117

Total yards                  406           176

Fumbles-lost                 4-2           3-2

Turnovers                      2             6

Penalties-yards             6-64          3-20

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 23-yard field goal 8:17 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - GB - K.Jackson, 1-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 10:53 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - TB - Michael Husted, 48-yard field goal 0:55 GREEN BAY 10-3

2nd - GB - K.Jackson, 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:20 GREEN BAY 17-3

2nd - GB - K.Jackson, 51-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:21 GREEN BAY 24-3

3rd - GB - Jacke, 40-yard field goal 5:08 GREEN BAY 27-3

3rd - GB - Levens, 1-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 9:25 GREEN BAY 34-3

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 13-62, Dorsey Levens 12-48, Travis Jervey 5-13, William Henderson 3-13, Robert Brooks 1-2, Brett Favre 1-1

TAMPA BAY - Reggie Brooks 6-20, Mike Alstott 5-15, Leroy Thompson 3-14, Jerry Ellison 8-10, Trent Dilfer 1-0

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 27-20-247 4 TD, Jim McMahon 1-1-24

TAMPA BAY - Trent Dilfer 30-13-123 4 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 6-82, Keith Jackson 5-76 3 TD, Robert Brooks 3-25, Mark Chmura 2-24, Dorsey Levens 2-20 1 TD, Jeff Thomason 1-24, William Henderson 1-12, Edgar Bennett 1-8

TAMPA BAY - Mike Alstott 4-42, Alvin Harper 3-35, Jackie Harris 2-19, Courtney Hawkins 2-16, Leroy Thompson 1-6, Dave Moore 1-5

Mike Holmgren surveys the field as the Packers demolish the Chargers, 42-10

The nineteenth appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the Green Bay Packers was in December of 1996, as they were headed towards the NFL Playoffs again. On the cover, quarterback Brett Favre is shown in passing form with the headline, “The Team to Beat... Why Brett Favre and the Packers are Looking Super.” Inside, as the article opens with a two-page photo spread of Dorsey Levens leaping for yardage, the headline reads: “Back in Gear... The Packers turned it up a notch to rout the Broncos and move closer to earning the (frigid) home field advantage in the Playoffs.” The article states: “By day’s end Lambeau seemed more daunting than it had all season. After rolling to a 41-6 win, the Packers — now 11-3 — had moved a step closer to securing home field advantage... a pressing quest given their 15-game winning streak at Lambeau. A few hours later, after San Francisco (lost) to Carolina, and the Cowboys had escaped with a victory over Arizona, Green Bay had become the conference’s clear-cut favorite to reach the Super Bowl... and Sunday’s game, viewed by many as a Super Bowl preview, sent a Pack-is-back message to NFL rivals.” “Against all logic, Green Bay has become a garden spot for players from less successful organizations (like Andre Rison). ‘It’s like a home for the refuse of society,’ says safety Eugene Robinson, a 12-year veteran acquired in an off-season trade with Seattle. The nightlife options may be slim and the weather may be grim, but, in Rison’s words, ‘the vibe here is incredible.’ Defensive tackle Santana Dotson, who spent his first four years with Tampa Bay, says he loves playing for the Packers because ‘everyone from the front office executives to the janitor tries to get the players whatever they need to win.’ ” Yes... these were swell times to be a Packer fan... as long as you didn’t believe in the Sports Illustrated “cover jinx.” (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)

The Packers’ twentieth appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated was due to their NFC Championship game victory over the Carolina Panthers in January 1997, which propelled them into Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans. On the cover, receiver Antonio Freeman is depicted making a catch along with the headline: “Green Bay All the Way... Antonio Freeman and the Packers look unstoppable.” The article opens with a two-page spread showing running back Dorsey Levens breaking a tackle, with the headline: “Super Again... Evoking memories of their title-winning forbears, the Packers overpowered the Panthers and advanced to their first Super Bowl in 29 years.” The article went on to state, “In a season marred by drug suspensions, trash talk, and nine coaching casualties, the Packers restored sentiment to the game. With their 30-13 thumping of the Carolina Panthers, they extended one of the most compelling feel-good sports stories of recent years for another two weeks. On January 26... they will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI...” “Less than three minutes remained in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday when Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre jogged triumphantly to the sidelines, his first trip to the Super Bowl a done deal. As 60,790 fans shook Lambeau Field to its icy core, Favre received a wool cap, a 1996 NFC Champions hat, and a bear hug from defensive end Reggie White, whose smile could have melted the most frozen tundra. ‘Congratulations, you deserve this,’ Favre whispered into White’s ear, and the big man lost it. Steam rising from his head and tears running down his cheeks, the 35-year-old, 300-pound White turned into a bundle of mush.” Many in the Packers’ organization, including team president and general manager Ron Wolf, said years later that this game was the most satisfying moment — even more so than winning the Super Bowl two weeks later, because it signified just how far the Packers had come in five seasons. Their rebirth was complete and had brought them to the pinnacle. Now they had one more game to prove to the world that they were championship material.  (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)

(GREEN BAY) - Green Bay Packers rapper-receiver Robert Brooks followed his own advice one week after giving President Clinton his debut CD titled "Jump Into The Stands". Brooks caught five passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers routed the dazed and outmatched Philadelphia Eagles 39-13 in the first Monday Night Football game at Lambeau Field in 10 years. Brooks vaulted himself into the end zone seats packed with delirious denizens decked in green and gold after TD receptions of 25 and 20 yards from Brett Favre, who overcame a rough start to throw three touchdowns. Dorsey Levens even got into the act, doing his version of the Lambeau Leap after a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. A Lambeau Field record crowd of 60,666 watched their Packers go 2-0 for the first time since the strike-shortened 1982 season, when they won their first three. Brooks had four catches for 116 yards in the first half as the Packers built an astonishing 30- 7 lead at halftime against an Eagles team that thinks it can unseat Dallas as ruler of the NFC East. Edgar Bennett gained 93 yards on 17 carries and also scored on a 25-yard reception when he grabbed Favre's pass in the flat and rumbled his way into the end zone for a 37-7 lead with six minutes left in the third period. The blowout capped an exhilarating week in Green Bay, which began with President Clinton visiting the Packers at Lambeau Field on Labor Day. In two weeks, Favre, who was 17-of-31 for 261 yards, has seven touchdowns and no interceptions as the Packers have outscored their opponents 73-16. But it was the Packers' defense that really spoiled the return of Philadelphia coach Ray Rhodes, who served as defensive coordinator in Green Bay from 1992-93. The Packers, who had just 16 takeaways last season, already have 10, including four in the first half Monday night that Green Bay converted into 13 points.

PHILADELPHIA -  0  7  0  6 - 13

GREEN BAY    - 10 20  7  2 - 39

                    PHILADELPHIA     GREEN BAY

First downs                   14            23

Rush-yards-TDs           17-59-2      38-171-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 16-36-212-0-3 17-32-261-3-0

Sacked-yards                3-12           1-0

Net pass yards               200           261

Total yards                  259           432

Fumbles-lost                 1-1           2-0

Turnovers                      4             0

Penalties-yards             8-49          5-23

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 29-yard field goal 2:25 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - GB - Brooks, 25-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:20 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 44-yard field goal 0:04 GREEN BAY 13-0

2nd - GB - Levens, 1-yard run (Jacke kick) 5:40 GREEN BAY 20-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 38-yard field goal 9:42 GREEN BAY 23-0

2nd - PHI - Ricky Watters, 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick) 13:04 GREEN BAY 23-7

2nd - GB - Brooks, 2-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:34 GREEN BAY 30-7

3rd - GB - Bennett, 25-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 8:46 GREEN BAY 37-7

4th - GB - Safety, Peete sacked by White and Dotson in end zone 3:54 GREEN BAY 39-7

4th - PHI - Charlie Garner, 1-yard run (Conversion failed) 14:30 GREEN BAY 39-13

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 17-93, William Henderson 6-40, Dorsey Levens 9-25 1 TD, Travis Jervey 3-12, Brett Favre 2-3, Jim McMahon 1-(-2)

