1. Packers 31, Steelers 25 (2011)

There was no other choice to be No. 1. After 14 years, the Green Bay Packers were finally back on top of the football world. The Packers were the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs and won three consecutive games away from Lambeau Field, knocking off the top three seeds in the NFC. Pittsburgh was the No. 2 seed in the AFC and benefitted from an upset loss by the top seed New England Patriots to the New York Jets in the divisional round. The Steelers would host the Jets in the AFC Championship game and won 24-19 to meet the Packers in the Super Bowl. The Packers would end the season with 15 players on injured reserve. Despite being the No. 6 seed and making the playoffs on the last week of the regular season, many people picked Green Bay to win in Texas. That feeling was shared by Vegas, as the Packers were favored by three points. The Steelers had won the Super Bowl in both 2006 and 2009 and people wondered if that experience would be a huge factor in the game. It was the opposite throughout most of the first half, as Green Bay had a 21-3 lead late in the first half. Pittsburgh would cut it to 21-17 and were on the move to take the lead or cut it further, but the Green Bay defense held. The Packers defense would hold again on the final drive of the game and the Packers would bring home their fourth Super Bowl championship.

Both teams punted on their first possession of the game, but the Packers took over on their own 20 with just over eight minutes to go in the first half. The first three plays gained a total of 26 yards and Green Bay was already knocking on Pittsburgh’s territorial door. A 14-yard completion to Brandon Jackson moved the Packers inside the Steelers 40. Three plays later, Green Bay scored the first points of the Super Bowl. Facing a 3rd-and-1, Aaron Rodgers would throw a pass into the end zone down the right sideline for Jordy Nelson. The Packers wide receiver caught it against Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay and Green Bay took the lead 7-0 with less than four minutes to play in the first half.

The Packers would not be done in the first quarter. Not by a long shot. It did not take long for the Green and Gold to take the lead by two scores. Pittsburgh returned the kickoff to the 14, but there was a penalty that knocked the Steelers back to their own 7 to start the next drive. Then, on the first play of the drive, Ben Roethlisberger went back to pass and pumped faked. That pump fake by Big Ben allowed Green Bay defensive tackle Howard Green to come in and hit the Steelers quarterback. Roethlisberger wound up to throw deep to speedy wide receiver Mike Wallace down the left sideline. But Green hit Big Ben’s arm as he was throwing and the ball was woefully short of the intended target. That is where Packers safety Nick Collins gave a 14-0 lead. Collins, who was playing center field on the play, had a beat on the Roethlisberger pass and came over and picked off the pass at the 37. He would run down the right sideline to the 20, where he cut it back to elude a Steeler and would would run inside the 5 and leap into the end zone for the score and the Packers took a 14-0 lead with three and a half minutes to play in the first quarter. It would remain 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Pittsburgh was on the move as the game moved to the second.

On the final play of the first quarter, the Steelers faced a huge 3rd-and-9 from midfield. Pittsburgh cold not afford to kick it back to the Packers, already trailing by 14. Roethlisberger went back to pass and stepped up and found all kinds of running room. The big quarterback would run all the way down to the Green Bay 32 for the 18-yard run to move the sticks. Pittsburgh converted a third down and long on a pass to Emmanuel Sanders, but then the Steelers would have to settle for a field goal on the drive and the Packers led 14-3 with less than 12 minutes left in the half.

Pittsburgh was gaining momentum after its defense forced a Green Bay punt on the following possession. On the third down play before the Packers punt, Donald Driver had to sit out the rest of the game with an ankle sprain. Pittsburgh followed that up with gaining a pair of first downs to move into Packers territory. However, on a 2nd-and-11 at the Green Bay 49, Roethlisberger threw it over the middle and it was intercepted by Jarrett Bush and the Packers took over on their own 47. The Green and Gold were tremendous lucky on the play, as Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller was wide open down the left sideline and possibly would have scored. I don’t think Big Ben expected Bush to be there, which is why the ball was thrown.

Green Bay wasted little time taking advantage of the second turnover by the Steelers. The Packers needed just four plays to travel the 53 yards to give the Green and Gold a 21-3 lead. The drive would end on a Rodgers touchdown pass to Greg Jennings from 21 yards out. Rodgers threw a perfect pass to Jennings over the middle and the Packers wide receiver caught it before getting hit hard and the Packers had a 21-3 lead with two and a half minutes left in the first half.

Pittsburgh was able to get a monster score at the end of the half. After the kickoff, Roethlisberger found an open Antwaan Randel El for 37 yards down to the Green Bay 40. On the following play, the Packers lost another leader. On a deep pass down the left sideline, Green Bay’s Charles Woodson dove to break up a pass at the goal line, but he would break his collarbone in the process. Just like during the season, the Packers had key injuries, but would overcome them. Big Ben would convert another third down on a pass to Hines Ward to move Pittsburgh inside the 30. He would also connect with Ward again in the end zone on an 8-yard score in the final minute for a monster touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-10 at halftime.

The Steelers rode the momentum from the first half into the second half, as Pittsburgh forced a three-and-out on Green Bay’s first drive of the third quarter. On the third down play, Rodgers threw a strike to James Jones, but he dropped it. Jones would have been off to the races and it may have been a touchdown. But instead, the Packers had to punt. The punt was returned to the 35 and a face mask on Tom Crabtree put the ball at midfield. Pittsburgh needed just five plays to travel the 50 yards and make it a game. All five plays were runs and former Illinois standout Rashard Mendenhall was the touchdown scorer. He ran in from eight yards and the Steelers had stormed back to cut it to four.

Pittsburgh’s confidence only grew, as the Steelers forced another three-and-out by the Green Bay offense and the Steelers took over at their own 40 after the punt. Pittsburgh would drive inside the Packers 35, but the drive would stall and Shaun Suisham would miss the field goal attempt and the score remained 21-17. The score would remain 21-17 until the fourth quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, the Steelers forced a Packers punt from deep in their own territory. It was a short punt by Tim Masthay and the Steelers started with the ball at the Green Bay 41. On the last play of the quarter, Mendenhall ran for eight down to the 33.

There is always one signature play in a Super Bowl that people can say turned the tide or won the game for a team. It isn’t necessarily always a scoring play, and in this case, it was not. On the second down play on the first play of the fourth quarter, Mendenhall received the handoff. He was met in the backfield by the Packers duo of linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive end Ryan Pickett. The ball would pop out and it would be recovered by Desmond Bishop for the Packers and he would return it to the Green Bay 45.

The Packers would not let this great field position go to waste. The Packers returned to the field with more focused a re-newed swagger. Facing a 3rd-and-10 on the Steelers 40, Rodgers threw a dart over the middle to Jordy Nelson. The receiver ran from right to left on the slant and ran down the left sideline for 38 yards down to the Green Bay 2. Following a sack on first down, Rodgers found a wide open Jennings in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown to give the Packers a 28-17 lead with 12 minutes to go in the Super Bowl.

But back came the Steelers. Pittsburgh drove 66 yards in seven plays to cut the deficit to three. Roethlisberger threw on every single play on the drive and the Packers would not even make the Steelers face a third down until the touchdown play. On a 2nd-and-18, Roethlisberger would hit Ward for 15 to set up a more manageable 3rd-and-3. That would be when Big Ben connected with an open Wallace down the left sideline for the score to cut it to 28-23. The two-point conversion attempt was also successful on a run from Randel El and the Steelers fought back to make it 28-25.

With Green Bay facing a 3rd-and-10 on the following drive, Rodgers needed to make a play. They called the play that had worked so well throughout the game. The Packers quarterback took the snap and threw it over the middle to Jennings for 31 yards to the Steelers 44. The coverage was terrific by Pittsburgh, but there is no defense for a perfect throw. That would set up a field goal by Crosby and the Packers took a 31-25 lead.

Green Bay needed one final stop to win the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh had to travel 87 yards to score the touchdown. It was a similar situation to the one against Arizona in the Super Bowl two years prior. Roethlisberger found Miller open over the middle for 15 yards to move up to the 27. But three plays only got five yards, so the Steelers faced a 4th-and-5 from the 32. Roethlisberger’s pass would be knocked away by Tramon Williams, who had a monster post-season. That gave the Packers the win.

As Wayne Larrivee said, “The title is back in town.” Green Bay finally was able to break through and win the big one. It was a tremendous feeling. The road to Super Bowl LI begins tomorrow at Jacksonville!

