Honorable Mention:
Packers beat Brett Favre
for first time (2010)
Aaron Rodgers shines in
dominant Divisional Round win at Atlanta (2011)
Davante Adams catches TD
to win at Dallas (2017)
Aaron Rodgers throws six
TDs at Houston (2012)
Packers defeat Dallas in
Divisional Round (2015)
10. Aaron goes for a
Bear hunt (2014)
Green Bay came off a bye
week after a 5-3 first half. Green Bay started out 1-2 following a loss to
Detroit and Aaron Rodgers famously said “R-E-L-A-X. Green Bay won four straight
and nine of 10 following that comment. After allowing 44 points to the New
Orleans Saints in a loss before the break, the Packers chose to move Clay
Matthews to inside linebacker, and he dominated opposing defenses. First up,
was the Chicago Bears, and the game proved they made good use of the bye week,
as the defense only allowed seven points in a dominating 55-14 win over
Chicago. But this game was not remembered for the defense, even though Casey
Hayward did have a pick six. It was remembered for one Aaron Rodgers. The
Packers star threw an incredible six touchdown passes in an incredible first
half, as they led 42-0 at the half. He threw three touchdowns of more than 50
yards, including two to Jordy Nelson. It was as impressive of a first half as
I’ve ever seen. Everything went right for the Green & Gold.
The game began with the
Bears punting, and the Packers responding by going 71 yards in 12 plays for
touchdown No. 1. Rodgers completed a 3-and-1 pass to Randall Cobb for 21, and
it helped set up the touchdown. On 4th-and-Goal at the Chicago 1, Rodgers did a
play action pass and found Brandon Bostick in the end zone for the score. It
was 7-0. On the second Bears play after the touchdown, Jay Cutler did what Cutler
does, and he threw a pick to the Packers. Micah Hyde came up with this one.
Four plays later, Rodgers ran a bootleg on 3rd-and-1 and found Andrew Quarless
in the end zone for a 4-yard score. There’s touchdown No. 2. It remained 14-0
at the end of the first quarter.
Green Bay could not be
stopped in the second quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, the
Packers turned it into a rout. Chicago had a chance to make its first stop of
the game, but Rodgers had other ideas. With Green Bay facing a 3rd-and-11,
Rodgers found a WIDE open Nelson down the right side. I have no idea how he got
that wide open, but Nelson caught it at the Chicago 40 and made one cut to the
middle, and he went untouched into the end zone for a 21-0 lead one play into
the second. A three-and-out forced by the Packers defense set up touchdown pass
No. 4 by Rodgers. He was flushed out of the pocket to the right and launched a
pass to Nelson, who was open in the end zone. Jordy caught it and got both feet
down for a 40-yard touchdown. Chicago’s best scoring chance was snuffed out, as
it was stopped on 4th-and-Goal. Green Bay started out at its own 5, and
Chicago’s defense showed no resistence once again, as Rodgers threw touchdown
pass No. 5. This one was Eddie Lacy doing most of the work. On 2nd-18 from the
Packers 44, Rodgers went back to pass and dumped it off to Lacy. The big
running back followed his blocking, and then cut from right to left to the
middle of the field and ran untouched for a 56-yard score. It was that kind of day
for the Packers. The score was 35-0 with 4:48 to play in the half.
Rodgers was amazingly
not done. A fumble gave the Packers one more chance for 12 to get his sixth
touchdown pass of the half. On a 3rd-and-10 with 19 seconds left in the first
half, Rodgers lofted the ball to Cobb, who hauled it in with his left hand for
the score! It was the best play of the first half, and Green Bay had a 42-0
halftime lead and 12 had six touchdown passes in the first half. The six tied
Daryle Lamonica for the most touchdown passes ever in one half. The Bears had
no answer. With the score 48-7, Hayward picked off a pass intended for Matt
Forte and returned it 82 yards for the score to pour it on.
After losing 51-23 in
their previous game, the Bears became the first NFL team in more than 90 years
to give up over 50 points in consecutive games. For Green Bay, after trouncing
Philadelphia 53-20 the following week, it was first time ever since the
franchise started playing in the NFL it scored more than 50 points in consecutive
games. It was a good week for the Green & Gold. I was just waiting for
former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema to go for two after the Hayward pick six
because the card told him to.
9. In Like Flynn (2012)
Green Bay had everything
wrapped up. The Packers were 14-1 and were resting many of their starters, One
of those starters was Aaron Rodgers. That meant Matt Flynn was given his first
start since filling in for Rodgers in 2010 at New England. Flynn had a real
nice game against the Patriots, but he was lights out in this one against
Detroit. It earned him a bunch of money. It was epic quarterback dual, in which
Flynn and Matthew Stafford combined to throw for exactly 1,000 yards and 11
touchdowns, but it was Flynn who got the last laugh, as he threw a late
touchdown to Jermichael Finley, which proved to be the game-winner 45-41.
The day did not start
out as planned, as the Packers fumbled on their opening possession, and Detroit
turned that into a touchdown on a Stafford 8-yard pass to Titus Young. That was
followed by Pat Lee trying to kneel the back for a touchback, but he brought
the ball back into the end zone before kneeling for a safety, and the Packers
trailed 9-0.
After the defense forced
a three-and-out, Flynn led his troops down the field for a field goal. Green
Bay took the lead after a Detroit fumble.The Packers traveled 48 yards in seven
plays, ending on a wide receiver screen to Jordy Nelson, who destroyed some
poor Lions defensive back with a brutal stiff arm and ran in from seven yards out.
The extra point made it 10-9. From there on out the rest of the game, it was a
back-and-forth affair.