PHILADELPHIA - Ricky Watters 10-38 1 TD, Charlie Garner 3-10 1 TD, Ty Detmer 2-7, Rodney Peete 2-4

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 31-17-261 3 TD, Craig Hentrich 1-0-0

PHILADELPHIA - Rodney Peete 25-10-142 3 INT, Ty Detmer 11-6-70

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Robert Brooks 5-130 2 TD, Edgar Bennett 5-49 1 TD, Mark Chmura 2-31, Keith Jackson 2-27, William Henderson 2-3, Antonio Freeman 1-21

PHILADELPHIA - Chris Jones 4-63, Charlie Garner 3-21, Mark Ingram 2-33, Kevin Turner 2-14, Mark Seay 2-12, Irving Fryar 1-50, Jason Dunn 1-18, Ricky Watters 1-1

(GREEN BAY) - So far this year, the only competition the Packers seem to have is themselves. The offense, defense and special teams all got to do the Lambeau Leap in a rout of the previously unbeaten Chargers at Lambeau Field. LeRoy Butler returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown and Desmond Howard returned a punt 65 yards for a TD as the Packers, who have pummeled their opponents by a combined score of 115-26, started out 3-0 for the first time since 1982. San Diego was actually still in it with 6 1/2 minutes left, trailing 28-10 and threatening again when Butler stepped in front of Terrell Fletcher at the Packers 10. Butler raced down the left sideline for the score, then vaulted himself into the stands as has become customary at Lambeau Field. Brett Favre completed 22 of 34 passes for 231 yards and TD passes of 19 yards to Freeman, 8 to William Henderson and 7 to Keith Jackson. Robert Brooks led the Packers with eight catches for 108 yards. Favre also had two interceptions, the last of which led to San Diego's only touchdown, a 9-yard pass from Stan Humphries to Tony Martin that made it 28-10 with 8:16 left.

SAN DIEGO -  3  0  0  7 - 10

GREEN BAY -  7 14  7 14 - 42

                       SAN DIEGO     GREEN BAY

First downs                   11            23

Rush-yards-TDs           13-33-0      36-132-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 18-35-144-1-2 22-33-231-3-1

Sacked-yards                5-36          2-27

Net pass yards               108           204

Total yards                  141           336

Fumbles-lost                 2-1           3-2

Turnovers                      3             3

Penalties-yards             8-55         10-90

SCORING

1st - GB - Bennett, 10-yard run (Jacke kick) 5:09 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - SD - John Carney, 43-yard field goal 13:55 GREEN BAY 7-3

2nd - GB - Freeman, 19-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 2:00 GREEN BAY 14-3

2nd - GB - Henderson, 8-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:47 GREEN BAY 21-3

3rd - GB - Jackson, 7-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:08 GREEN BAY 28-3

4th - SD - Tony Martin, 9-yard pass from Humphries (Carney kick) 6:44 GREEN BAY 28-10

4th - GB - Butler, 90-yard interception return (Jacke kick) 8:29 GREEN BAY 35-10

4th - GB - Howard, 55-yard punt return (Jacke kick) 10:01 GREEN BAY 42-10

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 13-65 1 TD, Dorsey Levens 9-39, Travis Jervey 4-14, William Henderson 4-8, Brett Favre 3-7, Jim McMahon 1-0, Robert Brooks 2-(-1)

SAN DIEGO - Leonard Russell 9-27, Terrell Fletcher 3-3, Aaron Hayden 1-3

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 33-22-231 3 TD 1 INT

SAN DIEGO - Stan Humphries 31-16-130 1 TD 2 INT, Sean Salisbury 4-2-14

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Robert Brooks 8-108, Mark Chmura 4-35, William Henderson 4-26 1 TD, Keith Jackson 2-10 1 TD, Don Beebe 1-28, Antonio Freeman 1-19 1 TD, Edgar Bennett 1-4, Dorsey Levens 1-1

SAN DIEGO - Andre Coleman 5-31, Terrell Fletcher 4-20, Tony Martin 3-38 1 TD, Charlie Jones 3-28, Alfred Pupunu 2-25, Deems May 1-2

(GREEN BAY) - The Minnesota Vikings are for real. And the Green Bay Packers are real beatable, at least away from Lambeau Field. The Vikings hounded the NFL's top-rated quarterback and offense Sunday, upsetting the Packers, 30-21, behind seven sacks and Robert Smith's 37-yard touchdown run with 4:13 remaining. The win made Minnesota the surprising NFC Central leader, and sent the Packers to their 12th loss in their last 13 games on artificial turf. Green Bay is 21-4 at home under coach Mike Holmgren, but 4-19 on turf and the Packers never have won at the Metrodome in five trips under Holmgren. Winning at Minnesota was a huge priority for Green Bay, which was looking for its best start since the 1966 team opened 4-0 on its way to a victory in the first Super Bowl. But the Packers fell behind for the first time this season when Warren Moon's 20-yard pass to Qadry Ismail gave the Vikings a 14-7 halftime lead. The Packers rallied from a 17-7 deficit early in the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown catch by Don Beebe and George Koonce's 75-yard interception return. But Smith's 37-yard run over the right side against the league's second-rated run defense gave Minnesota a 24-21 lead.

GREEN BAY -  7  0 14  0 - 21

MINNESOTA -  7  7  3 13 - 30

                       GREEN BAY     MINNESOTA

First downs                    8            18

Rush-yards-TDs           15-60-0       33-88-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 14-27-198-2-1 24-41-280-2-2

Sacked-yards                7-41          2-17

Net pass yards               157           263

Total yards                  217           351

Fumbles-lost                 5-3           2-2

Turnovers                      4             4

Penalties-yards             8-79          7-45

SCORING

1st - GB - Brooks, 13-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 4:14 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - MIN - Jake Reed, 26-yard pass from Moon (Scott Sisson kick) 9:00 TIED 7-7

2nd - MIN - Qadry Ismail, 20-yard pass from Moon (Sisson kick) 9:59 MINNESOTA 14-7

3rd - MINN - Sisson, 34-yard field goal 5:22 MINNESOTA 17-7

3rd - GB - Beebe, 80-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 5:42 MINNESOTA 17-14

3rd - GB - Koonce, 75-yard interception return (Jacke kick) 11:02 GREEN BAY 21-17

4th - MINN - Robert.Smith, 37-yard run (Sisson kick) 10:47 MINNESOTA 24-21

4th - MINN - Sisson, 44-yard field goal 12:29 MINNESOTA 27-21

4th - MINN - Sisson, 33-yard field goal 14:32 MINNESOTA 30-21

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 11-33, Brett Favre 2-25, William Henderson 2-2

MINNESOTA - Robert Smith 26-88 1 TD, Amp Lee 4-1, Warren Moon 2-1, Brad Johnson 1-(-2)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 27-14-198 2 TD 1 INT

MINNESOTA - Warren Moon 40-24-280 2 TD 2 INT, Brad Johnson 1-0-0

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Don Beebe 3-96 1 TD, Antonio Freeman 3-34, Edgar Bennett 3-10, William Henderson 1-21, Robert Brooks 1-13 1 TD, Mark Chmura 1-11, Desmond Howard 1-11, Dorsey Levens 1-2

MINNESOTA - Jake Reed 7-129 1 TD, Cris Carter 5-65, Amp Lee 4-27, Andrew Jordan 3-21, Qadry Ismail 2-23 1 TD, Robert Smith 2-9, Charles Evans 1-6