2. Packers 21, Bears 14 (2011)

In the storied rivalry between these two great franchises, no meeting had ever meant more than this one. The rivals were meeting in the NFC Championship game and a Super Bowl berth was on the line. The game time of the basketball game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats would be moved up a half an hour so people could watch the championship game following the basketball one. The teams met in the last week of the regular season with Green Bay winning 10-3 to punch its ticket to get into the playoffs. In this matchup, the Packers were able to move out to a two touchdown lead, but they would have to hold on as Chicago’s third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie was trying to lead the Bears to the comeback victory. However, with less than a minute to play in the game, Hanie threw a pick to Sam Shields and Green Bay made the trip South to play in Super Bowl XLV.

The game could not have started much better for the Packers. Green Bay blew down the field on its opening drive, needing just seven plays to go 84 yards. Three of Green Bay’s first five plays went for more than 20 yards, so it looked like the Packers’ offense would dominate the game. The first two plays went for a total of 48 yards to Greg Jennings to move to the Bears 36. Green Bay did not face a third down on the drive and Aaron Rodgers would score on a touchdown run from a yard out to give the Packers the early 7-0 lead. It would stay that way until the second quarter, Chicago only would have one first down in its two first quarter drives.

On the first drive of the second quarter, the Packers started with tremendous field position at the Chicago 44 after the Green Bay defense forced a Bears three-and-out from deep in their own territory. The Packers would travel the 44 yards in five plays. On 2nd-and-13, Rodgers dumped it off to Brandon Jackson for 16 yards to move to the Chicago 31. That would be the first of three consecutive plays that resulted in a first down. The last one was a 15-yard pass to Nelson to move to the Chicago 4. On the very next play, James Starks ran it in from four yards out and the Green and Gold had a 14-0 advantage less than four minutes into the second quarter.

Green Bay dominated the first half and had chances to run away with the game in the second quarter. In all three of the Packers second quarter possessions and five of the six first half drives, Green Bay entered Chicago territory. However, they only scored 14 points in those five drives. The only possession that did not enter Bears territory was a drive that ended at their own 47. The Packers were threatening to take a lead by three scores late in the second quarter, but on a first down pass from the Chicago 41, Rodgers threw a pass low to Donald Driver. The ball went off of Driver’s foot and into the hands of Lance Briggs for the Bears interception.

However, Santa Cutler would give a present right back. After a 17-yard completion from Cutler to Matt Forte, Green Bay would take the ball right back. On the first down play from the Packers 42, the Bears quarterback went for it all. He launched a pass down the left sideline to the goal line intended for Johnny Knox, but it was picked off by Shields and the Packers would take over with a half minute remaining in the first half.The play was reviewed and upheld and Green Bay would take a 14-0 lead into the break.

It was an odd second half, with both teams having plenty of chances to score and the Bears had to go to their backup quarterbacks after Cutler had to leave the game. Still, the Green and Gold had to be disappointed the score was only 14-0 after the Packers basically lived on the Bears side of the field in the first half.

The game was still in doubt early in the second half, but after the first drive of the third quarter, Cutler had to leave the game with a knee injury. The report came in the days following the game that it was a torn MCL. On his last drive, the Bears offense went three-and-out and Green Bay took over at its own 17.

Green Bay then went on a drive that most people thought would seal the game. On a third down from the 19, Rodgers found Nelson for 21 yards up to the 40. That was followed with a pass to Jennings for 20. Three plays later, Chicago was whistled for a pass interference inside the 10 and Green Bay had the ball 1st-and-Goal at the 8. Two plays gained two yards, so the Packers were faced with a third down at the 6. The Packers had a field goal in the bag if they did not turn the ball over, but Rodgers would make his first mistake of the game. Rodgers had solid protection and threw it over the middle to Driver. However, Rodgers did not see Chicago’s star linebacker Brian Urlacher. The Bears star picked off the pass and was running down the field and had a chance to go the distance. It was a footrace between Urlacher and Rodgers, who had an angle on him. At around the Chicago 40, Urlacher tried to cut inside and outrun Rodgers to the end zone. But Rodgers got just enough of Urlacher to trip him up at the 45. That would turn out to be a key play by the Packers quarterback.

With backup quarterback Todd Collins in the game, replacing Cutler, Chicago was in trouble. Collins was in for two drives for the Bears, and he went 0-for-4 passing with a near interception and Chicago drove a total of three yards. He, too, left the game with an injury, as he injured his shoulder. So that left the Bears with just third-stringer Caleb Hanie. In the regular season, Hanie appeared in two games, completing 5-of-7 passes for 55 yards. With the Bears down to their No. 3 quarterback, most people thought that this game was over. Chicago could not score any points with Cutler under center, so it’d be impossible to score any with Hanie, right? Wrong.

Early in the final period Hanie got the Bears on the board. Chicago moved 67 yards in eight plays to score its first points of the day and cut the deficit to 14-7 on a Chester Taylor run from a yard out. The big play of the drive was a 32-yard pass from Hanie to Knox down to the Packers 1 on a 2nd-and-13. That was immediately followed by the Taylor score. Game on in Chicago!

Three straight punts followed and the Bears had the ball, starting at their own 10 with a little more than seven minutes remaining. Two plays gained five yards, so Chicago was faced with a 3rd-and-5 from the 15. That was when the most unlikely player made the biggest play of the game. Second-year defensive lineman B.J. Raji dropped back into coverage on the play and Hanie never saw him. The Chicago quarterback dropped back to pass and threw it over the middle intended for Forte, but the big nose tackle was right in his path. The pass went right to Raji, who ran it back for the 18-yard pick six and the Packers had their two score lead back with 6:04 to play. Following the pick, Raji did a dance and then put on the ‘Rodgers belt.’ Green Bay seemingly had control of the game with a 21-7 lead.

As Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.” Hanie would lead the Bears quickly down the field, driving 60 yards in just four plays to cut the deficit to 21-14 with just under four minutes to play in the game. The touchdown was scored on a 35-yard pass from Hanie to the open Earl Bennett down the left sideline.

After a punt by the Packers, the Bears had one final chance to tie the game up and send it into overtime. Chicago started the drive at its own 29 with less than three minutes to play. The Bears would convert a fourth down to move into Green Bay territory with a minute and a half to play and two timeouts remaining. The Bears would move down inside the 30, but on a 3rd-and-3, Bennett was given the ball on a run and he was stopped for a loss of two. That would set up one final play for the Bears to try to keep the game alive. Hanie dropped back to pass and threw it over the middle and it was picked off by Shields, who would run it up to the Chicago 44 before being brought down to put the final nail in the coffin and send the Packers to Texas for Super Bowl XLV.

After beating your rival in the championship game, there was no way you can lose the Super Bowl, right? Well, Green Bay went to Texas and got it done, bringing back the Lombardi Trophy. When you mention Raji’s name, this is the first play that pops into your head. Even though he retired this offseason, he made a huge impact in helping the Packers bring championship No. 13 back to Titletown.

3. Packers 19, Broncos 13 (OT) (2007)

This may be too high for some people, but this moment is one of the all-time best moments in the career of Brett Favre. Green Bay was 5-1 and coming off a bye week, while Denver was 3-3 and coming off a big home win against Pittsburgh. Green Bay was struggling to run the ball, but would find answers in this game in the form of Ryan Grant. Ted Thompson traded a sixth round pick to the New York Giants for Grant before the season started. Denver did not have a very good run defense, so Grant and the offensive line gained confidence with Grant’s 104-yard effort. From that point forward, Grant would be one of the NFL’s top running backs. However, this game would be remembered for one play. The game went into overtime tied at 13 and Green Bay started the overtime period at its own 18. That was went Favre worked his magic. On the first play of overtime, Favre launched a rainbow down the left sideline to Greg Jennings for the 82-yard touchdown to win the game and give the Packers a 6-1 start.

The first points would wait until late in the first quarter. Denver would travel 60 yards in nine plays, aided by two Green Bay penalties. On a 3rd-and-Goal from the 5, Jay Cutler (he seems to be on this list quite often) was looking for tight end Daniel Graham, but Atari Bigby was called for pass interference in the end zone. Two plays later, Cutler found Tony Scheffler in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown and Denver had a 7-0 lead with four minutes to go in the first quarter.

