Green Bay Packers history

There were a lot of doubts about the 2007 Green Bay Packers when they reported to camp. Brett Favre had decided to return for another year after an offseason of indecision regarding retirement. The Packers had finished the year strong in 2006, winning their last four games and finishing 8-8. That was marked improvement on a disastrous 2005. But there were no great expectations in Lambeau Field for the ’07 season. Instead, this turned into a magical year for Favre in what proved to be his final campaign as a Packer.

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Favre had a big year, completing 67 percent of his passes for 7.8 yards-per-attempt. Both ranked in the top four of the league. His mistakes were kept manageable—a 2.8 percent interception rate put him in the middle of the league. He finished second in the MVP voting, trailing only Tom Brady who merely rewrote the record book for the 16-0 New England Patriots.

There was change afoot in the backfield. After several years of relying on Ahman Green for both rushing and receiving, the Packers went with Ryan Grant. The rookie produced 956 yards and averaged 5.1 per carry. Vernand Morency was used to replace Green’s pass-catching skill. Morency caught 30 balls out of the backfield.

Donald Driver continued to be a Pro Bowl receiver and Favre’s favorite target, catching 82 passes for over 1,000 yards. Young Greg Jennings was the man who was stretching the field—his 53 catches averaged better than 17 yards a pop. James Jones was a good third receiver and Donald Lee a reliable tight end.

The offensive line was anchored by left tackle Chad Clifton, a mainstay who got Pro Bowl recognition in 2007. Overall, the Pack ranked fourth in the NFL in points scored.

Green Bay’s defense was led up front by Pro Bowl pass rusher Aaron Kampman at defensive end. Kampman picked up twelve sacks. Corey Williams provided a good inside rush, getting home seven times from the tackle spot.

The secondary was led by future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, who intercepted four passes. Al Harris, the 33-year-old veteran delivered a Pro Bowl season at one corner and strong safety Atari Bigby picked off five passes of his own. The Packers ranked sixth in the league in points allowed.

Green Bay opened the season at home against Philadelphia. The Eagles were the defending NFC East champs, but headed for an 8-8 campaign this year. The Packer defense forced Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb into an erratic game and then kicker Mason Crosby broke a 13-13 tie with a field goal that won it with two seconds left.

A visit to New York to face the Giants was next and here is where Favre really moved into what would be 2007 form. He went 29/38 for 286 yards, spreading the ball around to all his targets. Leading 14-13 after fourth quarter, he tossed a couple TD passes to put the game away and the Packers won 35-13. Green Bay had a road blowout of a playoff-bound team they had not seen the last of.

San Diego was another playoff-bound team with Philip Rivers at quarterback and LaDanaian Tomlinson in the backfield. Favre and Rivers hooked up in a shootout at Lambeau, each throwing for over 300 yards. Trailing 21-17 and nearing the two-minute warning, Favre hit Jennings with a 57-yard TD strike. It was the decisive blow in a crazy last two minutes that saw the Packers score an add-on touchdown and the Chargers get a field goal in the closing seconds. The game ended 31-24 and the Pack was 3-0.

It was on to Minnesota. The Vikings were mediocre in 2007, with a good defense, good offensive line and Adrian Peterson at running back not able to make up for problems at quarterback. That would create more than the usual amount of tension between Favre and the Packers in due time. Not today though. Favre went 32/45 for 344 yards, no mistakes and spread the ball around. It was enough to overcome the lack of a running game and win 23-16.

Another division rival was up next in Chicago. The Bears had won the NFC North the past two years and went to the Super Bowl in 2006. This year saw them slip back to mediocrity, but their tough defense made life unpleasant for Favre on the Sunday Night stage in Lambeau. Even though Favre went 29/40 for 322 yards, he threw a couple picks and the Packers lost three fumbles. It led to a 20-10 third-quarter lead disappearing and turning into a 27-20 loss.

Favre again struggled in a home game with the playoff-bound Washington Redskins. The Packers didn’t run the ball well. But the defense stepped up by forcing three turnovers, including Charles Woodson’s scoop-and-score on a 57-yard fumble return. It was enough to pull out a 17-14 win at home.