The Packers’ made their twenty-first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the “Super Bowl XXXI Preview Issue” — only one week after being on the cover before. Shown on the front are quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Mike Holmgren “dining” together at Kroll’s Restaurant (a Green Bay landmark), across Ridge Avenue on the West side of Lambeau Field. The cover states: “The Missing Links... Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren... Green Bay was going nowhere until they arrived in ’92.” How true that is. Inside, in the “Super Bowl XXXI Preview” section of the magazine, a two-page spread photo of Holmgren and Favre is accompanied by the text: “Warmed Up... After getting off to a chilly start, Packers coach Mike Holmgren and quarterback Brett Favre have found their comfort zone.” The article starts off by describing the low point of their relationship. “Brett Favre sat on the end of the bench, stewing. It was the night of October 20, 1994, during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome, and Favre seemed close to losing his starting quarterback job. He had been sidelined after the first quarter by a bruised left hip, but the way he figured it, the injury gave Green Bay coaches what they wanted: a convenient excuse to begin the Mark Brunell era... Minnesota won the game 13-10 in overtime. ‘Good,’ Favre recalls thinking, ‘we lose the rest of the games this year, that’s fine with me.’ ” “I struggled and I struggled for a long time,’ Favre says. ‘But think about it. I got thrown into the toughest offense in the game as a starter at 22. Every other guy who’s played it (the 49ers offense) sat for a year or two and learned. Joe Montana sat behind Steve DeBerg. Steve Young sat behind Joe. Steve Bono sat behind both of them. Ty Detmer and Mark Brunell sat behind me. That’s why it was so frustrating when people would get on me.’ ” “The next few days were dicey around Packers headquarters. Favre was frustrated in trying to master the complex offense. ‘The lowest point of his Packers career,’ former quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci says. At the coaches meeting that week, Holmgren polled each member of the coaching staff on who should be the starting quarterback. Brunell won the vote. So what did Holmgren do? Later, he called Favre into his office and told him, ‘Buddy, it’s your job.’ Holmgren’s decision was based largely on his belief that Favre was close to mastering the offense and that the only thing holding him back — a tendency to force situations — was correctable. ‘We’re joined at the hip,’ Holmgren told Favre. ‘Either we’re going to the Super Bowl together, or we’re going down together.’ ” (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)

CHAMPIONS! The 22nd appearance of the Green Bay Packers on the cover of Sports Illustrated came after the event we fans had waited 29 years for — a Super Bowl victory. Green Bay beat New England 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans on January 26, 1997. Pictured on the magazine’s cover is receiver/kick returner Desmond Howard during his kickoff return for a touchdown with the headline: “SPECIAL TEAM... Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard.” Inside, the two-page photo spread of quarterback Brett Fave heaving a long one features the text: “Return to Glory... after suffering through a week of Patriots blather, the Packers got on with the business of winning their first NFL title in 29 years.” The “blather” that the previous sentence mentioned was the media’s attention all week on the future of Patriots’ coach Bill Parcells. “ ‘What really (ticks) me off is that no one gave Coach [Mike] Holmgren his due,’ Green Bay strong safety LeRoy Butler said Sunday night. ‘Everything was Parcells, Parcells, Parcells.’ ”Much of the Super Bowl coverage article in the issue, interestingly, focuses on Desmond Howard, the game’s MVP. But other tidbits in the text are: “This is a team that plays together, and for that reason we deserve this,’ said Packers tight end Keith Jackson. ‘Nobody is more important than anybody else, whether you’re Reggie White or Brett Favre or a guy blocking on special teams. We don’t get down on anyone else for making mistakes, and for that reason people don’t worry about messing up. That’s rare. I wish every junior high school and high school team could be around this and sniff this and sense what it’s like to be a champion.’ ” “The flu-plagued Brett Favre could barely keep down chicken soup this week. He spent last Thursday night in his hotel room shivering under the covers with a 101-degree temperature. ‘I was worried,’ he admitted late Sunday, ‘I’d waited my whole life to play in this game, and now I wasn‘t going to be healthy. But the night before the game, I slept great. I fell asleep at 9:30 with the TV clicker in my hand, and I felt pretty good when I woke up. But I was nervous before kickoff, and I kept dry-heaving all game.’ ” “The Packers victory party was a raucous affair from which Favre sought temporary refuge in a nearby stairwell. There Favre reflected upon his tumultuous off-season, which included treatment for pain-killer addiction and the death of his best friend in a car accident in which his brother, Scott, was driving. ‘Through everything,’ Brett said, ‘I really believed I’d be here today.’ He laughed and continued, ‘Right here in this stairwell, talking about being world champions. My best friend’s gone forever. Trouble never seems to be far away, and the future won’t always be rosy, but they can’t take this away from me. Thirty years from now, the kids will be getting ready for Super Bowl LXI, and NFL Films will drag out Steve Sabol — he’ll be around 102 then — and he’ll talk about how Brett Favre fought through such adversity. But I know this: We etched our place in history today.’ ”And what a great ride it all was. (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)

When you’re a champion, you get special treament. So, when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the Patriots 35-21, they not only got their third cover appearance in a row (see yesterday’s posting), they got a whole “Special Commemorative Edition” devoted solely to them. This special publication was in addition to the weekly Sports Illustrated issue. Among the many special features it has are: an article summarizing the history of the Packers, a Reggie White story, a Brett Favre milk ad (Favre complete with a “milk mustache”), a review of the 1996 season, spotlights on various players, a Keith Jackson article, summaries of both NFC playoff games, a Mike Holmgren feature, a story on Lambeau Field, a summary of Super Bowl XXXI, a Brett Favre story, and several ads promoting Packers’ Super Bowl champion merchandise. A few interestring quotes from the issue: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth and the Green Bay Packers. At least that’s what the true believers think, given their team’s storied past. But the genesis of the franchise that begat Lombardi, Lofton, and the Leap was not quite that divine. Truth is, the Packers — the only pro football team that plays in the same city it did 75 years ago, the team that has sent 20 players to the Hall of Fame and won more championships (12) than any other — came into being because a guy named Curly had an awful case of tonsillitis.” (Lambeau was home on Christmas break from Notre Dame, got sick, and decided to stay rather than go back to school. He then, with others, founded the Packers the next year in 1919). “Before Super Bowl XXXI, Brett Favre remarked, ‘I’ve always said that until we win a Super Bowl we’ll hear [about the Lombardi years], although I think we’ve done a lot in the last couple of years to offset the old talk. I don‘t think we’ll have to live in that shadow very much anymore.’ ” “Less than two months after arriving in Green Bay, (Ron) Wolf tabbed San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren as his coach. No one took much notice of the first trade pulled off by the Packers’ new regime: Green Bay sent a first-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for a strong-armed backup quarterback from Southern Mississippi named Brett Favre, who had been the Falcons’ second-round selection in 1991. Four Pro Bowls, two (later three) league MVP awards, and one Super Bowl title later, the deal is considered the steal of the decade.” “Despite the meat-grinder nature of his position, Reggie White hasn’t missed a non-strike NFL game until last season (with a hamstring injury). Before the Packers’ 1995 NFC divisional upset of the 49ers, White told his teammates that he would hand out cash bonuses for big plays such as interceptions, fumble recoveries, and bone-jarring hits. ‘I wound up paying out almost $9,000,’ White says with a comical grin. ‘You’d be amazed how guys who are making hundreds of thousands of dollars will get up and go after $100.’ ” “Brett Favre’s party of 14 — extended family, mostly — dined at the Oneida Country Club two nights before the NFC Championship Game. They left in two vehicles for the 15-minute drive to the quarterback’s west Green Bay home, a long Favre aerial from the Vincent T. Lombardi Middle School. Favre crammed eight folks into his Land Cruiser. He gave the keys to the Blazer to a reporter out with the clan. With a 90-second head start, the reporter began racing toward Favre’s house, a good 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, trying to beat Favre home. ‘You’re not much for the speed limit, are you?’ Irvin Favre, the player’s dad, asked the reporter. Nearing Favre’s home, everyone in the Blazer got a good chuckle out of how Brett wouldn’t be happy to finish second, even on a trip home from dinner. The Blazer was now turning into Favre’s new development, and 100 yards ahead, on a looming cross street, the Land Cruiser jetted by. ‘I knew it!’ Irvin Favre said. ‘That boy don’t like finishing second in anything!’ Irvin Favre’s son later admitted he was out for blood. “I wanted to kill you,’ he told the writer. ‘I’m really weird that way. Even in the car ride home, I want to win.’ ” We wouldn‘t want it any other way.  (SOURCE: Packerville, USA)

(SEATTLE) - It was Brett Favre at his MVP best and Rick Mirer at his worst Sunday. Favre threw four touchdown passes, one less than his career high, and Mirer threw a career-worst four interceptions and lost a fumble as the Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-10 Sunday. A pro-Green Bay crowd of 59,973, with hundreds of Packers fans wearing cheeseheads, provided the Kingdome's first sellout of the season and those fans saw what they wanted. The Packers, an NFC favorite, improved to 4-1 after a loss at Minnesota last Sunday. The Seahawks dropped to 1-4, including 0-3 at home. The five takeaways by the NFL's most opportunistic defense gave the Packers 22 for the season. Favre, the league's top-rated quarterback, converted Mirer's mistakes into 24 of Green Bay's points. He had touchdown passes of 13 and 4 yards to Antonio Freeman, 4 yards to Dorsey Levens and 10 yards to Keith Jackson. He was 20-for-34 for 209 yards with no interceptions. Mirer was 10-for-30 for 156 yards with no touchdowns. Chris Warren of the Seahawks had his first 100-yard rushing game and accounted for their only touchdown on a 37-yard run. Warren, who had 129 yards yards in Seattle's first four games, had 103 yards on 18 carries. Favre has 16 touchdown passes and two interceptions for the season.