It did not take long for the Packers to respond. On the opening play, Favre aired it out. Denver had a great cornerback duo of Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. Favre would burn both in this Monday Night Football game. This time, it was Bailey. Favre launched a deep pass down the right sideline to James Jones, who had a step on Bailey. He caught it and would cut to the left and outrace the Broncos defenders into the end zone for the Green Bay 79-yard touchdown. It would tie the game at 7. This would be the last touchdown by either side in regulation.

Denver would drive down on its next possession. The Broncos would travel 72 yards in seven plays, aided once again by penalties. The Broncos would move all the way down to the Green Bay 1, thanks to 42 yards passing by Cutler and 20 penalty yards. However, on the second down play from the 1, Cutler fumbled the snap and the Packers recovered. That kept the game tied.

Green Bay would then embark on the longest non-touchdown drive in team history. Starting at their own 1, the Packers traveled 98 yards in 14 plays, but would have to settle for the field goal. The drive took up more than half the second quarter with Grant doing most of the damage. He had seven carries on the drive for 53 yards, but would only gain three yards on a 3rd-and-Goal at the 4, so the Packers would have to settle for a chip-shot Mason Crosby field goal and Green Bay took a 10-7 lead with a little more than seven minutes to go in the first half.

Grant was back at it on the Packers next possession. He was given the ball the first five times for a total of 23 yards to move the ball into Denver territory. Favre would throw for 29 yards and a 15-yard penalty moved the ball inside the 10, but Crosby would have to kick another field goal and the Packers would take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

The Packers were done scoring for regulation. Denver would score all six points in the second half and the game would go into overtime. After a Packers punt, it was the Broncos turn to go on a lengthy field goal drive. Denver would go on a 53-yard drive that lasted more than half the third quarter that would end with a Jason Elam 45-yard field goal. Cutler would throw for 54 yards on the drive, but two penalties pushed the Broncos back to a 1st-and-25 and Denver would never recover and had to settle for a field goal. It would remain 13-10 until the final seconds of the game.

With two and a half minutes to go in regulation, Denver had the ball down three and started the drive at its own 7. The Broncos got off to a nice start on the possession as Bigby was called for a pass interference, which moved the ball out to the 24. Then, Cutler got hot, completing 4-of-7 for 63 yards on the game-tying drive. Marshall would have 48 yards of the 63. From the 4 with a half minute to go, Cutler could not get the Broncos into the end zone and they had to settle for a field goal and a tie game at the end of regulation.

The Packers won the coin toss and would receive. Shaun Bodiford brought the opening kickoff back to the 18. Denver would have a pretty short field if they stop them for a three-and-out. But Favre had other ideas. The crowd was deafening as Favre took the snap and dropped back to pass. He looked and launched a deep ball for Jennings, the second-year wide receiver from Western Michigan. I mentioned both cornerback were burned. This time, it was Bly. Jennings burned him down the sideline and Favre threw a perfect pass and Jennings caught it in stride and glided into the end zone for the score and the win.

It was one of the signature moments in Favre’s career. This was the second win of six consecutive wins for the Packers. Green Bay would end up going 13-3 on the season and this was one of the defining moments of the 2007 season.

4. Packers 33, Bears 28 (2013)

It was the first of three consecutive years that the NFC North was decided on the final week. Green Bay was coming in at 7-7-1 and Chicago was 8-7. The winner was the champion of the division. It was an adventurous season for the Packers, as they started out 5-2 before Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in the first meeting against Chicago. The Packers went on to lose 27-20 to Chicago at Lambeau Field and that would start a string of five consecutive winless weeks for them. The only time the Packers did not lose in those five games was a tie against Minnesota. Green Bay was 5-6-1 before it won two of its next three to stay within striking distance of the division. Chicago had a chance to win the division in week 16 after the Packers and Lions both lost, but the Bears were annihilated 54-11 in Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football.That would set up a showdown at Soldier Field to decide the winner of the division and a home playoff game against San Francisco. It was also the return of Rodgers, who had not played since breaking his collarbone. Rodgers had a solid return, but he saved his best for last. With the Packers facing a fourth down with less than a minute to go, he launched a 48-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Randall Cobb for the game-winning score with 38 seconds remaining.

The opening kickoff turned out well for the Bears, as Devin Hester returned it to the Chicago 43, and Green Bay’s Victor Aiyewa was whistled for an unnecessary roughness, which moved the ball to the Packers 42. But Chicago would do nothing with the terrific field position and the Bears would have to punt.

Then, Rodgers would take the field for the first time since his injury and he would lead his team on a lengthy drive. Green Bay would go on a 14-play drive in an effort to get on the board first. Mike McCarthy did not ease Rodgers back into the game. On this opening drive, Rodgers dropped back to pass nine of the 14 plays. He would go 6-of-8 for 39 yards, and he was sacked once. However, the last pass he threw was an ill-advised pass on 3rd-and-Goal at the 5 and he was picked off in the end zone by Chris Conte to keep the game scoreless.

Starting at the 20, it did not take long for the Bears to blow right down the field for the first score of the day. Jay Cutler used completions of 13 and 37 to Brandon Marshall to move them inside the Packers 10. That is where Cutler found Matt Forte for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-Goal. That was the only third down Chicago faced on the 80-yard drive that went eight plays.

Rodgers was intercepted once again on the Packers next drive and once again it was deep in Bears territory. But Rodgers would lead his team down the field for Green Bay’s first points of the game midway through the second quarter. The Packers started with solid field position at their own 36 and a Rodgers pass to Jordy Nelson for 26 yards and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Chicago’s Shea McClellin moved the ball moved the ball into the red zone. However, the drive would stall and Mason Crosby would nail a 33-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.

It got even better for Green Bay as Chicago had to start deep in its own territory to began its next drive. The Packers defense forced a three-and-out and would receive great starting field position after a short Adam Podlesh punt. The Packers would move into the red zone and had a 1st-and-10 at the 17. That was when Rodgers went back to pass and the ball was knocked out of his hands by Julius Peppers. Everybody on the field assumed it was an incomplete pass, but Jarrett Boykin picked it up for Green Bay. After a few moments of hesitation, he ran into the end zone for the touchdown. The replays showed that it clearly was a fumble and Boykin’s touchdown stood to give the Green and Gold their first lead of the game.

An Alshon Jeffery fumble put an end to the next Chicago possession and gave Green Bay great field position at the Bears 28 with less than two minutes to play in the first half. The Packers would move the ball inside the 10, but the drive would stall and Crosby kicked a short field goal with seconds left in the first half to give the Packers the 13-7 lead at the break.

It was a back-and-forth second half and the Bears would get it started. Hester would return a Tim Masthay punt 49 yards down to the 30. Five Forte runs later, Chicago would re-take the lead. But the Packers would answer right back. Using mostly runs, Green Bay would take the lead right back. In the Packers 80-yard drive, Lacy ran once for 17 and Starks ran four times for 51 yards to move the team down to the 12. Then back-to-back Rodgers passes put the Packers in the end zone. After a completion to James Jones for five yards, Rodgers found Cobb open in the end zone for the score and the Packers had the lead back, 20-14. But that would be far from Cobb’s biggest play of the game.

But back-and-forth the game went and Chicago took back the lead. On a 3rd-and-4 from the 32, Cutler went back to pass and found a wide open Jeffery for 67 yards down to the 1. Forte would punch it in a play later and Chicago had a 21-20 lead with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Green Bay would not answer on the next drive, though. After a pass to Nelson for a first down on the opening play of the drive, Rodgers threw three consecutive incompletions and the Packers had to punt. Chicago then went on a march to give the Bears their biggest lead of the game. Starting at its own 32, Chicago went on a 68-yard drive to give it a 28-20 lead. Forte had 54 combined yards on the drive, but it was Marshall who was on the receiving end of the score. Cutler would throw a pass to the right side for Marshall, and the receiver made a great catch in the end zone and Chicago had the lead by eight one play into the final quarter.

Back came Rodgers, moving Green Bay down the field 77 yards for the score in just six plays. He hit Nelson for 34 yards on the second play of the drive to move into Chicago territory. After a 12-yard completion to Jones, Rodgers threw a great pass to a diving Andrew Quarless for 22 yards down to the 6. Lacy did the work from there and the Packers cut the deficit to 28-27 with 11:38 remaining in the game. It would stay this way until the final minute of action.