Green Bay went into their bye week at 5-1. Packer Nation was happy to be back in contention, but there was still some skepticism about whether this was really an elite team. After all, the early schedule had been heavy on home games and most of the victories had been close.

The first game on the far side of the bye was a Monday Night road trip to Denver. Even though this was a mediocre Broncos team, the Mile High City was on fire. The World Series had come to town the previous Saturday with the Colorado Rockies hosting the Boston Red Sox. There was talk that a Monday with Game 5 of the Series and then MNF against Brett Favre would be the biggest sports day in the history of Denver.

None of it worked out for Denver. The Rockies were swept four straight and the Series ended Sunday night. Then on the football field, Favre went 21/27 for 331 yards, two TDs and no mistakes. Jay Cutler was good enough for Denver to get it to overtime at 13-13.

On the first play from scrimmage in OT, Favre rifled an 82-yard touchdown strike to Jennings for the ballgame. Green Bay was 6-1 and though they didn’t know it at the time, had gotten a sneak peek at the torment they would inflict on Cutler when the quarterback eventually landed in Chicago.

The Packers went on to Kansas City where the Chiefs were having an awful season. Playing to the level of their competition, Green Bay trailed 22-16 with three minutes left. Favre and Jennings again made a big play, this one a 60-yard TD pass. They added a field goal with 1:40 to go to make it 26-22. Woodson sealed the deal with a Pick-6. The 33-22 win looks comfortable on paper, but it was another narrow escape.

Over the next three weeks, Green Bay started making it easy on themselves and giving the fan base room to breathe. They blew out Minnesota at home 34-0, with Favre going 35/48 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Against mediocre Carolina, Favre was 22/30 for 318 for three more TDs, two of them to Lee. The final was 31-17. And on Thanksgiving in Detroit, Favre ripped off a 31/41 for 381 yards showing that added three more TDs to his total. Driver caught ten balls for 147 yards in the 37-26 Turkey Day feast.

Green Bay and Dallas were running away with the top spots in the NFC. They would go head-to-head on the final Thursday Night of November. Inside track to homefield was on the line.

If anyone wanted to be skeptical of the Packers as a Super Bowl team, this game at old Texas Stadium gave the doubters plenty of ammo. Favre was terrible, going 5/14, throwing two interceptions and getting knocked out. Green Bay was in a 27-10 hole by the second quarter. The Packers were flagged for 142 yards worth of penalty yardage.

There was one bright spot. Aaron Rodgers, now in his third year sitting on the bench, came in for Favre and went 18/26 for 201 yards. Rodgers closed the deficit to 27-24 before Tony Romo’s Cowboys pulled back away to a 37-27 win. It was a disappointing loss, but Green Bay fans were saying at the time that maybe this Rodgers kid would turn out okay after Favre was gone.

Green Bay was still sitting at 10-2. They were blowing away the NFC North and also had a comfortable two-game lead on Seattle for the 2-seed and first-round bye in the playoffs. And the Pack was only a game back of Dallas for the top spot if they could play well in December and get some help.

The running game was on display against woeful Oakland, with Grant ripping off 156 yards in an easy 38-7 home win. A visit to another lousy team, the St. Louis Rams produced another blowout win. This one was tight into the third quarter, at 20-14 when Favre threw a 44-yard TD pass to Jennings. Nick Barnett led the defensive effort with a pair of sacks and the final was 33-14.

Even better was the news that Dallas had lost. The Cowboys still held the tiebreaker, but with both teams at 12-2, anything was possible going into the final two weeks.

Green Bay went on to visit Chicago on a brutally cold day where temps were (-18) with the windchill. Favre was off his game, going 17/32 for 153 yards and two interceptions. The Packers trailed 21-7 when the Bears added touchdowns on a blocked punt and a Pick-6. Grant’s 100-yard day in the cold was small consolation in the 35-7 loss. Dallas won and clinched the #1 seed. The Packers had gotten an ominous foreshadowing of what might happen if they played in the bitter cold.

The final game of the year at home against Detroit would be a playoff tuneup and it went well. Favre went 9/11 for 99 yards, a couple TDs and took the second half off. Brandon Jackson replaced Grant in the backfield and rushed for 113 yards. The Packers closed out their surprise 13-3 season with an easy 34-13 win.