GREEN BAY - 10  7  7  7 - 31

SEATTLE   -  0  7  3  0 - 10

                       GREEN BAY       SEATTLE

First downs                   23            19

Rush-yards-TDs          35-142-0      26-159-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 20-34-209-4-0 11-34-171-0-4

Sacked-yards                 2-7           1-1

Net pass yards               202           170

Total yards                  344           329

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           1-1

Turnovers                      0             5

Penalties-yards             5-37          6-38

SCORING

1st - GB - Freeman, 13-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 10:24 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Jacke, 36-yard field goal 14:26 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - GB - Levens, 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 11:06 GREEN BAY 17-0

2nd - SEA - Chris Warren, 37-yard run (Todd Peterson kick) 13:04 GREEN BAY 17-7

3rd - GB - Jackson, 10-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 6:36 GREEN BAY 24-7

3rd - SEA - Peterson, 44-yard field goal 9:25 GREEN BAY 24-10

4th - GB - Freeman, 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 5:10 GREEN BAY 31-10

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 22-94, Dorsey Levens 6-28, Brett Favre 5-15, William Henderson 2-5

SEATTLE - Chris Warren 18-103 1 TD, Joey Galloway 2-22, Rick Mirer 2-17, Steve Broussard 1-10, Lamar Smith 2-5, John Friesz 1-2

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 34-20-209 4 TD

SEATTLE - Rick Mirer 30-10-156 4 INT, John Friesz 4-1-15

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 7-108 2 TD, Mark Chmura 3-36, Dorsey Levens 3-18 1 TD, Don Beebe 2-15, Edgar Bennett 2-9, Keith Jackson 1-10 1 TD, William Henderson 1-8, Desmond Howard 1-5

SEATTLE - Chris Warren 3-44, Christian Fauria 3-36, Mike Pritchard 2-54, Brian Blades 2-22, Joey Galloway 1-15

(CHICAGO) - For the first time since 1960-'62, the Packers won five straight against the Bears. The 31-point margin of victory matched Green Bay's largest in Chicago. Brett Favre threw four touchdown passes, while the Packer defense recorded three interceptions and a sack. When Chicago made a small run in the third quarter to draw within 14, Don Beebe ripped off a 90-yard kickoff return to essentially end the game.

GREEN BAY -  0 20 14  3 - 37

CHICAGO   -  0  3  3  0 -  6

                       GREEN BAY       CHICAGO

First downs                   21            15

Rush-yards-TDs          29-100-0       27-53-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 19-28-251-4-1 19-32-195-0-3

Sacked-yards                 2-8           1-5

Net pass yards               243           190

Total yards                  343           243

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           1-0

Turnovers                      1             3

Penalties-yards             4-25          7-68

SCORING

2nd - GB - Brooks, 18-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 5:33 GREEN BAY 7-0

2nd - CHI - Jeff Jaeger, 40-yard field goal 12:48 GREEN BAY 7-3

2nd - GB - Jackson, 2-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:25 GREEN BAY 14-3

2nd - GB - Freeman, 50-yard pass from Favre (PAT failed) 15:00 GREEN BAY 20-3

3rd - CHI - Jeff Jaeger, 41-yard field goal 3:43 GREEN BAY 20-6

3rd - GB - Beebe, 90-yard kickoff return (Jacke kick) 4:00 GREEN BAY 27-6

3rd - GB - Freeman, 35-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 10:53 GREEN BAY 34-6

4th - GB - Jacke, 32-yard field goal 6:28 GREEN BAY 37-6

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 12-32, Travis Jervey 6-25, Dorsey Levens 5-23, Brett Favre 5315, William Henderson 2-4, Robert Brooks 1-1

CHICAGO - Rashaan Salaam 20-43, Michael Hicks 4-7, Dave Krieg 3-3

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 27-18-246 4 TD 1 INT, Jim McMahon 1-1-5

CHICAGO - Dave Krieg 27-15-142 3 INT, Steve Stenstrom 4-3-37, Todd Sauerbrun 1-1-16

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 7-146 2 TD, Robert Brooks 6-68 1 TD, Edgar Bennett 2-15, Keith Jackson 2-11 1 TD, Don Beebe 1-6, Jeff Thomason 1-5

CHICAGO - Curtis Conway 9-101, Michael Timpson 4-54, Tony Carter 3-8, Bobby Engram 2-30, Rashaan Salaam 1-2

(GREEN BAY) - Chris Jacke's lackluster start to his eighth season in Green Bay turned to jubilation when he kicked a 53-yard field goal 3:41 into overtime to give the Packers a gripping victory over the 49ers in a Monday night classic. It was the fifth field goal of the night for Jacke, who had missed three of his first 10 field goals plus an extra point in the first six games. By winning, the Packers improved to 6-1 -- the best record of any team in the National Football League -- and into first place in the Central Division of the National Football Conference. Without Steve Young, their injured quarterback, the 49ers played a resourceful game behind Elvis Grbac and had the lead until the final eight seconds of overtime, when Jacke's 31-yard field goal forced the extra session. Packers quarterback Brett Favre, under intense pressure throughout from the 49ers' superb defense, completed 28 of his club-record 61 passes for 395 yards.

SAN FRANCISCO -  0 17  0  3  0 - 20

GREEN BAY     -  6  0  8  6  3 - 23

                   SAN FRANCISCO     GREEN BAY

First downs                   14            24

Rush-yards-TDs           28-74-0       26-68-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-39-182-2-2 28-61-395-1-2

Sacked-yards                 1-3          2-17

Net pass yards               179           378

Total yards                  253           446

Fumbles-lost                 0-0           1-0

Turnovers                      2             2

Penalties-yards             9-65          2-24

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 30-yard field goal 9:37 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - GB - Jacke, 25-yard field goal 12:02 GREEN BAY 6-0

2nd - SF - Jeff Wilkins, 48-yard field goal 7:45 GREEN BAY 6-3

2nd - SF - Jerry Rice, 7-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (Wilkins kick) 12:40 SAN FRANCISCO 10-6

2nd - SF - Rice, 13-yard pass from Grbac (Wilkins kick) 14:37 SAN FRANCISCO 17-6

3rd - GB - Beebe, 59-yard pass from Favre (Bennett pass from Favre) 7:46 SAN FRANCISCO 17-14

4th - GB - Jacke, 35-yard field goal 11:25 TIED 17-17

4th - SF - Wilkins, 28-yard field goal 13:10 SAN FRANCISCO 20-17

4th - GB - Jacke, 31-yard field goal 14:52 TIED 20-20

OT - GB - Jacke, 53-yard field goal 3:41 GREEN BAY 23-20

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 6-24, Edgar Bennett 7-18, Dorsey Levens 10-16, William Henderson 3-10

SAN FRANCISCO - Tommy Vardell 8-31, Terry Kirby 10-27, Anthony Lynn 3-11, Derek Loville 3-4, Elvis Grbac 4-1