Chicago would move into Green Bay territory on its next drive, but would have to punt. Green Bay would start at its own 13 with six and a half minutes left. Green Bay would move slowly up the field. It would face three fourth downs on the drive. The first 14 plays of the drive gained a total of 39 yards. Worried that the offense would not get another crack at the ball if they punted, the Packers went for it on 4th-and-Inches at their own 22. John Kuhn would plow ahead for a yard, moving the chains. Their second fourth down came following the two minute warning. It was a 4th-and-1 from their own 44, Rodgers threw a pass to the left for a lunging Nelson for six yards and a first down. The next three plays gained a total of two yards, so the Packers were forced with a 4th-and-8 from the Bears 48 with 46 seconds to play.

The Bears defenders thought it would be a shorter pass to move the chains. Rodgers took the snap and Chicago brought the blitz. Peppers came free, but Kuhn made a game-saving play, scrambling over to cut Peppers before he could get to the quarterback. That also allowed Rodgers to scramble to his left. He may have been able to run it for the first down if he wanted to, but he found Cobb all alone at the Bears 10. Cobb caught it and ran the final 10 yards for the score and the Packers took the 33-28 lead. The two-point attempt failed and the Packers lead remained at five.

Chicago had one more chance to win the game. The drive started at the 40, so the Bears had to travel 60 yards in a half a minute. Cutler’s first pass went to Martellus Bennett for 15 to move the Bears into Packers territory. However, the next two Cutler passes were incomplete. That would set up a third down with 10 seconds left. The Bears decided to go for it all and launch it into the end zone, but Cutler’s Hail Mary attempt was intercepted by Sam Shields and the Packers came into Chicago and stole the NFC North.

Green Bay would go onto lose in the Wild Card round on a last-second field goal to San Francisco, but nothing could take away from the great moment this was. It was great to not only win the NFC North on the final weekend of the season, but do it on the road against your archrival and break their heart in the process.

5. Packers 27, Lions 23 (2015)

Mention the name Richard Rodgers to any Detroit Lions fan and it might ruin his or her day. Green Bay was on a free-fall, having lost four of five after starting out 6-0. After that start, the Packers were 7-4 and there was thinking that maybe they were not going to make the playoffs. The Packers were on the verge of falling out of the division race as well, as they were a game back of the Vikings and were going nowhere fast. Green Bay was looking for revenge on Detroit as the Packers lost in Wisconsin against the Lions three weeks before for the first time since 1991. It looked like it would not get any better for the Green and Gold, as the Motor City Kitties jumped out to a 20-0 third quarter lead. But the Packers stormed back and scored 27 of the game’s final 30 points and won on the most unlikely of finishes. After a controversial penalty gave Green Bay one final chance, Aaron Rodgers launched it as far as he could and Richard Rodgers caught it in the end zone for the 61-yard Hail Mary touchdown to give the Packers the 27-23 win and breathe new life into the team as they started the final month of the season.

The first quarter was an absolute disaster for the Packers. Each team had possession three full times in the quarter. Green Bay had one punt and a turnover. Detroit, on the other hand, scored on each of its three first quarter drives. The Lions led 17-0 after the first quarter and the game appeared over. However, the Packers defense would hold the Lions to six points in the final three quarters to give Green Bay a chance.

On Detroit’s first possession, the offense drove 35 yards in seven plays and Matt Prater booted through a 51-yard field goal. Following a Packers three-and-out, the Lions traveled 76 yards for the first touchdown of the night. Ameer Adullah had a 36-yard run to move the Lions to the 11. Three plays later, Matthew Stafford found tight end Eric Ebron for a 3-yard touchdown and the Lions opened up a 10-0 lead.

Detroit was not done, though. On Green Bay’s second play following the kickoff, Rodgers tried to hit James Jones down the field, but it was picked off by Glover Quin and it was returned to the Green Bay 17. It did not take long for Detroit to capitalize. The first play following the turnover, Stafford found Calvin Johnson for a 17-yard score and the Lions had a commanding 17-0 lead and it was not even the end of the first quarter yet. With how bad both the Packers offense and defense looked, most people thought the game was over.

In the second quarter, the Packers defense picked it up. Detroit had four possessions in the second quarter and only managed one first down, and that was with a minute and a half left in the quarter. However, the Green Bay offense still could not get much going. On the first drive of the quarter, Crosby missed a 41-yard field goal and in the other three drives, the Packers had two three-and-outs and never reached midfield on any of the final three possessions. The score remained 17-0 at the half.

Detroit received the kickoff to open the second quarter and would proceed to drive 66 yards in 11 plays to kick a field goal to give the Lions a 20-0 with less than nine minutes to go in the third quarter. The Packers gained confidence from keeping Detroit out of the end zone, and it would be a turning point in the game.

The Packers would proceed to score two touchdowns in less than two minutes to get right back in the game. Green Bay would travel 75 yards in seven plays to cut the deficit to 10. Facing another three-and-out, Aaron Rodgers would find Richard Rodgers for 26 yards on a 3rd-and-10 to move into Lions territory. James Starks would also catch a pass for 25 yards down to the 3. That set up the touchdown on the next play. Rodgers handed it off to Starks, who fumbled into the end zone. But Randall Cobb was there to recover the loose ball in the end zone for the Packers touchdown to cut it to 20-7 with less than six minutes to play in the third quarter.

On the first play after the kickoff for Detroit, Julius Peppers wanted in on the comeback fun. Stafford went back to throw and Peppers knocked the ball out of Stafford’s hand and Jake Ryan recovered for the Packers at the 12. Three plays later, the Green and Gold cut into the deficit even further. On a 3rd-and-6 from the 8, Rodgers threw a pass over the middle to Davante Adams for the touchdown and just like that, it went from 20-0 to 20-14. Game on in Detroit!

After a few punts, Detroit had a big drive to give the Lions a lead by two scores. Detroit had a 34-yard drive in 12 plays to give the Lions the 23-14 lead. Detroit converted a third down and a fourth down on the drive. On the fourth down play, Stafford found Golden Tate for four yards and a first down. The drive would stall at the Packers 24 and Prater would nail a 42-yard field goal.

Green Bay would come back down to score a touchdown on its next drive on an 84-yard drive in 11 plays to cut it to 23-21. When faced with a 3rd-and-11 from the 17, Rodgers went back to pass and found a lot of room and ran down the left sideline for the 17-yard touchdown to cut it back down to one score.

The defense was faced with needing to force a three-and-out or risk having virtually no time remaining. After bleeding Green Bay of its remaining two timeouts, Detroit was faced with a 3rd-and-12 at its own 18 with a little less than three minutes to play in the game. Stafford went back to pass and found T.J. Jones for 29 yards to the Detroit 47 for the first down. At this point, most thought the game was over. The Lions ran three times and punted and the Packers would start at their own 21 with less than 30 seconds to play.

Green Bay’s first two passes were incomplete, which set up a third down with six seconds on the clock. On the play, Rodgers found Jones up the seam, who then threw it back to Richard Rodgers, who tossed it back to Aaron Rodgers back inside the 25. Aaron Rodgers was tackled at the 24, but flags were thrown on the tackle. The officials called a controversial facemask penalty on the Lions. The defender’s hand pulled Rodgers’ facemask slightly, but with the hand on the facemask and the helmet pulled to the side, there was no way the refs were not going to call that. So the Packers had one more chance. They had an untimed down to try to pull off a miracle.

On the play, Rodgers was out of the shotgun and had three receivers to the right and two to the left. Despite the fact that the Lions only rushed three, they were able to get some pressure on the quarterback. Rodgers rolled to the right and launched a prayer into the end zone. For some reason, a pair of Lions were hanging around midfield and no Packers receiver was within 40 yards of them. Rodgers heaved it and it was so high that it almost hit the rafters at Ford Field. The ball came down to a crowd of players. Richard Rodgers was boxing out Detroit defenders on the play and he was able to grab the ball when it came down for the miraculous game-winner. Green Bay was left for dead in the first half, but showed fight and were able to have a season-saving moment.

The win jump-started a three-game winning streak that put the Packers at 10-4 going into the final two weeks of the season. The play won ‘Best play’ at the ESPY’s this summer.

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.