After a week off, Seattle came in for a late Saturday afternoon game that would begin the divisional round. With no one knowing what Favre’s future plans were, and any game next week expected to be in Dallas, the assumption was that this could very well be Favre’s final game at Lambeau Field. It was fitting that his first coach, Mike Holmgren, was the one in town leading the Seahawks. And that it ended up a snow game, fitting Favre’s freewheeling, fun-loving personality.

That doesn’t mean the game started well. Seattle scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes. But the Packers took over the remaining 55 minutes. Favre went to Jennings for a couple touchdown passes. Grant ran for two more TDs and that 14-0 deficit morphed into a 28-17 lead by halftime. As the snow continued to pile up, Favre played it smart and close to the vest, going 18/23 for 173 yards and no interceptions. Grant became the focal point and had a huge 201-yard day rushing. Green Bay cruised to a 42-20 win. .

The following day, in the late afternoon, the nation watched the Giants-Cowboys. New York had been dysfunctional for much of the season before playing well enough to get in the playoffs and then beating a pedestrian division champion in Tampa Bay. No one was expecting them to knock off Dallas. But that’s what happened. There would be one more home game in Lambeau Field.

Fox Sports, which had the Super Bowl rights, was surely salivating over the possibility of Brett Favre playing his final game in the Super Bowl against the undefeated New England Patriots. Oddsmakers slotted the Packers a solid (-7 ½) favorite for the NFC Championship Game.

By game day, the weather was the overriding factor. The cold and the wind combined to create a windchill temp of (-23). To make matters worse, this was the second game of Championship Sunday, meaning kickoff wasn’t until 5:30 local time. It would only get colder as the day went on. I have family and friends who were in attendance and have heard stories about beer freezing in the can before one could sip it.

On the field, the story was how the Giants were completely controlling the line of scrimmage. They won rushing yardage 134-28. Even though Favre wasn’t sacked, he was never allowed to get comfortable in the pocket. He was also kept on the sidelines, with the Giants controlling the ball nearly 40 minutes.

Even so, the Green Bay defense made big red zone stops and early New York control of the game only resulted in a 6-0 lead. It was wiped out on one play, Favre to Driver for 90 yards down the right sideline. Favre still went a respectable 19/35 for 236 yards. But with the game tied 20-20 and the Giants lined up for a last-play field goal, this dream season looked over.

Then the field goal missed. Lambeau erupted. Green Bay won the overtime coin toss. At a time when OT was still strict sudden-death, all it took was one simple drive to field goal range.

But the Giant defense quickly put the Packers in third and long. On third down, Favre threw an out pattern. Normally a reasonable enough play with single coverage on the outside. This time the quarterback—under steady, irritating pressure and his aging legs probably stiffening up in the cold, didn’t get enough air under it. The ball was intercepted.

The Giants got another field goal attempt. This time they made it. The season was over. So was Brett Favre’s tenure as a Green Bay Packer. He announced his retirement at a tearful press conference soon after.

Of course, one more chapter in Favre’s career was still brewing, one that would briefly place him at fierce odds with management and eventually extending to a fan base that loved him. By April, Favre wanted to return and said his retirement decision had come under pressure from the front office to make a fast decision.

The recriminations that went back and forth could fill a book unto themselves. But Favre was traded to the Jets where he played in 2008. And then, in an act that stunned Packer fans, he signed on with the hated Vikings in 2009 and had one more fantastic season, leading Minnesota to the NFC Championship Game.  

In reality, Favre and the Packers were both ready to move on from each other following the 2007 season. Football people knew that this ’07 Green Bay team had been special, but that “special” is often a euphemism for “mirage”, and some retooling was still necessary. It was the right time to transition to Rodgers.

But it was also apparent that Brett Favre had more good football left in him and his retirement shouldn’t have been forced upon him to meet the needs of the Green Bay Packers. Future years would see all-time greats like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady part ways amicably with their teams when facing similar situations.