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 61-28-395 1 TD 2 INT

SAN FRANCSICO - Elvis Grbac 39-21-182 2 TD 2 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Don Beebe 11-220 1 TD, Antonio Freeman 6-71, Desmond Howard 4-30, Keith Jackson 2-53, William Henderson 2-12, Derrick Mayes 1-5, Edgar Bennett 1-3, Dorsey Levens 1-1

SAN FRANCISCO - Jerry Rice 7-84 2 TD, Tommy Vardell 6-44, Terry Kirby 4-15, Ted Popson 3-39, Derek Loville 1-0

(GREEN BAY) - The Buccaneer defense held the high-powered Packer attack to just 13 points in Lambeau Field but saw its counterpart hold the Tampa Bay offense to a single score. Trent Dilfer and Brett Favre put up similar numbers, but Edgar Bennett ran for 93 yards as the home team held the rushing advantage 129 yards to 57. Green Bay took a 13-0 lead into the intermission, a margin that could have been wider but for the efforts of John Lynch, who had seven tackles, one interception and two passes defensed in the first two quarters. Though Tampa Bay did not crack the end zone at hostile Lambeau field until midway through the final period on an 11-yard TD catch by TE Dave Moore, the Bucs still held the ball in the final minutes with a chance to pull off a significant upset. but the visitors’ final comeback shot ended when Dilfer was sacked for a nine-yard loss on fourth-and-six. 

TAMPA BAY -  0  0  0  7 -  7

GREEN BAY -  3 10  0  0 - 13

                       TAMPA BAY     GREEN BAY

First downs                   14            24

Rush-yards-TDs           26-57-0      37-129-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 15-29-164-1-2 19-31-178-0-1

Sacked-yards                3-25           2-9

Net pass yards               139           169

Total yards                  196           298

Fumbles-lost                 2-0           4-1

Turnovers                      2             2

Penalties-yards             6-45          4-20

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 40-yard field goal 9:19 GREEN BAY 3-0

2nd - GB - Levens, 1-yard run (Jacke kick) 0:52 GREEN BAY 10-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 48-yard field goal 14:01 GREEN BAY 13-0

4th - TB - Dave Moore, 11-yard pass from Dilfer (Michael Husted kick) 9:32 GREEN BAY 13-7

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 20-93, Dorsey Levens 7-21 1 TD, William Henderson 3-13, Brett Favre 7-2

TAMPA BAY - Errict Rhett 12-29, Reggie Brooks 7-14, Mike Alstott 4-8, Trent Dilfer 2-3, Jerry Ellison 1-3

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 31-19-178 1 INT

TAMPA BAY - Trent Dilfer 29-15-164 1 TD 2 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Desmond Howard 5-30, Mark Chmura 3-59, Don Beebe 3-23, Derrick Mayes 2-20, Dorsey Levens 2-10, Edgar Bennett 2-7, William Henderson 1-16, Keith Jackson 1-13

TAMPA BAY - Mike Alstott 4-34, Karl Williams 3-38, Dave Moore 2-28 1 TD, Robb Thomas 2-28, Courtney Hawkins 2-25, Alvin Harper 1-7, Jerry Ellison 1-4

(GREEN BAY) - Having won for the 23rd time in the last 24 regular-season and playoff games in Green Bay, the Packers matched their best start in any season since 1963. Brett Favre completed 24 of 35 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns as the Packers won for a record 12th consecutive time in the 40-year history of Lambeau Field. Former Packer Don Majkowski started for the Lions and went 15 for 32 and 153 yards.

DETROIT   -  3  7  0  8 - 18

GREEN BAY -  7  7 14  0 - 28

                         DETROIT     GREEN BAY

First downs                   18            23

Rush-yards-TDs          26-166-1      24-101-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 15-32-153-1-0 24-35-281-4-1

Sacked-yards                5-26          4-27

Net pass yards               127           254

Total yards                  293           355

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           0-0

Turnovers                      0             1

Penalties-yards            10-91          8-55

SCORING

1st - DT - Jason Hanson, 48-yard field goal 6:11 DETROIT 3-0

1st - GB - Levens, 1-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 15:00 GREEN BAY 7-3

2nd - DT - Barry Sanders, 18-yard run (Hanson kick) 3:37 DETROIT 10-7

2nd - GB - Mickens, 1-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 7:14 GREEN BAY 14-10

3rd - GB - Mickens, 6-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 10:27 GREEN BAY 21-10

3rd - GB - Beebe, 65-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:52 GREEN BAY 28-10

4th - DT - Brett Perriman, 8-yd pass from Don Majkowski (Herman Moore pass from Majkowski) 10:33 GREEN BAY 28-18

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 17-68, Dorsey Levens 4-25, William Henderson 2-7, Brett Favre 1-1

DETROIT - Barry Sanders 20-152 1 TD, Don Majkowski 5-12, Ron Rivers 1-2

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 35-24-281 4 TD 1 INT

DETROIT - Don Majkowski 32-15-153 1 TD

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Terry Mickens 7-52 2 TD, Don Beebe 4-106 1 TD, Keith Jackson 3-35, Edgar Bennett 3-27, Mark Chmura 2-28, William Henderson 2-13, Dorsey Levens 2-11 1 TD, Desmond Howard 1-9

DETROIT - Brett Perriman 7-87 1 TD, Herman Moore 4-50, Johnnie Morton 3-17, Barry Sanders 1-(-1)

(KANSAS CITY) - For the second consecutive week, the Packers' supposedly impregnable run defense was gouged. Last week, the greatness of Barry Sanders was given as the explanation for why Detroit rushed for 166 yards. This time, the Chiefs gained 182 yards on the ground with a corps of five running backs that doesn't have a standout. Kansas City RB Greg Hill destroyed the Packers with 94 yards in 14 rushes and three touchdowns, including a 34-yard touchdown catch. Brett Favre threw for 310 yards but was sacked four times in the loss.

GREEN BAY   -  3  3  7  7 - 20

KANSAS CITY -  3 17  7  0 - 27

                       GREEN BAY   KANSAS CITY

First downs                   24            19

Rush-yards-TDs           20-75-0      40-182-2

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 27-49-314-2-1  9-22-204-1-0

Sacked-yards                4-25           1-3

Net pass yards               289           201

Total yards                  364           383

Fumbles-lost                 2-1           0-0

Turnovers                      2             0

Penalties-yards             7-82          8-81

SCORING

1st - KC - Pete Stoyanovich, 26-yard field goal 2:01 KANSAS CITY 3-0

1st - GB - Jacke, 24-yard field goal 8:08 TIED 3-3

2nd - KC - Stoyanovich, 22-yard field goal 0:56 KANSAS CITY 6-3

2nd - KC - Greg Hill, 8-yard run (Stoyanovich kick) 4:42 KANSAS CITY 13-3

2nd - KC - Hill, 34-yard pass from Steve Bono (Stoyanovich kick) 7:15 KANSAS CITY 20-3

2nd - GB - Jacke, 49-yard field goal 15:00 KANSAS CITY 20-6

3rd - KC - Hill, 24-yard run (Stoyanovich kick) 0:22 KANSAS CITY 27-6

3rd - GB - Beebe, 25-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 11:10 KANSAS CITY 27-13

4th - GB - Mayes, 6-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 13:58 KANSAS CITY 27-20

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 12-37, Dorsey Levens 5-25, Brett Favre 2-10, William Henderson 1-3

KANSAS CITY - Greg Hill 14-94 2 TD, Marcus Allen 10-49, Donnell Bennett 8-22, Kimble Anders 3-17, Todd McNair 1-3, Steve Bono 4-(-2)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 49-27-314 2 TD 1 INT

KANSAS CITY - Steve Bono 22-9-204 1 TD

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Dorsey Levens 5-83, William Henderson 5-62, Edgar Bennett 4-10, Don Beebe 3-52 1 TD, Terry Mickens 3-35, Keith Jackson 3-33, Derrick Mayes 2-18 1 TD, Mark Chmura 1-11, Desmond Howard 1-10

KANSAS CITY - Sean LaChapelle 2-89, Kimble Anders 2-41, Greg Hill 1-34 1 TD, Joe Horn 1-21, Chris Penn 1-12, Todd McNair 1-5, Reggie Johnson 1-2

(DALLAS) - Brett Favre completed 21 of 37 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown and found the going tough with TE Mark Chmura and WRs Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks out with injuries. Dallas outgained the Packers, 213-61, in the first half. Dallas K Chris Boniol's five first-half field goals tied a NFL record. His seven in the game broke a club record shared by Eddie Murray and Roger Ruzek and tied for most in NFL history with Jim Bakken and Rich Karlis. 