It was then Stafford’s
turn, and he led a long drive, 68 yards in 10 plays, to give the Motor City
Kitties the lead back. Stafford completed a fourth down on the drive to Nate
Burleson to keep the drive alive, and the drive ended with Stafford finding
Calvin Johnson over the middle for a 13-yard score to make it 16-10. The
shootout ensued when the Lions brought a blitz, and the Packers called the
perfect play call: a screen. Ryan Grant read his blockers and raced down the
field 80 yards for the score and with eight minutes exactly left in the half,
Green Bay re-took the lead 17-16. Detroit took the lead back on a field goal
after the teams traded turnovers.
But with one more lead
change in the first half, Flynn stole a page from Mr. Rodgers. He drew the
Lions offsides, and Scott Wells snapped it. The former LSU quarterback lofted a
deep pass into the end zone for Nelson on a free play, and like 87 always
seemed to, he came down with it. Nelson hauled it in over Lions cornerback
Alphonso Smith, and the Packers re-took the lead. The teams traded missed field
goals to end the half, and it was 24-19 Green Bay at the break.
Deep breaths, everyone,
because the second half was just as exciting as the first. Jarrett Bush
actually picked off Stafford deep in Packers territory on the first drive, but
the Lions would bounce back on the next drive. They traveled 68 yards in seven
plays. The biggest play was a 1st-and-25 completion to tight end Brandon
Pettigrew for 26 yards. Six plays later, Stafford completed another pass for a
touchdown to Young, his second of the day. This one was two yards on a crossing
pattern, beating A.J. Hawk. Buuuut.....the Packers answered right back. After
three plays gained 22 yards, Flynn faked it to Grant and went back to pass, and
then heaved it to Jordy. It was a beautiful pass to Nelson, who caught it at
the 15, broke a tackle and strolled in for the touchdown, and the Packers were
back in front. Fun, ain’t it?
Back and forth we go, as
Stafford found Megatron down the sidelines for 41 yards. He followed that up
with a 27-yard back shoulder grab down to the Green Bay 13. Lost in the great
quarterback battle was the fact that Johnson hauled in 11 passes for a
remarkable 244 yards and a score. Three plays later, Stafford found Kevin Smith
over the middle for the 5-yard score. A two-point conversion from Stafford to
Tony Scheffler put the Lions in front 34-31, their largest lead since it was
16-10. The Lions took that three-point lead to the fourth quarter.
Green Bay punted, but
forced an incompletion on fourth down at the Green Bay 31. Then, Flynn went
back to work. It took them seven plays to travel the distance, and the veteran
receiver Donald Driver did the work to give the Packers the lead back. On
3rd-and-8 at the Lions 35, Detroit brought the blitz. Flynn calmly delivered
the ball over the middle to Driver, who beat a linebacker in coverage, and
split the defensive backs to go the distance. It was now 38-34 Packers. After a
pair of punts, the Lions needed to travel 93 yards in five minutes. No problem.
It only took them seven plays and less than two and a half minutes. Passes of
22 to Pettigrew and 26 to Scheffler, along with a 36-yard pass interference,
and the Lions were in business. Stafford threw it over the middle to Scheffler
in traffic for the 12-yard touchdown, and Detroit was back in front 41-38.
Now, it was Flynn’s
turn. Packers with the ball and 2:39 remaining and one timeout. It was
four-down territory the whole way down the field. The drive began well with a
completion to James Jones for 16. It was an eight play drive and the Packers
faced only one third down. It was 3rd-and-4 at the Detroit 46. Flynn and Mike
McCarthy weren’t going to play it safe, even though he is the backup. Flynn
went back to pass and stepped up and threw a beautiful pass to James Jones for
40 yards down to the 6. Gutsy play call, and the Packers were in business. A
field goal tied it, but the Packers wanted six. Two plays later, that is what
they got. A two-step drop by Flynn and he threw it to Jermichael Finley for the
score, beating Amari Spievey.
But the Packers defense,
which had not done a whole lot all game, was asked to make one more stop. And
they came through! Three plays gained 43 yards for Detroit, down to the Packers
37. But the fourth was a disaster for the Motor City Kitties, as Stafford threw
into traffic, and it appeared to deflect off Bush’s hands and into the arms of
Sam Shields for the game-sealing pick. It was a wild game that gave the Packers
their regular season-record 15th win. Wow!
8. Things are bigger in
Texas, including comebacks (2013)
Green Bay started the
2013 season at 5-2 before Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone on the first
series against Chicago and missed nearly eight full games, and the team went
2-5-1 in those games. The Packers used three different quarterbacks in those
games, Seneca Wallace, former Wisconsin Badger Scott Tolzien and then Matt
Flynn was brought back. Heading into week 15, Green Bay was 6-6-1 and won a
must-have game against Atlanta in comeback fashion the week prior. Now, the
Green & Gold headed to the Lone star State to battle Tony Romo, Demarco
Murray, Dez Bryant and the 7-6 Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay trailed Dallas 26-3 at
halftime, but Flynn led his team back to its biggest comeback in franchise
history, as he rallied his team to a 37-36 win at Dallas to keep the Packers
alive for a division title.
The Cowboys had seven
possessions in the first half, and scored on six of them. The teams traded long
field goals on each opening drive, but Dallas scored 23 unanswered the rest of
the half, and took a 26-3 lead into the locker room. The one good thing for the
Packers was that even though Dallas scored on six possessions, the Cowboys
“only” scored 26, so it could be worse. A Romo 25-yard pass down the seam to
Jason Witten made it 13-3. A Murray 1-yard run pushed the lead to 26-3 with
less than a half minute to play in the first half. It was all but over. The
Green Bay offense showed no signs of life after the opening drive field goal,
as it didn’t make it across midfield until the final play of the half when the
Cowboys were playing prevent defense.