7. Packers 30, Lions 20 (2014)

It was a monster game at Lambeau Field. Not only was it for the NFC North championship, but also a first round bye. With a banged up Aaron Rodgers, the Packers desperately needed that extra week to prepare. It also didn’t hurt that a bye week would mean a home game in the divisional round and Green Bay was 7-0 at home going into its week 17 date with the Detroit Lions. In the matchup, the Packers took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. However, Rodgers re-injured his calf on a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb late in the half. With Rodgers out, Detroit tied it up at 14. But back came Rodgers and he led Green Bay to victory, leading the Packers to two touchdowns in 10 minutes. The Green and Gold, leaning on their ailing starting quarterback, would win 30-20 and earn the first round bye. Rodgers would also earn his second MVP following the season.

The Packers had a nice start, forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the game and went on a long drive on their first possession. The first seven plays of the drive were runs and gained a total of 61 yards, with Eddie Lacy gaining 38 on four carries. This was against one of the top run defenses in the league. However, once the Packers moved down to the Detroit 1, the Lions defense formed a brick wall. Green Bay had a 1st-and-Goal from the 1 and the Packers did not gain one yard in four chances and had to turn the ball over on downs. Lacy got the ball on the fourth down play and was stuffed. The only good news is that the Motor City Kitties were pinned down at their own 1 to start the drive.

Detroit was able to move the chains once, but then had to punt from its own 10. With Lions punter Sam Martin standing in his own end zone, he got off a punt to Micah Hyde. The former Hawkeyes standout caught the punt at his own 45 and made one cut and turned up field through a hole. He veered to his left and outraced everyone to the pylon for the touchdown. It gave the Packers a 7-0 lead and gave Green Bay a much-needed fast start.

Green Bay looked at increasing the lead on the following drive, as the Packers were able to move deep into Lions territory. Unfortunately, the Green and Gold were turned away again as Lacy had a nice run on first down to move into the red zone, but would fumble and the Lions recovered. Green Bay had two trips into the red zone and came away with no points. If the Packers would have lost, people would look at these two possessions as reasons why.

Following the fumble, Detroit made its way into Green Bay territory. However, Stafford threw incomplete on 4th-and-10 at the Packers 31, so the Green and Gold took over on downs. Lacy got the call on the first three plays and gained 18 yards, but it was Rodgers who was the big-time performer on the drive. On a 3rd-and-8, he would gain 13 yards and followed that up with a 34-yard pass to Randall Cobb for a first down at the 9. Following a defensive holding, he would find Cobb again for the touchdown to give the Packers the 14-0 lead. On the play Rodgers tried to roll out and his calf gave out and threw it just as he would fall to the ground. Rodgers would need help getting off the field and went immediately to the locker room.

Detroit would score just before halftime when Stafford hooked up with Packers killer Calvin Johnson for a 20-yard touchdown. That cut it to 14-7 and gave the Lions with much-needed confidence going into the half. With Rodgers out, Detroit had new life and played like it. The biggest play of the drive outside of the touchdown was the snap immediately preceeding the score. On a 3rd-and-13, Stafford through an incompletion, but Packers linebacker Brad Jones was whistled for roughing the passer. That gave the Lions a first down and a fresh set of downs, which set up the touchdown by Megatron.

Detroit could not have scripted a better start to the second half. Without Rodgers, Detroit forced the Packers offense into a three-and-out and the Lions would then proceed to drive 51 yards to tie the game up. Johnson was the touchdown recipient once again and the score was even. At this point, people thought the game was over if Rodgers could not come back in and play the remainder of the game.

Of course then Rodgers comes strolling out of the locker room and to the sideline. He returned just in time for the Packers. After three runs picked up a first down, Mike McCarthy decided to put the ball in the air. Rodgers threw a short pass to Cobb and he ran for 29 yards down to the Lions 19. Three plays later Rodgers passed to an open Cobb once again over the middle and the former Kentucky star went into the end zone from 13 yards to put the Packers in front 21-14. It would be that way into the fourth quarter.

The Packers had a chance to go up by two scores early in the fourth quarter, but Mason Crosby’s field goal attempt was blocked. But on the first play after the blocked field goal, Stafford fumbled and Green Bay recovered. That would lead to the Packers putting the clinching points on the board. The Green and Gold drove 42 yards in nine plays to give the Packers a 28-14 lead. The touchdown was scored by Rodgers on a quarterback sneak on a 2nd-and-Goal.

Green Bay would tack on a safety to make it 30-14, but on the free kick, Cobb muffed it and Detroit recovered with two and a half minutes remaining. The Motor City Kitties would travel 44 yards in six plays to cut it to 30-20. All three pass completions for Stafford on the drive went to Theo Riddick, including the touchdown. The three passes to Riddick went for a total of 34 yards and the touchdown was from six yards out. The two-point attempt was successful on a run by Joique Bell, but it was reviewed and overturned after the replay showed he was down before the ball crossed the goal line.

The Packers were able to basically run out the clock and Green Bay secured a much-needed first round bye. Due to his great play in 2015 and his Curt Schilling-esque performance, Rodgers wrapped up the NFL Most Valuable Player award. The Packers would use that bye well, as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys (who were 8-0 on the road in 2015) in the divisional round before falling in Seattle the following week.

8. Packers 37, Cowboys 36 (2013)

Somehow, even at 6-6-1, the Green Bay Packers were in contention for an NFC North championship. Green Bay started out 1-2, but won four in a row to improve to 5-2 heading into a Monday night showdown against Chicago. On the first drive, the Packers were moving down the field, but Aaron Rodgers was sacked and broke his collarbone. The whole season would change for the team, especially since the Packers were on the verge of running away with the division. Green Bay would go onto lose against the Bears to start a five game winless streak. The only non-loss was a tie against Minnesota in week 12. After a 40-10 blowout loss to Detroit, Green Bay found itself at 5-6-1 with four games remaining. After a comeback win against Atlanta, the Packers traveled to AT&T Stadium in need of a win to stay in the hunt for the division title. The first half in Dallas saw the Packers trail 26-3, and it looked like the season was over for Green Bay. The Packers then proceeded to have the largest comeback in franchise history. Tony Romo threw two big interceptions late in the game to help the Packers win. Eddie Lacy scored with a minute and a half left to give the Packers their first lead of the game. Tramon Williams picked off Romo on the following possession to wrap up the game.

Both teams started out by kicking a field goal on their first possession. James Jones caught a 39-yard pass to move the ball into Dallas territory to set up the Packers field goal to tie it up. But then the Cowboys dominated the rest of the half. Dallas came down and kicked a field goal to take the lead right back. DeMarco Murray had a 41-yard run and Dez Bryant had a 22-yard catch to give Dallas a 1st-and-Goal. But the Green Bay defense would hold and the Cowboys kicked a field goal to give them a 6-3 lead.

After a three-and-out by the Green Bay offense, Dallas moved right back down the field to score the first touchdown of the game. After a punt, the Cowboys took over on their own 35. Dallas would motor down the field and drive 65 yards in just four plays. The series would end when Romo found Jason Witten down the seam for the 25-yard score to take the 13-3 lead. The score would remain that way at the end of the first quarter.

It would be that score until late in the second quarter. Dallas would get a field goal from Dan Bailey with six minutes left in the half to put the Cowboys in front 16-3. It would be the first of 13 points scored in the final six minutes to put Dallas in command at halftime.

Flynn was intercepted on the following drive by Sterling Moore, so Dallas started its next drive on the Green Bay 20. But the Packers defense held strong and forced Bailey into another long field goal attempt after a sack by Mike Daniels. Bailey’s field goal was good and the Cowboys led 19-3. But when facing a team, having to constantly settle for field goals could get you into trouble. However, the Cowboys were facing a Packers team without their starting quarterback.

Dallas would tack on one more score before the end of the half. After a 6-yard run by Murray, Romo found a wide open Bryant for 37 yards down to the 32. Bryant would also make a 16-yard catch three plays later to move the Cowboys down to the 1. Murray took it in on the following play and Dallas had a 26-3 lead with less than a half minute to play in the half.

With the score 26-3 heading into the second half, nobody thought the Packers stood a chance to come back. Packers fans thought the game and the season was over, but the Packers themselves had other ideas. Lacy got the half started on a good note, rushing down the left sideline for 60 yards to move to the Dallas 20. Three plays later, Flynn threw it to the end zone for Nelson and the big-play wide receiver reached over the defensive back for the 13-yard touchdown to cut it to 26-10.