GREEN BAY -  0  0  0  6 -  6

DALLAS    -  6  9  0  6 - 21

                       GREEN BAY        DALLAS

First downs                   15            15

Rush-yards-TDs           21-90-0      28-112-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-37-194-1-0 24-35-206-0-0

Sacked-yards                4-30           1-1

Net pass yards               164           205

Total yards                  254           317

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           2-0

Turnovers                      0             0

Penalties-yards             5-28          4-24

SCORING

1st - DAL - Chris Boniol, 45-yard field goal 3:38 DALLAS 3-0

1st - DAL - Boniol, 37-yard field goal 10:13 DALLAS 6-0

2nd - DAL - Boniol, 42-yard field goal 0:59 DALLAS 9-0

2nd - DAL - Boniol, 45-yard field goal 8:30 DALLAS 12-0

2nd - DAL - Boniol, 35-yard field goal 14:53 DALLAS 15-0

4th - DAL - Boniol, 39-yard field goal 6:24 DALLAS 18-0

4th - GB - Mayes, 3-yard pass from Favre (Conversion failed) 13:07 DALLAS 18-6

4th - DAL - Boniol, 29-yard field goal 14:40 DALLAS 21-6

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 8-48, Dorsey Levens 9-26, Brett Favre 3-14, William Henderson 1-2

DALLAS - Emmitt Smith 20-76, Sherman Williams 4-29, Daryl Johnston 3-9, Troy Aikman 1-(-2)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 37-21-194 1 TD

DALLAS - Troy Aikman 35-24-206

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Keith Jackson 7-98, Terry Mickens 5-38, Dorsey Levens 3-21, Edgar Bennett 2-5, Jeff Thomason 1-16, Don Beebe 1-10, Derrick Mayes 1-3 1 TD, William Henderson 1-3

DALLAS - Emmitt Smith 6-16, Michael Irvin 5-66, Daryl Johnston 4-18, Kevin Williams 3-47, Eric Bjornson 3-40, Deion Sanders 2-14, Kelvin Martin 1-5

(ST. LOUIS) - Green Bay, a 9 1/2-point favorite, found itself trailing, 9-0, late in the first half before the Rams bungled the return of a punt by Craig Hentrich after a safety. Fueled by Mike Prior's recovery, the Packers secured a 37-yard field goal from Chris Jacke as time expired and then scored 21 unanswered points in the second half. Neither team had a great night offensively. Green Bay ran for 65 yards, the Rams 58.

GREEN BAY -  0  3 14  7 - 24

ST. LOUIS -  0  9  0  0 -  9

                       GREEN BAY     ST. LOUIS

First downs                   15            15

Rush-yards-TDs           27-58-0       23-65-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 25-38-192-2-2 17-37-170-1-1

Sacked-yards                 1-7           3-5

Net pass yards               185           165

Total yards                  243           230

Fumbles-lost                 0-0           3-2

Turnovers                      2             3

Penalties-yards             6-47          7-36

SCORING

2nd - STL - Bruce, 6-yard pass from Banks (Chip Lohmiller kick) 12:31 ST. LOUIS 7-0

2nd - STL - Safety, Favre called for intentional grounding in end zone 12:52 ST. LOUIS 9-0

2nd - GB - Jacke, 37-yard field goal 15:00 ST. LOUIS 9-3

3rd - GB - Evans, 32-yard interception return (Jacke kick) :55 GREEN BAY 10-9

3rd - GB - Jackson, 6-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 11:01 GREEN BAY 17-9

4th - GB - Levens, 5-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) :52 GREEN BAY 24-9

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 15-31, Dorsey Levens 4-23, William Henderson 4-4, Brett Favre 4-0

ST. LOUIS - Harold Green 12-43, Lawrence Phillips 9-23, Tony Banks 1-0, J.T. Thomas 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 38-25-192 2 TD 2 INT

ST. LOUIS - Tony Banks 37-17-170 1 TD 1 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Andre Rison 5-44, Don Beebe 4-46, Edgar Bennett 4-28, Dorsey Levens 4-18 1 TD, Terry Mickens 3-36, Keith Jackson 3-17 1 TD, William Henderson 2-3

ST. LOUIS - Isaac Bruce 6-53 1 TD, Ernie Conwell 5-53, Harold Green 3-32, Aaron Laing 2-19, Alexander Wright 1-13

The Sports Illustrated "experts" correctly predicted half of the Super Bowl field in 1996

(GREEN BAY) - WR Antonio Freeman hauled in ten passes for 156 yards, while Desmond Howard returned another punt for a touchdown. The victory was the Packers' sixth in a row over the Bears, the first time that has happened in the ancient rivalry since the Packers won seven straight from 1928-'30. 

CHICAGO   -  0  7  3  7 - 17

GREEN BAY -  0  7  7 14 - 28

                         CHICAGO     GREEN BAY

First downs                   21            20

Rush-yards-TDs           26-88-0      26-126-2

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 28-44-214-2-1 19-27-231-1-0

Sacked-yards                1-10          2-15

Net pass yards               204           216

Total yards                  292           342

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           3-0

Turnovers                      1             0

Penalties-yards             3-30          2-10

SCORING

2nd - CHI - Bobby Engram, 15-yard pass from Krieg (Jeff Jaeger kick) 13:30 CHICAGO 7-0

2nd - GB - Jackson, 19-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:06 TIED 7-7

3rd - GB - Howard, 75-yard punt return (Jacke kick) 9:30 GREEN BAY 14-7

3rd - CHI - Jaeger, 34-yard field goal 12:46 GREEN BAY 14-10

4th - GB - Levens, 10-yard run (Jacke kick) 2:20 GREEN BAY 21-10

4th - GB - Favre, 1-yard run (Jacke kick) 9:21 GREEN BAY 28-10

4th - CHI - Engram, 6-yard pass from Krieg (Jaeger kick) 13:05 GREEN BAY 28-17

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Dorsey Levens 5-69 1 TD, Edgar Bennett 16-51, Brett Favre 4-4 1 TD, William Henderson 1-2

CHICAGO - Raymont Harris 24-79, Curtis Conway 2-9

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 27-19-231 1 TD

CHICAGO - Dave Krieg 44-28-214 2 TD 1 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 10-156, Keith Jackson 3-34 1 TD, Don Beebe 2-18, Andre Rison 2-14, Dorsey Levens 1-8, William Henderson 1-1

CHICAGO - Curtis Conway 6-61, Raymont Harris 5-28, Bobby Engram 4-46 2 TD, Michael Timpson 4-38, Tony Carter 4-21, Robert Green 3-8, Bobby Neely 2-12

(GREEN BAY) - The Broncos, who were without John Elway, their best offensive lineman, LT Gary Zimmerman, and any incentive because they already had wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, suffered their worst loss since November 1988. With QB Bill Musgrave making his first NFL start, the Broncos had no hope to throw downfield and no chance to win unless their defense could hold the Packers to 14 points or fewer. The Broncos finished with just 83 yards net passing, the lowest total against Green Bay since Detroit mustered 54 in Week 10 of 1989. The victory, the Packers' 25th in 26 regular-season and playoff appearances at Lambeau since September 1993, made them the first team since the Chicago Bears of 1984-'88 to win consecutive championships in the NFC Central.