It’s over, right? Matt
Flynn says think again.
The first play of the
second half was a sign of things to come for the Packers, as Eddie Lacy blasted
through a gaping hole and rumbled 60 yards from his own 20 to the Dallas 20.
With Green Bay in dire need of a touchdown, it faced a 3rd-and-3 at the 13. Flynn
went back to throw and stared down Jordy Nelson in the end zone. He threw a
poor pass to a well-covered Nelson, but Jordy reached over cornerback Orlando
Scandrick to haul in the touchdown pass, and it was 26-10. Dallas responded
with a field goal and it was back to a three-score game.
But Flynn and company
went back to work, driving 80 yards in 13 plays, helped by a one-handed catch
by Nelson on a third down and long. Former Virginia Tech standout Jarrett
Boykin made a couple of nice grabs, totaling 27 yards, and moving them down to
the Dallas 3. Two plays later, Flynn threw a slant to Andrew Quarless for the
score. It was 29-17. Then the Packers forced a three-and-out and forced the
Cowboys to punt from their own end zone. The punt was returned by Micah Hyde 26
yards to the Dallas 22, and Uncle Mo was squarely with Green Bay. Five plays
later, the Green & Gold faced a 2nd-and-Goal from the 11, and Dallas
brought a blitz. The Packers called the perfect play. Flynn took a few steps
and dumped it off to James Starks, who rumbled in for the score, and all of a
sudden, it was 29-24.
On the second play of
the Dallas drive, it looked like Tramon Williams picked off Romo, but the
replay booth reversed it to an incomplete pass. Given new life, the Cowboys
stormed down the field and make it a two-score game again. With the Cowboys
facing a 3rd-and-4 at the Packers 5, Dez made an incredible catch in the back
of the end zone to give the Cowboys a 36-24 lead. But Flynn was not done. He
led his troops on another touchdown drive, this one again of 80 yards. Boykin
again made a big catch, as his 27-yard grab moved the Packers down to the
Dallas 7. Two plays later, Flynn found James Jones for the score and it was
36-31.
On Dallas’ next drive,
Romo made a costly mistake. On 2nd-and-6, instead of running the ball with
Murray, who had gained 134 yards on 18 carries, Romo went back to pass. Clay
Matthews came unblocked for an easy sack, but he whiffed. Romo escaped and
tried to throw over the middle to Miles Austin, but Sam Shields picked it off
and the Packers had the ball at midfield with a chance for the win.
An 18-yard completion
from Flynn to Quarless started the drive. Six plays later, Lacy leaped over the
pile and into the end zone for a 1-yard score to put the Green & Gold on
top for the first time in the game. The two-point conversion was no good, so it
remained a one-point game. Dallas had one more chance to avoid the embarrassing
collapse. The first play was a Romo pass to Cole Beasley for 9-yards. He went
back to Beasley again, but threw it too far out in front of Beasley and
Williams dove in an attempt to pick the ball off. It was ruled incomplete. But
Williams was adament that he picked the ball off, and they looked at the
replay. Tramon was right. Packers ball! Flynn took a knee three times and the
Packers tied the record for largest comeback victory in franchise history! That
win helped them finish with an 8-7-1 record and a NFC North championship and a
home playoff game.
7. Rodgers is not human
(2018)
The Packers were opening
their 100th season, and the organization requested a home date with its
longtime rival, the Chicago Bears, to open up the schedule. The teams met at
Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football, as Chicago debuted its prized trade
acquisition of pass rusher Khalil Mack. The Bears jumped out to a fast start,
scoring 10 points on their first two drives to take a 10-0 lead. After leaving
with an injury, Aaron Rodgers proved he is not human once again. Chicago led
20-0 in the second half before No. 12 threw three touchdown passes in the
fourth quarter to lead Green Bay to a 24-23 victory. His final touchdown pass
came with 2:13 remaining, and Rodgers found Randall Cobb over the middle, and
he ran 75 yards for the eventual game-winning score.
Chicago came out on
fire, driving 86 yards in 10 plays, and made it look easy. The Bears only faced
two third downs, and converted both easily. The biggest play came when Mitch
Trubisky found a wide open Taylor Gabriel downfield, and he spun free and took
it down to the Green Bay 25. A third down conversion from Trubisky into a tight
window to Trey Burton moved it to the 2. The next play, Trubisky ran in for a
7-0 Bears lead. After a three-and-out by Green Bay’s offense, Chicago went back
to work on offense. This time, the Bears offense drove 60 yards in nine plays
to widen the lead. Chicago had a first down at the Green Bay 7, but the Packers
defense held the Bears out of the end zone, so it was 10-0.
The key Packers
offensive play of the first half was a 3rd-and-9 approaching the midway point
of the second quarter. Rodgers went back to pass, but was quickly swarmed by
the Chicago defense, with Mack coming from the outside and Roy Robertson-Harris
up the middle. Yes, the Packers lost yards on the play, but the biggest concern
was the health of Rodgers, who was laying on the turf with a knee injury. With
12, Green Bay looked lost. Without 12, the team looked dreadful. DeShone Kizer
came in, and drove the team down, but was sacked by Mack and fumbled. Bears ball.
On Kizer’s next possession, he faced a third down and long. Instead of just
throwing the ball away and punting, he threw it right to Mack, who returned it
27 yards for the touchdown. It was 17-0 and Packers fans were stunned.
The second half began
much like the first, with Chicago driving down the field for points. The Bears
scored on a 33-yard field goal by Cody Parkey, but the Packers were still
within three scores. After missing the final nine minutes of the second
quarter, Rodgers came back onto the playing field, and he started the second
half. No one knew what to expect. He led the Packers to a 42-yard field goal by
Mason Crosby to cut it 20-3. It remained that way until the fourth.