Bailey would boot another long field goal to give Dallas a 29-10 lead. But back came the Packers. Flynn would go 5-for-8 for 73 yards on the 80-yard drive march. The touchdown would come on a Flynn 3-yard pass to Andrew Quarless over the middle on a slant and the Cowboys lead was down to 29-17. Of Flynn’s five completions, only Jarrett Boykin caught more than one pass on the drive. The score would remain that way at the end of the third quarter.

The Packers forced a three-and-out and Dallas had to punt it back to the suddenly red-hot Green Bay offense from deep in its own territory. The punt would be returned by Micah Hyde 26 yards to the Cowboys 22. Green Bay converted a third down on a pass to Quarless to the 10 for a first down. After a Lacy loss on first down, Flynn dumped it over the middle to James Starks. The running back would catch it and blast his way into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the deficit even further, down to 29-24 with less than 13 minutes to play.

It looked like the Packers would have a chance to either tie or take the lead after Romo had his first pass of the possession intercepted by Tramon Williams. However, the play was reviewed and it was determined that the ball hit the ground and it was changed to an incompletion. Dallas received a break as it looked like Williams may have had control of the ball even though the tip hit the ground. The Cowboys took advantage. After Dallas moved to the 49 of its own, Romo threw a 27-yard pass to Witten to the Packers 24. Dallas would drive inside the 10, but would have a 3rd-and-4 from the 5. Romo would throw it in the back of the end zone to Bryant, who would make an incredible catch in between a pair of defenders and somehow kept both feet in bounds. Bryant’s catch put the Cowboys in front 36-24 with less than eight minutes to go in the game.

But the Packers would come right back. Just when you thought Dallas had withstood the flurry by the Green and Gold and the Cowboys would win the game in the end, Green Bay fought back. Flynn had 55 yards passing on the 80-yard drive, with Boykin having 27 of those yards. He would have 83 yards receiving on the day. On the score, Flynn threw it to the left side at the goal line to Jones for the score. That cut it to 36-31 with 4:17 left in the game and it came down to Romo choke time.

After a gain of four by Murray on first down, Romo went to the air on second down. Murray was gashing the Packers defense, so everybody was thinking why Murray did not get the ball on the second down play. Romo would escape a sack attempt from Clay Matthews and throw a pass over the middle intended for Miles Austin, but he was picked off by Sam Shields and Green Bay took over at midfield. Green Bay would travel 50 yards in seven plays and Lacy would score from a yard out to give the Packers their first lead of the game and coming back from 23 points down in the second half. The two-point conversion was no good and the Packers held the 37-36 lead.

Dallas would have one final chance to win the game, but the chance did not last long. After a 9-yard completion to Cole Beasley on the first play of the drive, Romo wanted to go back to Beasley on second down. His throw was off the mark and Williams made a diving attempt at the interception. It was initially ruled incomplete, but after review, it was clearly an catch by Williams. The play was reversed and the Packers had the ball, and after the three Flynn kneel downs, the win as well.

This win helped them win the NFC North almost as much as winning in Chicago two weeks later. Following a loss to Pittsburgh at Lambeau Field the next week, the Packers would rebound to win in Chicago in week 17 to win the division in the return of Rodgers. The loss for the Cowboys kept Dallas one game back of Philadelphia in the NFC East race.

9. Packers 42, Saints 34 (2011)

Green Bay and New Orleans were playing in the opening NFL Thursday kickoff game after the Packers won the Super Bowl the previous season. The Saints were coming off an 11-5 season where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Wild Card round. New Orleans was led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Drew Brees. He also had a number of weapons, including the best tight end in the league in Jimmy Graham. These were arguably the best two best offenses in the league, but the game would come down to a defensive stand. With the Packers leading 42-34, the Saints had one final play from the Green Bay 1 to try to send it into overtime. Instead of putting the ball in the hands of Brees, New Orleans called a run by rookie Mark Ingram and the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner was stuffed and the Packers walked away with an opening night win.

The game could not have started any better for the Packers. Green Bay had three drives in the first quarter and scored a touchdown on every single one in the first quarter. Green Bay traveled 76 yards in nine plays and would end with a Greg Jennings touchdown to put the first points on the board in 2011. Jordy Nelson had two catches on the drive for 42 yards, including a 36-yard reception down to the New Orleans 13. Three plays later, Rodgers threw it to Jennings for the score. Then, on the following possession, Brees found Marques Colston for a first down on 2nd-and-7, but the Saints wide receiver would fumble and Tramon Williams would recover at the New Orleans 36. Six plays later, the Packers would punch it in again. This time, it would be Nelson with the score. Aaron Rodgers was 5-for-5 on the drive for 31 yards and the touchdown. This was the second straight possession that Green Bay would score on a third down play.

Facing a 3rd-and-6 and trying to avoid a three-and-out, Brees found Darren Sproles over the middle for 36 yards into Packers territory. The third play following the third down conversion, Brees found Robert Meachem on a post pattern for 31 yards to put the Saints on the board. But the Packers would come right back. Rodgers found Jermichael Finley over the middle for an 18-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 down to the 32. On the next play after that, Rodgers found rookie Randall Cobb over the middle at the 25 and he broke free for the 32-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After the Saints answered with a field goal, the New Orleans defense forced a three-and-out by the Packers offense and Green Bay had to kick it to Sproles. The Tim Masthay punt carried Sproles back to the New Orleans 28, and the Saints return man found room up the middle and veered to the left sideline and he outran Masthay to the end zone for the touchdown to cut it to 21-17.

The Packers needed an answer and Green Bay got one, with a long drive right before the half ended. Rodgers would throw for 39 yards of the 80 on the drive, but it would be James Starks who would score. The Green and Gold would convert three third downs on the drive and Starks would blast his way through a hole for the 17-yard score to give the Packers the 28-17 lead and it would stay that way the rest of the half.

New Orleans would pick up a field goal on its first drive of the second half, but the Packers would respond with six. Cobb would have a great debut with the team. On this kickoff, the rookie would take the ball eight yards deep in his own end zone. Cobb would make his way up the field across the 20. He spun off a tackler and maintained his balance and found nothing but green in front of him. He ran down the left sideline for the 108-yard touchdown to give the Packers the 35-20 lead with 8:26 left in the third.

But the Saints would not go away, starting with a 57-yard kickoff return by Sproles to the Packers 46. Three plays later, Brees found an open Devery Henderson down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown. Henderson beat Sam Shields on the play and the Saints cut it to 35-27. New Orleans tried to cut it even further on the next drive following a Packers punt. The punt was returned by Sproles to the Green Bay 49. Four plays later, the Saints were faced with a 4th-and-1 from the Packers 7. Knowing that kicking field goals would not beat Green Bay, the Saints went for it. Brees went back to pass and was under pressure almost immediately. He kept going backward and had to throw a pass significantly short of the first down to Pierre Thomas. The pass was low and was not caught, so the Packers took over at their own 7.

Green Bay would make New Orleans pay for not taking the points, as the Green and Gold would go on a 12-play drive to give the Packers a 42-27 lead. On the 93-yard drive, Rodgers was 6-for-6 on the drive 77 yards, but it would be John Kuhn getting in the end zone on 3rd-and-Goal from the 1. Rodgers would throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns on the night.

With how potent the Packers offense was, I think many people thought the game was over after Brees was sacked on third down to force a three-and-out and a New Orleans punt. When the Saints got the football back, they had to score 15 points in less than six minutes. Brees and the Saints converted three third downs on their way to cutting the deficit to 42-34. Brees accounted for all 76 of the New Orleans yards on the drive. He passed for 73 yards, including the 5-yard touchdown to Graham. He also had a run of three. The score happened with 2:15 to play in the game.

New Orleans tried an onside kick, but the Packers recovered. Three plays and out for the Green and Gold and Green Bay had to kick it to the Saints. The punt almost was downed at the 1, but Jarrett Bush’s foot was in the end zone and New Orleans started at the 20 with 1:08 left and no timeouts. Brees would throw completions on his first five passes of the drive. The five passes were to four different receivers and accounted for 71 yards, and the Saints faced a 3rd-and-1 from the Packers 9 with three seconds left. Brees threw it over the middle to Sproles, but A.J. Hawk came over the top of the speedy running back to knock it away with no time left. However, the officials called Hawk for pass interference. That would mean the Saints would have one untimed down from the 1-yard line, down by eight. But on the biggest play of the game, New Orleans would not put the ball in the hands of their best player. Instead, Brees gave it off to Ingram and he was stuffed by Clay Matthews and the Packers won 42-34.

