6. Packers 23, Vikings 16 (2007)

It was a rivalry game and the one and only Brett Favre was just one touchdown pass away from breaking Dan Marino’s all-time record for career passing touchdowns. Green Bay was a surprising 3-0 on the year, defeating eventual playoff teams San Diego and the New York Giants. Minnesota, on the other hand, was 1-2, but both losses had come by three points each. Minnesota had a fantastic rookie by the name of Adrian Peterson and he would have a big day against the Packers. Favre’s moment came with 4:56 left in the first quarter when he hit Greg Jennings on a deep slant over the middle to take the lead 7-0. Green Bay would need a defensive stand to win the game and the Packers got it with an Atari Bigby interception with a minute left in the game.

Each team punted on their first possession. However, Minnesota was driving on its second possession. The Vikings had the ball on the Packers 48 when Kelly Holcomb threw to tight end Jeff Dugan, but he fumbled and Johnny Jolly picked up the loose ball for Green Bay and returned it to the Minnesota 46. That would set the stage for history.

Green Bay would move into the red zone on the first play on a Favre pass to Donald Lee for 27 yards. Two plays later, the Packers were facing a 3rd-and-7 from the Minnesota 16. Favre took the snap and threw a dart to Jennings on the deep slant for the score. That was touchdown No. 421 for his career, which passed Marino for first all-time. His record has since been passed by Peyton Manning. Favre’s record-setting touchdown pass gave the Packers a 7-0 advantage and Green Bay would never give up the lead. It would remain this way until past the midway point of the second quarter.

That was when Peterson got loose. Minnesota started at its own 8, but a Peterson 55-yard run would help set up a field goal by Ryan Longwell of 44 yards to get the Vikings on the board. Longwell would add a 35-yard field goal on his next drive to cut the Minnesota deficit to a single point. The big play on the drive was a 40-yard pass from Holcomb to Bobby Wade to move the ball into the red zone. Green Bay did not want to be left out in the field goal fest in the second quarter, so Mason Crosby would hit one to end the first half and the Packers went into the halftime leading 10-6. That field goal capped off an 11-play drive for Green Bay as it traveled 66 yards to set up the short field goal.

The field goal parade continued in the third quarter, This field goal would come at the end of a 16-play drive that saw the Packers run a fake punt with Jon Ryan, who somehow was able to pick up the first down. On the drive, Green Bay converted two third downs and the fourth down in order to be in position to kick the 44-yard field goal. The drive took nearly nine minutes off the clock in the third and Crosby’s kick made it 13-6 Packers with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter.

But the Vikings were resilient. They came right back down to cut the deficit back down to four. Chester Taylor ran for a 37-yard gain to move the ball down to the 25, but Minnesota was pushed backward to the 30 and Longwell booted through a 48-yard field goal with a little more than three minutes to go in the third quarter and the Vikings trailed 13-9. It would remain that way until the fourth quarter, but the Packers were on the march following a nice punt return from Charles Woodson.

Minnesota had to punt from deep in its own territory late in the third and Woodson returned the punt to the Vikings 35. Green Bay would pick up one first down, but would also have to settle for a field goal. On a 4th-and-1 from the 16, Mike McCarthy decided to get the points to make it a touchdown difference instead of going for it. Crosby’s 33-yard field goal was good and the score was 16-9 with less than 13 minutes left in the game.

Green Bay was able to find some breathing room on its next possession. After a Minnesota punt, the Packers went on an 82-yard drive in 11 plays to give the Green and Gold their biggest lead of the game. Green Bay was able to converted three third downs on the drive, including the touchdown. On a 3rd-and-9 from the Vikings 33, Favre threw a touchdown to James Jones to take a 23-9 lead with less than six minutes to play. With the Vikings offense failing to score a touchdown up to that point, people assumed that was the dagger.

But here came the Vikings. Minnesota received a break when Peterson was tackled well short of the first down, but A.J. Hawk was called for a face mask penalty. The Vikings would be face a 4th-and-7 from the Packers 35. Holcomb would find Troy Williamson for seven yards and a first down. Two plays after that, Holcomb found Sidney Rice in the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown and the Vikings cut it down to 23-16.

The onside kick was recovered by Donald Driver at the Minnesota 43. After a run by Ryan Grant on first down, the second down snap was mishandled by Favre and Minnesota recovered. The Vikings had life, needing 54 yards to tie the game. The drive started out well for the Vikings, as Holcomb found Rice for 15 yards on the first play to move into Packers territory. On a 2nd-and-10 from the 34, Holcomb’s pass over the middle was tipped and intercepted by Bigby at the 23 to seal the game.

With the win, Green Bay went to 4-0 on the season on their way to a 13-3 record. Favre would would lead the Packers to the NFC Championship game. Minnesota would finish 8-8 in 2007, but would go on to win back-to-back NFC North crowns in 2008 and 2009.