Enter the wild fourth.
Rodgers would not let
the Packers lose. It started with a 3rd-and-14 completion to Geronimo Allison
for 15 yards out to the Packers 30. Five plays later, Rodgers threw a gorgeous
rainbow to Allison for a 39-yard score to cut it to 20-10, and Bears fans got a
bit uneasy. No. 12 was 6-for-6 on the drive for 85 yards, with 65 of the yards
going to Geronimo. The defense gave the Packers life with a three-and-out, and
the Packers started their drive at the 25. It only took the Green & Gold
five plays to travel 75 yards to cut the deficit to just three, and a
collective “uh oh” went throughout Chicago fans’ mind. The big play was a
51-yard completion from Rodgers to Davante Adams. The Bears brought the blitz
and Rodgers lofted a pass to Adams, who beat Prince Amukamara, and broke free
from Prince’s tackle attempt and ran all the way to the Chicago 24. Three plays
later, Rodgers found Adams for the score, as he caught it at the 9 before
juking past Amukamara, and diving to the end zone. Chicago used a 14-play drive
to take a six-point lead. The Bears decided not to go for it on 4th-and-2 at
the Packers 14, and paid dearly.
Green Bay started its
drive on its own 25, but Rodgers threw incompletions on his first two attempts
on the drive. On the first play, Adams collided with Chicago defensive back
Bryce Callahan, and the ball went right to Chicago’s Kyle Fuller, but the ball
was dropped. Two plays later, Rodgers had lots of time to look for a receiver,
especially with Mack dropping into coverage. He threw it in front of Cobb, just
beyond the outstretched arms of a diving Eddie Jackson. From there on, it was a
foot race, as there was nothing but green in front of No. 18. He raced down the
field, picking up a block from Ty Montgomery on Leonard Floyd inside the 20,
before juking future Packer Adrian Amos at the 5 and high stepping into the end
zone for the score. Crosby’s extra point gave Green Bay the lead with 2:13
remaining.
The Packers defense, which had held the Bears to six
points all half, needed to come up with one more stand. On 4th-and-9, the Bears
from their own 19, Trubisky rolled out to the right and launched a pass to
midfield for Gabriel that was broken up by rookie Jaire Alexander. However,
Clay Matthews was called for roughing the passer to keep the Bears hopes alive.
Chicago made its way to its own 46, but the drive stalled. Three incompetions
in a row made it another fourth down. Trubisky dropped back to pass. Green Bay
played coverage and only rushed four, but Nick Perry came free and got to the
Bears quarterback, sacking him and forcing a fumble. Ball game! It was an
incredible comeback by the Packers. In the 100th season of Green Bay Packers
football, this was the largest fourth quarter deficit overcome in the
organization’s history. What an amazing start to the year. Unfortunately, it
only went downhill from there, as they went on to a 6-9-1 season and Chicago
won the division.
6. MVP! MVP! MVP! (2014)
For the second
consecutive year, the Packers were playing an NFC North Championship game
during the final week of the season. After defeating Chicago in 2013, Green Bay
played Detroit for the division in 2014. Not only was it for the division, the
winner earned a first round bye and the No. 2 seed. Aaron Rodgers was dealing
with a calf injury, so Green Bay really needed to defeat Detroit to give its
ailing quarterback an extra week off.
The Packers jumped out
to a 14-0 in the first half, but on the second touchdown, Rodgers injured his
calf again while stepping up in the pocket and delivering a touchdown pass to
Randall Cobb. Most thought he was out the rest of the day. While he was out,
Detroit scored two touchdowns
to even the score.
Rodgers ended up missing
one possession, and the Packers went three-and-out in that drive, looking
terrible doing it. Then, he came back and led his squad to victory and the No.
2 seed in the NFC with a 30-20 victory.
Green Bay started the
game forcing a three-and-out of Detroit, and drove down to the Lions 1, but was
not able to punch it in and missed it on fourth down. The one good thing that
came from that is that the Packers kept them pinned down deep in their own
territory. The Sam Martin punt traveled 45 yards to the Green Bay 45, where
Micah Hyde was waiting for it. The Packers punt returner ran up and found a
hole, and outraced Martin to the left corner of the end zone untouched for the
score. The Packers moved the ball on their next possession, trying to add to
the lead. A nice run by Eddie Lacy moved the Packers inside the red zone, but
he fumbled, and Detroit recovered. So, two possessions inside the Detroit 20
yielded zero points.
Following a stop on
fourth down, the Packers drove deep in Lions territory, and made sure to come
away with six this time. The touchdown was set up by a Rodgers 34-yard pass to
an open Randall Cobb inside the Detroit 10. A penalty moved it to the 4, and
Rodgers was flushed to the right, and his calf gave out just before he threw it
for a touchdown to Cobb. As he threw it, No. 12 immediately fell to the ground.
The Packers were up 14-0, but now fans wanted to know the health of the star
quarterback. Detroit made matters worse for Green Bay when it drove down the
field and Stafford threaded the needle over the middle to Calvin Johnson for a
20-yard touchdown to cut the deficit in half with less than a half minute to go
in the second quarter.
With Matt Flynn starting
the third quarter, the Packers went three-and-out and lost one yard in the
three plays. After a nice return by Jeremy Ross, Detroit traveled 51 yards in
11 plays, and once again, it was Stafford to Johnson for the score. But then
like Willis Reed in the NBA Finals, Rodgers came back onto the field, and went
back in with the score tied at 14. I said at the time, if Green Bay were to
win, Aaron was a lock to win MVP. Well, the Packers did, and Aaron did.