It was the first of 13 straight wins to start the season for the Packers, but both teams would lose in the Divisional Round. Green Bay would lose to the Giants, while New Orleans would lose a shootout in San Francisco.

1. Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39 (2011)

We are now down to the final game on the countdown, and what better way to end it than flashing back to the inaugural Big Ten Championship game? There were so many storylines to this game. First of all, this was the second meeting of the season, and the first one was fairly memorable. I think we all remember Michigan State’s Keith Nichol catching a Hail Mary to beat Wisconsin earlier in the year. Revenge was on the mind of Wisconsin, and so was the Rose Bowl. If the Badgers were to beat the Spartans, Wisconsin would make its second consecutive appearance in Pasadena. There were a number of similarities between the two games, as well as things I would consider poetic justice. First of all, going into the first meeting, the Spartans were one of the most penalized teams in the country and were called for zero penalties in East Lansing. None. That is nearly impossible to do. In the Big Ten Championship game, Michigan State would lose on a penalty at the end of the game. Secondly, the Badgers lost on a Hail Mary in East Lansing in the first meeting. In this matchup, Wisconsin returned the favor with a Hail Mary of sorts with Jeff Duckworth catching a fourth down pass to help Bucky score the eventual game-winning touchdown. Montee Ball was also trying for the all-time single-season touchdown record. He was five behind Barry Sanders, and would score four in this game to trail Sanders by one heading into the bowl game. This game would end up being one of the most memorable games in Wisconsin history and the Badgers would come out on top to win the inaugural Big Ten Championship game.

I mentioned that there were a number of similarities between the two games. Well, the game started very similar to the matchup in East Lansing. In the first meeting, Wisconsin would score the first 14 points of the game. They scored on the first possession, and recovered a fumble and turned that to six points as well. In this meeting, the Badgers would take a bit longer to open up the two score game. Just like normal, Wisconsin would start out handing the ball off to Ball early and often. The star running back would start by running the ball the first five plays of the game, running for 53 yards. That was followed by Russell Wilson’s first pass of the game, a 22-yard strike to Nick Toon down to the Spartans 6. Three plays later, Wilson would hit Duckworth in the end zone for a 3-yard score and the Badgers took the 7-0 lead.

Michigan State would come right back, though. Nick Hill had a nice punt return up to the Spartans 41, where Sparty would take over. Five of the six plays on the drive were runs. On the first play, Le’Veon Bell rushed for 26 yards to move into Wisconsin territory. A pass to Keshawn Martin moved the ball to the 20 and Michigan State would score on an 8-yard touchdown run from Edwin Baker and the Spartans would tie the game.

Bucky would receive great field position after the kickoff went out-of-bounds. Ball would pick up one first down before having facing a 3rd-and-2 from the Michigan State 41. If you remember earlier in the season in a 59-7 win against Indiana, Ball received a pitch from Wilson and he then threw to the quarterback who ran snuck around the opposite side. Ball threw it to Wilson, who was wide open. Wilson caught the ball and walked in for the score. In this game, the Badgers ran the same play. It was much more impressive against the great defense of Michigan State. On the play, Ball would receive the pitch and throw it back side to Wilson. The Wisconsin quarterback would catch the ball and run down to the 9. Two plays later, Ball would score from six yards out and the Badgers took the lead right back, 14-7.

I told you that the Badgers would take a 14-point lead. It would happen late in the first quarter. After having a great kickoff return on his first attempt, Hill would turn it over on his second attempt. Hill would return it to the 25, but Conor O’Neill forced a fumble on the return and it was recovered by Jacob Pedersen for the Badgers. Two plays later, Ball would crash in from six yards out once again and the Badgers took a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter. That was the good news. The bad news is that these would be the last points of the half for the Badgers.

Much like the last meeting, Michigan State dominated the second quarter. In the game in East Lansing, the Badgers were outscored 23-0 in the second. In this meeting, the Badgers were outscored 22-0. Michigan State was driving as the quarter ended, but on the first play of the second quarter, Sparty was facing a 4th-and-1 from the Wisconsin 30. Kirk Cousins would go back to throw and find B.J. Cunningham wide open and he would run all the way to the end zone for the 30-yard score and the Spartans would cut it to seven.

Michigan State would put the clamps on the Wisconsin defense in the second quarter. The Badgers would have four possessions in the quarter and every single one of them ended in a three-and-out. The Spartans offense, however, would continue to roll. Cousins would pass for 42 yards on this drive, moving Michigan State to the Wisconsin 10. Then, Cousins found Nichol to the 7, but Nichol would pitch it to Cunningham, who ran it the rest of the way for the touchdown. Brad Sonntag ran in on a two-point conversion and the Spartans had the lead for the first time in the game.

KeShawn Martin had a great drive to help put the Spartans ahead by nine to end the half. Martin caught two passes for 41 yards, while also running for eight on the 84-yard drive. Bell would cap off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown. Cousins had 58 yards passing on the drive. After another three-and-out by the suddenly cold Wisconsin offense, Michigan State's Dan Conroy would miss a 51-yard field goal as time expired and the score was 29-21 at the half.

Bret Bielema couldn't have been more excited to see the second quarter end. After being ahead by 14 at the end of the first quarter, Michigan State owned the second once again. Wisconsin's defense had to set the tone early in the second half and did just that. Facing a 3rd-and-1 on the opening drive, Cousins handed it off to Bell and he was stuffed. He tried to find room, but could not find any and would lose seven yards on the play and Michigan State had to punt.

With the defense forcing a big three-and-out on Michigan State's first offensive possession of the third quarter, the Badgers offense finally woke up. After going three-and-out on all four drives in the second quarter, Wisconsin would need a big drive. The Badgers were facing a 3rd-and-3 on their own 45 and on the verge of having a fifth consecutive three-and-out, but Wilson found Toon for six yards to move into Spartans territory. Wisconsin would move to the 35, but would go backward the next few plays. The Badgers would face a 3rd-and-17 on the 42. Many expected the Badgers to play it safe, but Wilson would drop back to pass. Spartans defensive back Johnny Adams came free on a blitz, but would miss and grab Wilson's face mask instead. After Wilson was able to escape Adams, he launched a pass to an open Abbrederis in the end zone for the touchdown. Abbrederis' touchdown cut it to 29-28 and let people know that Bucky's offense was back.

Michigan State received great field position at the Badgers 48 after a punt from Wisconsin deep in its own territory. The first two plays went for a combined nine yards, but a penalty on the Spartans forced a 3rd-and-6. Five more yards was no problem for Sparty. On the third down play, the Badgers brought the blitz, but could not get home and Cousins found a wide open Cunningham running from left to right. He would outrun Wisconsin defenders to the end zone untouched for the 44-yard touchdown. The Badgers would limit the big plays in the second half, but Michigan State would be able to get this one. This gave the Spartans a 36-28 lead with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter.

But the Badgers would not go away, as Abbrederis would return the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to his own 48. Wisconsin would gain one yard in two plays to set up a 3rd-and-9. Wilson threw it to 'ol reliable Duckworth for 14 yards to the Spartans 37 for a first down. That would be the first of three consecutive double-digit yardage completions. Adams was whistled for a pass a pass interference to set the ball at the 2. Ball was tackled for a loss of three on first down, but he would make up for it with a touchdown reception on the next play. On the 2nd-and-Goal from the 5, the Badgers would run a shovel pass. Wilson would take the snap out of the shotgun and pitch a forward pass to Ball, who would run it in for the score. The two-point attempt was no good, so Sparty maintained the 36-34 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin's defense could not afford to give up a touchdown on this Spartans drive. Michigan State would drive down the field after having great starting field position at the Spartans 40. Bell would rush for 13 yards on the 52-yard drive. Cunningham, who continued his great night, also rushed for 24 yards to move Sparty into the red zone. Wisconsin would hold Bell to five yards in two carries to force a 3rd-and-5 at the Wisconsin 8. The Badgers defense needed to hold the Spartans to a field goal. Cousins would throw a pass over the middle to Martin, who was well-covered on the play. Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland would dive and knock the ball away to force the field goal attempt. Conroy kicked a short field goal to give the Spartans a 39-34 lead with eight and a half minutes to go in the game.