DENVER    -  3  0  3  0 -  6

GREEN BAY -  3 10  7 21 - 41

                          DENVER     GREEN BAY

First downs                    9            22

Rush-yards-TDs           24-93-0      29-103-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 13-24-106-0-0 20-38-280-4-2

Sacked-yards                3-23           1-4

Net pass yards                83           276

Total yards                  176           379

Fumbles-lost                 4-3           2-0

Turnovers                      3             2

Penalties-yards            10-65          7-45

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 33-yard field goal 7:03 GREEN BAY 3-0

1st - DEN - Elam, 40-yard field goal 12:11 TIED 3-3

2nd - GB - Jacke, 22-yard field goal 13:06 GREEN BAY 6-3

2nd - GB - Freeman, 14-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:43 GREEN BAY 13-3

3rd - DEN - Elam, 39-yard field goal 3:04 GREEN BAY 13-6

3rd - DEN - Freeman, 51-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 6:12 GREEN BAY 20-6

4th - GB - Jackson, 1-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 0:44 GREEN BAY 27-6

4th - GB - Freeman, 25-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 7:39 GREEN BAY 34-6

4th - GB - Beebe recovered fumble in end zone (Jacke kick) 9:33 GREEN BAY 41-6

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Dorsey Levens 14-86, Travis Jervey 3-7, Edgar Bennett 9-5, William Henderson 1-5, Brett Favre 2-2

DENVER - Terrell Davis 14-54, Vaughn Hebron 7-30, Bill Musgrave 1-6, Jeff Lewis 1-4, Aaron Craver 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 38-20-280 4 TD 2 INT

DENVER - Bill Musgrave 21-12-101, Jeff Lewis 3-1-5

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 9-175 3 TD, Mark Chmura 4-70, Keith Jackson 3-20 1 TD, Dorsey Levens 2-7, Andre Rison 2-7, William Henderson 1-1

DENVER - Shannon Sharpe 4-34, Ed McCaffrey 3-41, Anthony Miller 2-18, Mike Sherrard 1-7, Rod Smith 1-6, Vaughn Hebron 1-5, Aaron Craver 1-(-5)

(DETROIT) - Never before has a Mike Holmgren-coached team in Green Bay been assessed more than the 11 penalties that it was in this game. Nonetheless, Green Bay rolled to an easy win and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. Despite their transgressions and first-half sluggishness on offense, the Packers still led, 10-0, at halftime thanks to another Desmond Howard punt return for a touchdown.

GREEN BAY -  3  7  6 15 - 31

DETROIT   -  0  0  3  0 -  3

                       GREEN BAY       DETROIT

First downs                   20            19

Rush-yards-TDs          26-111-2       23-79-0

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 16-25-240-1-1 23-40-207-0-1

Sacked-yards                3-15          4-21

Net pass yards               225           186

Total yards                  336           265

Fumbles-lost                 1-0           1-0

Turnovers                      1             1

Penalties-yards            11-75          7-60

SCORING

1st - GB - Jacke, 20-yard field goal 14:07 GREEN BAY 3-0

2nd - GB - Howard, 92-yard punt return (Jacke kick) 3:11 GREEN BAY 10-0

3rd - GB - Favre, 1-yard run (Kick failed) 4:42 GREEN BAY 16-0

3rd - DET - Hanson, 39-yard field goal 10:10 GREEN BAY 16-3

4th - GB - Levens, 1-yard run (Bennett pass from Favre) 0:05 GREEN BAY 24-3

4th - GB - Freeman, 27-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 12:28 GREEN BAY 31-3

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 12-60, Dorsey Levens 11-39 1 TD, William Henderson 1-9, Brett Favre 2-3

DETROIT - Barry Sanders 21-78, Scott Mitchell 1-2, Ron Rivers 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 25-16-240 1 TD 1 INT

DETROIT - Scott Mitchell 40-23-207 1 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Don Beebe 4-79, Antonio Freeman 3-60 1 TD, Andre Rison 2-24, Mark Chmura 2-22, Dorsey Levens 2-18, Keith Jackson 1-35, William Henderson 1-1, Edgar Bennett 1-1

DETROIT - Brett Perriman 8-77, Johnnie Morton 6-40, Herman Moore 5-50, Aubrey Matthews 2-33, Ron Rivers 1-9, Barry Sanders 1-(-2)

(GREEN BAY) - Green Bay posted the best record of any team in the NFC Central since the Chicago Bears were 15-1 in 1985 and 14-2 in '86. Green Bay's winning percentage of .813 is the best for the franchise since the '66 team was 12-2 for .857. For just the third time in 64 years, the Packers finished unbeaten at home (8-0). And the Packers became the first team to lead the league in points scored (a club-record 456) and points allowed (210) since the Miami Dolphins of 1972. 

MINNESOTA -  7  3  0  0 - 10

GREEN BAY -  7  3 14 14 - 38

                       MINNESOTA     GREEN BAY

First downs                   12            29

Rush-yards-TDs           17-49-0      41-233-2

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 17-34-211-1-1 16-25-212-3-0

Sacked-yards                 2-8           2-5

Net pass yards               203           207

Total yards                  252           440

Fumbles-lost                 1-1           3-2

Turnovers                      2             2

Penalties-yards             4-25          2-10

SCORING

1st - GB - Bennett, 5-yard run (Jacke kick) 7:10 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - MIN - C. Carter, 43-yard pass from Johnson (Scott Sisson kick) 12:40 TIED 7-7

2nd - GB - Jacke, 45-yard field goal 9:53 GREEN BAY 10-7

2nd - MINN- Sisson, 34-yard field goal 15:00 TIED 10-10

3rd - GB - Levens, 13-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 3:00 GREEN BAY 17-10

3rd - GB - Rison, 22-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 8:55 GREEN BAY 24-10

4th - GB - Jackson, 23-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 0:05 GREEN BAY 31-10

4th - GB - Levens, 11-yard run (Jacke kick) 9:03 GREEN BAY 38-10

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 18-109 1 TD, Dorsey Levens 11-73 1 TD, Travis Jervey 5-35, Brett Favre 2-10, William Henderson 3-5, Jim McMahon 2-1

MINNESOTA - Leory Hoard 13-41, Amp Lee 2-5, Scottie Graham 1-2, Brad Johnson 1-1

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 23-15-202 3 TD, Jim McMahon 2-1-10

MINNESOTA - Brad Johnson 34-17-211 1 TD 1 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Mark Chmura 4-43, Antonio Freeman 3-61, Andre Rison 3-46 1 TD, Keith Jackson 2-33 1 TD, William Henderson 2-21, Dorsey Levens 2-8 1 TD

MINNESOTA - Jake Reed 5-74, Leroy Hoard 4-46, Cris Carter 3-46 1 TD, Charles Evans 2-22, Amp Lee 2-20, David Frisch 1-3

(GREEN BAY) - Triggered by their record-breaking punt returner, Desmond Howard, the Packers charged to an early 14-0 lead in rain-swept, soggy Lambeau Field, then proceeded from there to a three-touchdown victory over the San Francisco 49ers in qualifying for a berth in the NFC Championship Game for the second year in a row. Howard, who shattered the NFL's single-season record for punt return yardage during the regular-season, returned the first punt of the game 71 yards for a touchdown to stun the visiting Prospectors, then returned Tommy Thompson's second punt 46 yards to the San Francisco 7-yard line, setting up a 4-yard, Brett Favre scoring pass to flanker Andre Rison two plays later-in the ninth minute of the first quarter. The Packers expanded that early advantage to 21-0 in the second quarter with the aid of a welcome takeaway-cornerback Craig Newsome's interception of an Elvis Grbac pass. Newsome fumbled when hit after picking up the loose ball but teammate Sean Jones recovered at the 49er 15-yard line. It took Favre only three plays to get the Packers in the end zone a third time. After Dorsey Levens gained 3 yards at right end, Favre hit Edgar Bennett with a 10-yard pass to the 2-yard line and Bennett completed the project on the next play with a burst up the middle. With Chris Jacke's third conversion, the Packers led 21-0 and appeared to have the game well in hand. Two subsequent turnovers, however, made things somewhat tenuous temporarily, leading to a pair of quick touchdowns for the 49ers and reducing Green Bay's lead to 21-14. The first such contretemps occurred when the Packers' Chris Hayes was hit by a San Francisco punt and the 49ers' Curtis Buckley recovered the "muff" at the Green Bay 26-yard line. The 49ers then scored in 6 plays, Grbac hitting running back Terry Kirby from 8 yards out for the touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in the first half. The second costly miscue occurred on the opening kickoff of the second half when the 49ers' Steve Israel recovered the "free ball" and returned it to the Green Bay 4-yard line. Grbac, untouched, scored on first down on a "keeper," wheeling into the left corner of the end zone. Jeff Wilkins second conversion pulled the 49ers within seven points. Responding to these unfriendly developments with renewed resolve, the Packers decided it was time to reassert themselves. Taking the succeeding kickoff,they methodically swept 72 yards in plays to mount a 28-14 lead, a drive completed by wide receiver Antonio Freeman's recovery of an Edgar Bennett fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Unwilling to concede, the 49ers made two other significant bids before calling it a day. The first, midway through the third quarter, saw them go for it on fourth-and-one at the 50, a maneuver which failed when Packers nose tackle Gilbert Brown plugged up the middle and right end Sean Jones and linebacker Wayne Simmons stopped Grbac for no gain on a quarterback sneak. The issue was largely settled when the Packers completed their scoring with only 5:31 remaining. Hayes recovered a Kirby fumble, forced by safety Mike Prior, at the San Francisco 32-yard line. Favre then put together a 6-play drive, climaxed by Bennett's 11-yard sweep of right end for the touchdown. With a driving rain and soggy field conditions on this blustery afternoon, it was not a day conducive to producing impressive statistics. The Packers, who had averaged 345.9 yards per game over the regular-season, settled for a modest 210 net yards - 139 rushing and 71 passing. 