It took the Packers
seven plays to travel 60 yards, nearly half (29) coming on a Rodgers to Cobb
pass to move inside the Lions 20. Three plays later, Rodgers found Cobb on a
slant and he ran 13 yards for the score and the Packers had the lead back. Green
Bay added to the lead after bad exchange between Stafford and Joicque Bell, and
the Packers recovered. Nine plays later, Rodgers, bad calf and all, scored on a
quarterback sneak and it was 28-14. The Packers added to the score when
Stafford was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. Detroit scored a
late touchdown, but missed the two-point conversion and the game was over.
Green Bay secured that No. 2 seed, and Detroit was relegated to the No. 6 seed,
and lost in the Wild Card round. Rodgers won the MVP with his season.
5. Miracle in Motown
(2015)
After starting the
season 6-0, Green Bay hit a road block, losing four of five to fall to 7-4 and
it found itself in a tight race with the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC
North. Also, if the Packers didn’t turn it around, the Packers could have been
looking at an epic collapse, going from 6-0 to missing the playoffs entirely.
It certainly looked like the Packers would fall to 7-5 at Detroit when Green
Bay fell behind 20-0 in the second half. But that set the stage for one of the
craziest comebacks in Packers history, as Green Bay outscored Detroit 27-3 the
rest of the way and Aaron Rodgers began his mastery of Hail Marys. heaving one
nearly 70 yards in the air and it was caught by Richard Rodgers in the end zone
and the Packers had a remarkable victory.
Like I alluded to in the
opening paragraph, it was an ugly first half, or well, an awful first quarter.
The Lions scored points on all their drives, and the Packers didn’t make it
across midfield. It seemed like the game was over when Rodgers was flushed out
to the right, and threw it across the middle of the field and it was picked off
by Glover Quinn. The Lions defensive back returned it inside the Packers 20. At
the time, the score was 10-0 Detroit, but was 17-0 after Matthew Stafford and
company cashed in, as Stafford found Calvin Johnson for the score. Matt lofted
a ball for Megatron in the end zone, and the big wide receiver out-jumped Sam
Shields for the ball, and it was turning into a rout.
Nothing was going right
offensively, and even when the Packers did get a nice drive, Mason Crosby
missed a field goal early in the second. The defense was doing its best to keep
the Green & Gold in the game, as the unit did not allow a first down until less
than two minutes remaining in the quarter, and only allowed one total. But
Detroit had four first downs on the opening drive of the second half, and it
set up a Matt Prater 34-yard field goal, and the Lions led 20-0. However,
knowing it was still a three-score game, the Packers offense woke up.
The Packers first stroke
of good luck happened on a James Starks run when the Packers were going in to
score. It was a 1st-and-Goal, and Starks ran it for a few yards and fumbled,
but Randall Cobb recovered it in the end zone for the touchdown to cut it to
20-7. The lead was even cut further when Stafford was sacked by Julius Peppers
and recovered by Jake Ryan at the Detroit 12. Three plays later, Rodgers found
Davante Adams over the middle for an 8-yard touchdown, and it was all of a
sudden a 20-14 game. A Prater field goal midway through the fourth the Lions
back in front by two scores. Green Bay came back with a 17-yard touchdown run
by Rodgers to cut it to 23-21, and set the stage for the entertaining finish.
Green Bay forced Detroit
into a 3rd-and-12, but Stafford found T.J. Jones for 29 yards over the middle.
It was just Jones’ third catch of the year. The Lions ran the ball once,
letting the clock go down to the two minute warning. With no timeouts, the
Lions ran it twice and the Packers got the ball at their own 21 with 23 seconds
to play. Two plays yielded no yards and with six seconds left, Green Bay needed
a miracle. And that is just what it received.
All the Packers could do
is lateral it, and it did not go well. James Jones caught it across the 40 and
pitched it back to Richard Rodgers, who threw it back to Aaron Rodgers inside
the 25 and there was no chance of him doing anything with it. However, he was
brought down on a controversial facemask penalty against Devin Taylor, and that
gave the Packers one last chance. Rodgers, even with a three-man rush by
Detroit, was under pressure quickly. That actually probably helped Aaron,
though, as he could escape the pocket and launch it as far as he could. He had
a running start and heaved it nearly 70 yards in the air to a crowd of players.
There were four Packers and five Lions down in the end zone. But it was Richard
Rodgers who was boxing out the defensive backs, caught it in the end zone for
the game-winning score. It was one of the most memorable plays for the Packers,
and it was the start of Rodgers’ mastery at Hail Marys. The comeback
jumpstarted a three-game winning streak that clinched them a spot in the
playoffs.
4. Bears Down (2013)
It was not only the last
game of the year, it was for the division. The game featured the 7-7-1 Green
Bay Packers and the 8-7 Chicago Bears. In the previous meeting, Aaron Rodgers’
collarbone was broken on a sack by Shea McClellin. The Packers signal caller
would miss seven consecutive games, and counting the Chicago game in which he
only played a series, Green Bay went 2-5-1 and it dropped its record to 7-7-1.
However, every other team in the division could not capitalize, and the Lions
would be eliminated in week 16 due to an upset home loss to the Giants. Chicago
had a chance to clinch that week, but was annihilated at Philadelphia 54-11.
That set up the Packers and Bears in a fight for the division crown on the
final week of the regular season at Soldier Field.