Now the fun really began. Wisconsin had the ball with 8:20 to play down five. You got the feeling that the Badgers needed a touchdown on the drive in order to win. Wisconsin would face a huge third down on the Badgers 42. Wilson calmly found a wide open Abbrederis on the left side for 11 yards in Spartans territory. Four plays later, Wisconsin faced a fourth down on the Michigan State 43. If people were to remember one play from the game, it would be this one. If you were to mention the name Jeff Duckworth to any Badgers fan, he/she would smile and this play would immediately come to mind. A Rose Bowl berth was on the line for the Badgers. Wisconsin had a 4th-and-6 with 4:20 to play. The Badgers went for it, fearing that they might not get the ball back if they were to punt. Wilson received the snap and had a little pressure and rolled off to his left. For a second, he thought he maybe could run, but the Spartans linebackers were spying and started to rush him. So Wilson launched it across the field. In the last meeting, it was an unlikely hero in Nichol, who made the game-winning play on a Hail Mary. This time it was Duckworth who caught what was basically a Hail Mary. Wilson launched a pass to Duckworth inside the 10. The Badgers wide receiver went up and grabbed it in between two Spartans defensive backs. Isaiah Lewis misjudged the ball and the other was a bit late in getting over to help out and Wisconsin had the ball at the 7 with four minutes to play. On the very next play, Ball would blast his way in for the score standing and the Badgers had their first lead since very early in the second quarter. Pedersen caught the two-point conversion and Wisconsin had a 42-39 lead with 3:45 left in the game.

Michigan State only needed a field goal to tie the game up and good starting field position near the Spartans 40. The first two plays gained two yards and Michigan State was forced with a 3rd-and-8 from their own 39. Cousins would be flushed to the left and fire a pass to Martin along the sideline. It was a ruled a spectacular grab with Martin getting one foot in. But the play would go to review and it was ruled that it was incomplete, so the Spartans would have to punt and rely on their stingy defense to get their offense the ball back. The punt would be caught by Abbrederis at the 19.

The Spartans had two timeouts and they used them after two consecutive runs by Ball, which gained five yards. So the Badgers had a 3rd-and-5. One first down would seal the game. The question would be what the Badgers would do, pass it or run it? It turns out it would be a Ball run for two yards and a 4th-and-3. Those two yards would be critical because Nortman would come onto punt. The Spartans came after the punt and Nortman kicked a line drive that was fielded by Martin at the 33, and the Michigan State returner found daylight along the left sideline untouched until he was pushed out of bounds by Nortman at the Wisconsin 3. But there was a flag. Running into the kicker on Michigan State. First down Wisconsin. Ball game! On the punt, Nortman left his leg up in the air and Lewis for Michigan State hit his plant leg. Lewis did not hit Nortman’s leg very hard, but he fell down and sold the call. With all of the calls that were not called in East Lansing, Sparty deserved this called on them.

Wilson would take a knee three times and the Badgers would make the return trip to Pasadena in in an incredibly entertaining conference championship game. I know Michigan State won on a last minute play against Iowa in last year’s Big Ten Championship game, but this one was a much better game. It just had everything you could ask for in a football game. It was a heavyweight fight that went the distance, but in the end, Wisconsin was the team standing at the end.

I hope you enjoyed my countdown of the memorable games for the Wisconsin Badgers in the last 16 years. I hope I could refresh your memory on some of the Badgers biggest games in the history of Wisconsin football. I know some people may not agree with the order, so if you disagree, feel free to leave a comment. I hope everyone has a great time watching the Wisconsin/LSU game at historic Lambeau Field.

10. Packers 45, Lions 41 (2011)

Green Bay had already clinched the NFC’s top seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a record of 14-1. With everything already clinched, the Packers decided to rest a number of regulars, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Matt Flynn would start his second career game against the Detroit Lions, who would be in the playoffs at the No. 6 seed. Flynn and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford threw for a combined 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns on the day in one of the more entertaining games in recent memory. Flynn threw a Packers-record six of those touchdowns, including one to Jermichael Finley with 1:10 remaining to give the Packers the win and a franchise-best 15-1 regular season.

The Packers would spot the Lions nine points and fall behind 9-0. After one first down on the opening drive, Flynn would be sacked and fumble with Detroit falling on it. Four plays later, the Motor City Kitties would take the lead. On a 2nd-and-Goal from the 8, Stafford threw a touchdown pass to Titus Young to give Detroit a 7-0 lead. Then on the kickoff, the ball would land on the 1 and return man Pat Lee brought the ball into the end zone and took a knee. That would be a safety and Green Bay was down 9-0.

That lead would not last the quarter, though, as the Green and Gold scored the final 10 points of the quarter to take a 10-9 lead at the end of the first. After a Crosby field goal, the Lions moved into Packers territory, but Stafford passed to Kevin Smith and he fumbled. Green Bay would recover and take over at the Detroit 48. Flynn would lead the offense down the field in seven plays and punch it in the end zone. The score would come on a Flynn pass to Jordy Nelson. That was touchdown No. 1 for Flynn.

Calvin Johnson would cap off a 60-yard drive in 10 plays. Stafford would throw for 58 yards on the drive and would end it with a 13-yard pass to Megatron. However, the Packers would answer quickly. On the second play of the drive, Flynn threw a screen to Ryan Grant, who caught it and would use his blocking and go 80 yards for the score to regain the lead, 17-16. That was touchdown No. 2 for Flynn.

The teams would trade turnovers, which left the Lions with the ball at the Packers 38. Stafford would throw a 23-yard pass to Johnson down to the 15, but the drive would stall and Jason Hanson would kick a short field goal to give Detroit the lead back.

However, Green Bay would come right back. Flynn had been learning from the starter on how to take full advantage of the free play. With the Packers at the Detroit 36, Flynn drew Lions defensive tackle Andre Fluellen offsides and Flynn would throw a rainbow into the end zone for Nelson, who somehow came up with the ball for the 36-yard touchdown to give the Packers the lead back at 24-19. The teams traded missed field goals to end the half, so that was the score at halftime.

After throwing an interception on his first drive of the second half, Stafford would give the Lions the lead back on the second drive. After a clipping penalty on first down for the Lions, forcing a 1st-and-25, Stafford threw a pass to Brandon Pettigrew for 26 yards. Stafford would throw for 59 yards on the drive and would end with a 2-yard pass to Young to give the Lions the lead back at 26-24.

But once again, Flynn had an answer. Flynn would throw for 77 yards on the drive that would end with Nelson catching another score. On a first down at the 42, Flynn would launch it to Nelson, who would catch it and score for the 58-yard touchdown and the back-and-forth game was 31-26.

Back and forth we go and the Motor City Kitties would recapture the lead. Stafford would use two passes to Megatron for 68 yards to set up Detroit in the red zone. The drive would end on a Stafford 5-yard pass to Smith. The two-point conversion was also good and the Lions took a 34-31 lead late in the third quarter.

But in the back-and-forth game, if you did not take a punch and deliver one back, you were not going to win. That is just what Green Bay did early in the fourth. On a 3rd-and-8 from the Lions 35, Flynn threw his fifth touchdown of the game. He threw it over the middle to Donald Driver, who would split the defense and go 35 yards for the score to give the Packers the lead right back at 38-34.

Now, it was Detroit’s turn to deliver a punch. After a pair of punts, the Lions would have the ball with five minutes to play starting at its own 7. No problem for the Lions, driving the 93 yards in seven plays. They did benefit from a 36-yard pass interference penalty to move the ball to the Green Bay 28. That was followed by a 26-yard completion to Scheffler. After a penalty pushed them back to the 12, Stafford found Scheffler again for the 12-yard score and the Lions had the 41-38 lead with two and a half minutes remaining.

You had the feeling that whoever had the ball last would win. Green Bay would start its final drive at the 20. After a pass for a first down to James Jones on the first play, Green Bay would benefit from an encroachment on Ndamukong Suh to pick up the next first down. The next third down the Packers would face would be a 3rd-and-4 from the Lions 46. Jones would come up big again, catching a 40-yard pass down to the Lions 6. Two plays later, Flynn threw his sixth and final touchdown of the day. It was a pass to Finley from four yards out and the Packers grabbed the lead right back.

The Motor City Kitties had one more chance and would move inside the Packers 40 with a half minute to play, but Stafford’s pass to the left sideline was intercepted by Sam Shields at the 20 and the Packers came away with the 45-41 win in one of the more entertaining games you will ever see.