SAN FRANCISCO -  0  7  7  0 - 14

GREEN BAY     - 14  7  7  7 - 35

                   SAN FRANCISCO     GREEN BAY

First downs                   12            15

Rush-yards-TDs           18-68-1      39-139-2

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 21-41-133-1-3  11-15-79-1-0

Sacked-yards                 1-5           1-8

Net pass yards               128            71

Total yards                  196           210

Fumbles-lost                 3-2           5-1

Turnovers                      5             1

Penalties-yards             6-42           1-5

SCORING

1st - GB - Howard, 71-yard punt return (Jacke kick) 2:15 GREEN BAY 7-0

1st - GB - Rison, 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 8:44 GREEN BAY 14-0

2nd - GB - Bennett, 2-yard run (Jacke kick) 11:42 GREEN BAY 21-0

2nd - SF - Terry Kirby, 8-yard pass from Grbac (Jeff Wilkins kick) 14:36 GREEN BAY 21-7

3rd - SF - Grbac, 2-yard run (Wilkins kick) 0:16 GREEN BAY 21-14

3rd - GB - Freeman recovered fumble in end zone (Jacke kick) 8:10 GREEN BAY 28-14

4th - GB - Bennett, 11-yard run (Jacke kick) 9:29 GREEN BAY 35-14

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 17-80 2 TD, Dorsey Levens 15-46, Brett Favre 5-9, William Henderson 2-4

SAN FRANCISCO - Elvis Grbac 4-32 1 TD, Terry Kirby 6-14, William Floyd 5-13, Tommy Vardell 2-6, Steve Young 1-3

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 15-11-79 1 TD

SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Young 5-2-8, Elvis Grbac 36-19-125 1 TD 3 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Antonio Freeman 2-26, Dorsey Levens 2-16, Edgar Bennett 2-14, Andre Rison 2-13 1 TD, Keith Jackson 1-4, William Henderson 1-4, Don Beebe 1-2

SAN FRANCISCO - Terry Kirby 6-35 1 TD, William Floyd 6-30, Jerry Rice 5-36, Brent Jones 4-32

(GREEN BAY) - Brett Favre shrugged off two early turnovers, misadventures which led to 10 of Carolina's 13 points, to direct three scoring drives of 70-plus-yards and ultimately carry the day in the NFC title game with a substantial degree of comfort. Actually, the 27-year-old field general presided over a four scoring marches of that distance, the first having been sandwiched between the two giveaways and climaxed by a 29-yard strike to running back Dorsey Levens in the right corner of the end zone to tie the score at 7-7. After the Panthers had again gone ahead, 10-7, by way of a John Kasay field goal after Carolina's Lamar Lathon had recovered a Favre fumble at the Green Bay 45-yard line, the Packers quarterback responded with an impressive, 15-play, 71-yard drive capped by his 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the left corner of the end zone. A highly opportune interception by rookie cornerback Tyrone Williams at the Green Bay 38-yard line on the first play following the kickoff provided another scoring chance seconds later. Favre's 23 and 25-yard throws to Andre Rison and Freeman, respectively, moved the Packers into field goal position and Jacke connected from 31 yards out, sending them into the intermission with a permanent, 17-10 lead. The Green and Gold scored again on their first possession of the second half, Jacke finishing off an 11-play, 73-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal for a 20-10 advantage. Carolina then made their final response, second-year QB Kerry Collins escorting them 73 yards in 11 plays to set up a 23-yard Kasay field goal, and the Packers margin was reduced to seven points. Favre promptly rectified the situation, putting together an explosive, 3-play, 74-yard scoring drive which included a collaboration with Levens, who was pushed out of bounds at the Carolina 4-yard line on the second play of the march. Edgar Bennett then finished the project, barging over right guard into the end zone on the succeeding play. Jacke's conversion made it 27-13 with less than two minutes remaining in the third period and the Packers were clearly in charge. The fourth quarter, with the only score a 28-yard Jacke field goal, was relatively uneventful. Aside from an early Sam Mills interception and return to the Green Bay 3-yard line, which led to Carolina's only touchdown, Favre forged another vintage performance, completing 19 of 29 passing attempts under far less than optimum conditions (bitter cold and strong winds) for 292 yards and 2 TDs.

CAROLINA  -  7  3  3  0 - 13

GREEN BAY -  0 17 10  3 - 30

                        CAROLINA     GREEN BAY

First downs                   12            22

Rush-yards-TDs           14-45-0      45-201-1

Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 19-37-215-1-2 19-29-292-2-1

Sacked-yards                 2-9          1-14

Net pass yards               206           278

Total yards                  251           479

Fumbles-lost                 2-1           2-1

Turnovers                      3             2

Penalties-yards             4-25          5-45

SCORING

1st - CAR - Howard Griffith, 3-yd pass from Collins (John Kasay kick) 9:50 CAROLINA 7-0

2nd - GB - Levens, 29-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 0:06 TIED 7-7

2nd - CAR - Kasay, 22-yard field goal 6:20 CAROLINA 10-7

2nd - GB - Freeman, 6-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) 14:12 GREEN BAY 14-10

2nd - GB - Jacke, 31-yard field goal 14:50 GREEN BAY 17-10

3rd - GB - Jacke, 32-yard field goal 6:44 GREEN BAY 20-10

3rd - CAR - Kasay, 23-yard field goal 11:37 GREEN BAY 20-13

3rd - GB - Bennett, 4-yard run (Jacke kick) 13:02 GREEN BAY 27-13

4th - GB - Jacke, 28-yard field goal 4:58 GREEN BAY 30-13

​RUSHING

GREEN BAY - Edgar Bennett 25-99 1 TD, Dorsey Levens 10-88, Brett Favre 5-14, Jim McMahon 4-0, William Henderson 1-0

CAROLINA - Anthony Johnson 11-31, Winslow Oliver 2-15, Kerry Collins 1-(-1)

PASSING

GREEN BAY - Brett Favre 29-19-292 2 TD 1 INT

CAROLINA - Kerry Collins 37-19-215 1 TD 2 INT

RECEIVING

GREEN BAY - Dorsey Levens 5-117 1 TD, Antonio Freeman 4-43 1 TD, Andre Rison 3-53, Keith Jackson 3-30, Edgar Bennett 2-5, Don Beebe 1-29, Mark Chmura 1-15

CAROLINA - Willie Green 5-51, Mark Carrier 4-65, Howard Griffith 4-23 1 TD, Wesley Walls 3-33, Rocket Ismail 1-24, Anthony Johnson 1-14, Winslow Oliver 1-5