Green Bay drove down the
field on its first possession, but Rodgers threw a pick in the end zone to
Chris Conte, and the game remained scoreless. The Bears took advantage of that
miscue by the Packers and drove 80 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown
on a Jay Cutler pass to Matt Forte. The score would be 7-3 until late in the
first half when the Packers scored the unlikeliest of touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers
was standing in the pocket and was hit by Julius Peppers and fumbled. The ball
went forward so many players thought it was incomplete. Green Bay wide receiver
Jarrett Boykin picked up the ball and stood there. Rodgers told him to run, so
Boykin did, into the end zone for a touchdown. It was reviewed, but stood, and
Green Bay took the lead. A late Bears turnover was turned into a field goal and
the Packers led 13-7 at halftime.
The teams went
back-and-forth in the third, but at the end the Bears had the advantage. Forte
had two touchdowns rushing in the quarter, which sandwiched a Rodgers touchdown
pass to Randall Cobb, and Chicago took a 21-20 lead into the final quarter, but
the Bears were threatening. And Chicago punched it in on the first play of the
fourth to go up 28-20 on a Brandon Marshall touchdown reception. But the
Packers defense stood tall and kept the Bears off the scoreboard for the
remainder of the game.
The Packers came right
back with a monster touchdown to respond to the Chicago touchdown. Rodgers went
3-for-3 for 68 yards on the drive, and set up Eddie Lacy’s 6-yard score and the
Green & Gold was back in the fight. After a Chicago punt, Green Bay started
with the ball at its own 13. Three plays gained the Packers nine yards. Afraid
of not getting the ball back, Mike McCarthy went for it on 4th-and-1 and John
Kuhn muscled his way for one yard. Six plays later, Green Bay had another
fourth down. This one was another 4th-and-1. A Rodgers completion to Jordy
Nelson moved the sticks. But four plays later, the Packers faced another fourth
down, and it will be remembered for a long time in Packerland.
With 46 seconds left,
Green Bay faced a 4th-and-8 at the Chicago 48. Rodgers took the snap out of the
shotgun, and Peppers looked like he’d have a free shot at Rodgers, but John
Kuhn stepped over and cut Peppers down, and the Packers quarterback rolled a
bit to his left, and heaved a pass downfield. He spotted Cobb WIDE open at the
Chicago 10, and the Green Bay receiver caught it and ran the rest of the way
for the go-ahead touchdown with 38 seconds remaining. The two-point conversion
failed, but Green Bay had a 33-28 lead.
The Bears had one final
chance to win the game, and they reached the Packers 45 after a 15-yard
completion from Cutler to Martellus Bennett. However, they could advance no
further as a pair of incompletions forced a Hail Mary attempt, which was picked
off by Sam Shields, and the Packers won the division. It was just another
memorable Packers win over their longtime rivals. It was the first of four
years that a week 17 game decided the NFC North.
3. Crosby delivers the
dagger right through the heart of Texas (2017)
Green Bay was sitting at
4-6 and didn’t have much hope of winning the division back. That led to the
famous “Run the Table” comment by Aaron Rodgers. Talking heads like Colin
Cowherd gave them no chance of winning the division at that point. The schedule
was pretty difficult remaining, and they had used up all their margin for
error. But just like when Rodgers said “R-e-l-a-x” after the loss to Detroit in
2014, No. 12 stayed true to his word. Not only did Green Bay win its final six
regular season games, including winning at Detroit to win the division, the
Packers would make a surprisingly deep run in the NFC playoffs. Green Bay
trailed late in the first half in the Wild Card against the New York Giants,
but dominated the rest of the game and won it 38-13. Next was a trip to
AT&T Stadium, where the Packers had not lost in their history. Green Bay
was without Jordy Nelson, who broke his ribs against New York. The Packers were
already a long shot to beat Dallas, but now had to do it without their top wide
receiver. The defense was terrible, and had to go with LaDarius Gunter as its
top cornerback. Seriously. Green Bay lost to Dallas during the regular season
30-16 at Lambeau Field. Rodgers needed to win virtually by himself.....and that
is what he did, as he led the Packers to an improbable 34-31 win at AT&T
Stadium.
Most people thought
Green Bay had to score virtually every time it had the ball considering the
woeful defense. On Dallas’ first drive, the MASH unit held the Cowboys to a
field goal and the Cowboys took a 3-0 lead. Incredibly, it was the only lead
for Dallas during the game. That lead did not last long, either, as the Packers
blew down the field on the possession, and it ended on a 34-yard touchdown pass
from Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers and the Packers took the lead. That was
far from the end for the Packers offense in the first half. Dallas punted on
its next drive, and the Green Bay offense went back to work. It dinked and
dunked down the field until it faced a 3rd-and-2 from the Dallas 49. Then
Rodgers lofted a pass down the left side to Davante Adams for a 32-yard gain
down to the 17. Four plays later, Ty Montgomery pushed his way into the end
zone from three yards out and Green Bay took a 14-3 lead.
Incredibly, the banged
up Packers defense forced another punt, and the Packers offense had a chance to
go up 18, and that is just what Green Bay did. It took the Green & Gold
nine plays to go 80 yards to give the Packers that 21-3 lead. On first down at
his own 41, Rodgers rolled around and was flushed to his right and found a wide
open Geronimo Allison for 26 yards down to the Dallas 33. Aaron Ripkowski
rumbled for 20 yards two plays later down to the 11 and two plays after that,
Montgomery leaped in from a yard out, and an upset was brewing at AT&T
Stadium. But Dallas would get a Dak Prescott-to-Dez Bryant touchdown and a
Bailey field goal to cut it to 21-13 at recess.
You remember how Green
Bay started the game? Well, that offense opened up the second half as well. On
the first play, Rodgers was flushed to the right and was drilled as he threw
it, but it was a perfect pass to Randall Cobb along the sideline for 25 yards
to midfield. A Rodgers to Jared Cook pass completion moved the inside the 5,
and then again for the score. The Packers had re-gained the two-score lead at
28-13. Spoiler alert: that won’t be the last time you hear that connection in
this game.
But Dallas was the No. 1
seed. You knew the Cowboys would come back. That is just what they did, as Jason
Witten and Dez Bryant scored two consecutive touchdowns, and Dak ran in the
two-point conversion. All of a sudden, with four minutes remaining in the game,
it was tied at 28. The teams traded 50+-yard field goals, and with 35 seconds
left, it was all even at 31.
Time for one last Aaron
Rodgers miracle. He had completed three Hail Marys against Detroit, Arizona and
the previous week against New York. But could he go about 40 yards in a half
minute? We were about to find out. The Packers were in business after a 17-yard
screen pass to Montgomery got them out to the 42. But then Rodgers was sacked
by Jeff Heath, and somehow hung on to the ball. Two plays later, Green Bay was
at its own 32 with 12 seconds left. Time for someone to step up.
Remember how I said
Rodgers to Cook would come up in the game again? Well, Rodgers called the play
in he huddle, like a sandlot play. Rodgers took the snap, and spun to his left
and waited....and waited. Then, he fired a perfect pass to Cook along the
sideline at the 33 of Dallas. It was a magnificent job by Cook to keep his feet
in bounds. Just an incredible play all around. But the Packers called upon
Mason Crosby to win the game. He had just hit a 56-yard field goal to give his
team a 31-28 lead. Now, he needed to hit a 51-yarder. Twice, apparently, as
Dallas called a timeout before his first attempt, which was drilled through the
uprights.
On Crosby’s second
attempt, it looked left from the kick, but it hooked in! It is good! And the
Packers went in to Dallas for an impossible 34-31 victory. It was the third NFC
Championship appearance for Rodgers, and this just cemented his place in NFL
lore for what he did in the game, going 28-for-43 for 355 yards and two
touchdowns. Green Bay only ran the ball 17 times. It is still one of the more
improbable wins in Packers history.
2. Teach me how to Raji
(2011)
It was only the second
postseason meeting between the NFL’s two oldest rivals, the Packers and Bears.
Green Bay had to defeat Chicago in week 17 just to make it into the playoffs at
the No. 6 seed. The Packers escaped with a win at Philadelphia and clobbered
top-seeded Atlanta to reach the NFC Championship. Chicago, the No. 2 seed, won
against a Seattle team that finished the regular season at 7-9 but upset
defending champion New Orleans in the Wild Card round. The only other meeting
in the postseason was in 1941 when Chicago defeated Green Bay 33-14. But this
one was for a spot in Super Bowl XLV. Aaron Rodgers and that potent Packers
offense going head-to-head against Brian Urlacher and the vaunted Bears
defense. The teams split one-score decisions in the two meetings during the
regular season. Game on!
Rodgers and company
started off well, as he led the Packers on an 84-yard drive in seven plays to
put the Green & Gold on top first. No. 12 went 4-for-4 for 76 yards,
including completing the first two passes of the drive for 46 yards to Greg
Jennings. Rodgers capped off the drive with a touchdown run from a yard out and
it was 7-0. Not a bad way to start!
But after the fast
start, the offenses took a break the rest of the quarter before the Packers
struck again early in the second. After the Packers pinned the Bears deep in
their own territory, they forced a punt and got the ball back after a punt in
Chicago territory. Five plays later, James Starks blasted in from four yards
out and Green Bay took a two-score lead.
Green Bay had a chance
to blow the game open late in the half, with Green Bay having first down in
Chicago territory, but it was intercepted by Lance Briggs. It was the first of
two opportunities to try to break open the game for Green Bay. However, the
Packers got revenge, as Sam Shields intercepted a Jay Cutler pass at the goal
line on a fly route, and the Packers held the 14-0 lead at the break.
Green Bay marched down
the field on its opening possession of the second half, much like the first.
Rodgers found Nelson for 21, and then Jennings for 20 more, and after a pass
interference, the Packers had the ball at the Bears 8, with a chance to bury
them. I mentioned this was the second opportunity to break open the game. Well,
Rodgers did not see Urlacher roaming the middle, and easily picked off a
Rodgers pass and went racing down the right sideline. Rodgers had an angle on
the Chicago linebacker and tripped him up near midfield. Instead of a
three-score game, the defensive is forced to make a play again. The unit did
just that....until the late third and early fourth. Cutler was injured on the
first possession of the second half, so he sat out the rest of the game. First,
it was Todd Collins, and he was terrible, but its third stringer, Caleb Hanie,
gave the Bears some hope.
Chicago blew down the
field at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. Hanie found Knox,
who beat Tramon Williams, and he raced down to the Packers 1. Chester Taylor
scored on the next play, and it all of a sudden, it’s 14-7. The next three
possessions (two by Green Bay, one by Chicago) ended in punts, and Chicago had
the ball with a chance to tie it with less than eight minutes remaining. The
first two plays of the drive picked up five yards, so the Bears were faced with
a 3rd-and-5 at their own 15 with a little more than six minutes to play. Enter
the most unlikely hero in Green Bay history.
B.J. Raji was in his
second year with the Packers after being drafted No. 9 overall. But when you
think of him, his coverage skills weren’t ever mentioned, which makes sense for
a guy his size. But now when you think of him, this is the only play you’ll
think of. On the crucial third down play, Hanie dropped back, and dumped it
over the middle. He, like everyone else, didn’t expect the 340-pound nose
tackle to drop back into coverage. But the big man showed his hands,
intercepting the pass and returning it 18 yards for the touchdown to seemingly
put the game away. Shields came on a blitz, forcing Hanie to throw before he
wanted to, and it was a good thing because speedster Devin Hester was running
across the middle of the field all alone, and would have had a big play. But as
it is, Raji made the biggest play of the game to date, and put on the ol’ Aaron
Rodgers championship belt. The score made it 21-7 with six minutes to play. No
way a third-string quarterback could lead Chicago back, right?
Hanie was 4-for-4 for 60
yards on the drive, and it ended on a 35-yard pass to an open Earl Bennett, and
just like that, it was back to a one-score game. And then after a Packers punt,
Chicago had one more chance to tie the game. He would lead the Bears to the
Packers 34 and it was 1st-and-10. On a 3rd-and-3, Chicago tried to run it with
Bennett, but he was tracked down by Desmond Bishop two yards in the backfield.
That brought up a 4th-and-5 at the 29. Hanie dropped back and looked around
before firing it into traffic intended for Knox. Picked off! Shields’ second of
the day sealed it. It was the first Super Bowl appearance in 13 years, and
there is no better way to win the NFC than to win at Soldier Field against the
longtime rival Bears. Well, I guess winning it Lambeau might have been better.
1. The Title is back in
Town (2011)
In Aaron Rodgers’
tenure, Green Bay had failed to make the playoffs in 2008 and lost a
heartbreaker in the Wild Card round at Arizona following the 2009 season.
However, in that loss to the Cardinals, the Packers quarterback had his
breakout performance. Falling behind 31-10 in the third quarter, Rodgers worked
his magic and finished 28-of-42 for 423 yards with four touchdowns passing and
one touchdown rushing. Unfortunately, a lost Rodgers fumble doomed the Packers
in the overtime period and they lost 51-45. However, that game was the coming
out party for Rodgers, and he came out on fire in 2010.
No. 12 would build on
that and helped lead the Packers to the promised land. It would be a bumpy
road, as Green Bay needed to beat the Giants and Bears to wrap up a Wild Card
spot. The Packers would have road victories over No. 3 Philadelphia, No. 1
Atlanta and No. 2 Chicago to reach the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh
Steelers at AT&T Stadium, which had won two of the previous five championships.
Rodgers would solidify himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game with
a flawless performance, helping the Packers bring another one back to Titletown
31-25.
The game could not have
started any better for the Green & Gold. On the team’s second drive,
Rodgers led his troops down the field, and only faced two third downs on the
drive, with both of them being just one yard to go. On the second of those
third downs, Rodgers went back to pass and lofted a pass down the right
sideline to Jordy Nelson, who caught it in the end zone for the touchdown
against tight coverage from William Gay. It got better for the Packers. On
Pittsburgh’s very first offensive play of its next drive, Ben Roethlisberger
went back to pass and pump faked it. That pump allowed Green Bay defensive
lineman Howard Green to plow through and hit Big Ben’s arm as he threw, which
caused the pass to come up way short of the intended target, Mike Wallace. Nick
Collins came flying in to pick it off and weaved his way through traffic 37
yards for the touchdown. It was the first defensive touchdown in a Super Bowl
for the Packers since Herb Adderley in Super Bowl II.
With the score 14-3 and
Pittsburgh across midfield, it looked like the Steelers were going to get right
back in the game. But the unlikliest of players, Jarrett Bush, came up with the
big play. Bush stepped in front of a Roethlisberger pass intended for Wallace,
and picked it off. Four plays later, Rodgers threw a dart across the middle for
Greg Jennings, who just was across the goal line, and many thought the rout was
on at 21-3. But Pittsburgh would blow down the field, being helped by a
Roethlisberger 37-yard pass to Antwaan Randel El. The score would come on a
pass to the right corner of the end zone to Hines Ward to cut it to 21-10. On
that drive, 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the leaders of the
Packers Charles Woodson broke his collarbone and missed the remainder of the
game. Donald Driver also was injured earlier in the game, and didn’t return.
A collective “uh oh”
went through Packers fans’ minds when James Jones dropped a probable touchdown
on the third play of the drive. Then, an even more uneasy feeling came after
the next drive when Pittsburgh blew down the field and cut it to four on an 8-yard
touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall. So, the lead was down to four, and the
Packers were without Driver and Woodson. But they had no time to feel sorry for
themselves. This is the same team that also had 15 players end the season on
Injured Reserve.
Green Bay’s offense went
non-existent, and Pittsburgh’s offense went down the field again on its next
possession, but Shaun Suisham shanked a long field goal attempt. After another
Packers punt, the Steelers started the drive inside Packers territory. Someone
on Green Bay’s defense needed to make a play. Clay Matthews and Ryan Pickett
delivered. Before the play, outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene implored
Clay Matthews, “It is time!” Matthews and Pickett helped force the
game-changing fumble of Mendenhall. Desmond Bishop picked up the ball and
returned it to the Green Bay 45. The Packers stared at two third downs on the
drive, but they were up to the task both times. After a drop by Nelson on a
second down, Rodgers went back to him on third and he ran down to the Steelers
2. Two plays later, Rodgers went to Jennings again for the touchdown, and it
was 28-17.
A Pittsburgh touchdown
and two-point conversion cut it to 28-25 and Green Bay was facing a 3rd-and-10
at its own 25, but Rodgers was masterful again, throwing a perfect dart to
Jennings over the middle for 31 yards. Green Bay scored a field goal on the
drive, which means it was just a lead of six. The Packers had to come up with a
defensive stop to advance at Philadelphia in the Wild Card round and at Chicago
in the NFC Championship, and now needed one in Super Bowl XLV. After a pass to
Heath Miller for 15 yards out to the 28, the Packers defense put the clamps
down. The next four plays yielded just five yards and the Green & Gold put
another title in Titletown with the 31-25 victory.