Whomever you blame for the fallout—and I’m unequivocally on Favre’s side—this story has a happy ending. Favre has since been inducted into the Packer’s Ring of Honor, been welcomed back at Lambeau and the affection both sides have for each other has been restored. The events of 2008-09 were just a rough family quarrel. And those 2007 Green Bay Packers can take their rightful place in history as a special team in Brett Favre’s last ride at Lambeau.

There was a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the 2006 Green Bay Packers. After 13 years of success with Brett Favre at quarterback, both the team and the signal-caller had fallen on hard times in 2005. A new head coach in Mike McCarthy was brought in. How much longer Favre would play was a constant source of speculation, often fueled by the quarterback himself. When Aaron Rodgers, now entering his second season, would get an opportunity added to the brewing controversy.

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The first three quarters of the 2006 season didn’t do much to dispel any of that. But a strong finish nearly pushed the Packers into the playoffs and got momentum back in their direction.

Now 37-years-old, Favre’s numbers had been poor in 2005 and weren’t much better this year. He ranked near the bottom among starting quarterbacks in completion percentage (56%) and yards-per-attempt (6.3). He only threw 18 touchdown passes against 18 interceptions. But his interception rate, which had ballooned to nearly 5 percent in ’05 dropped to 2.9 percent this year and put him in the middle of the league.

Ahman Green, the mainstay of the backfield, cleared the 1,000-yard threshold in rushing, averaged a respectable four a pop and caught 46 balls out of the backfield. The receiving corps was led by Pro Bowler Donald Driver, who had a big season with 92 catches for nearly 1,300 yards. And Favre got a new target in rookie Greg Jennings, whose 45 receptions produced 14 yards a catch.

The offensive line wasn’t a strength, but it rarely was in the Favre era (or in the subsequent Rodgers era for that matter). At least this year there was some hope, as McCarthy broke in two rookies at guard, Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz.

A third rookie broke into the starting lineup on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker A.J. Hawk. The Packers also made a big veteran addition, signing defensive back Charles Woodson in free agency. The future Hall of Famer had eight interceptions in 2006.

But the front line was the key to Green Bay’s defense. Aaron Kampman came into his own as a Pro Bowl defensive end, with 15 ½ sacks. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilia (KGB) added six sacks on the other end. Cullen Jenkins and Corey Williams combined for 13 sacks coming up the middle.

Given all this, it’s surprising that the Packer defense only ranked 25^th in the NFL in points allowed. The offense, even with its relative weakness compared to the rest of the Favre era, was still marginally better, at 22^nd in points scored.

The season opened at home against Chicago in a late afternoon kickoff. The Bears had won the NFC North in 2005 and would be Super Bowl-bound this season. Individually, Green Bay’s key players got some numbers against a good Chicago defense. Green rushed for 110 yards. Driver caught seven balls for 96 yards. But with Favre only 15/29 for 170 yards and two interceptions, there were no numbers on the scoreboard. The Pack was whitewashed 26-0. It was the first time in the Favre era they had been shut out.

Favre heated up the following week when New Orleans came to town. He went 31/55 for 340 yards and three touchdowns. An early 22-yard scoring throw to Jennings got the Packers out to a 13-0 lead. But the Saints, in their first year with Drew Brees, were headed for the 2-seed in the NFC playoffs and they had more. Green Bay lost 34-27.

A road trip to lowly Detroit saw the first win of the McCarthy era. Favre went up top to Jennings for a 75-yard touchdown strike. For the rest of the game, Favre spread the ball around, went 25/36 for 340 yards, three TDs and no mistakes. Green Bay won 31-24.

The Packers went on the road to eventual NFC East champ Philadelphia for a Monday Night appearance. It was ugly. Favre was erratic, the defense allowed big plays in the passing game and the result was a decisive 31-9 loss.

Looking for a running game, McCarthy gave Noah Herron some carries the following week against the St. Louis Rams in Lambeau. Herron rewarded the coach with 106 yards. Jennings made some big plays, 105 yards on five catches. But the Packers lost a couple fumbles and lost the football game 23-20.

They were headed into the bye week at 1-4, the third straight year that had started with four losses in five games. Last year completely got away, but 2004 had seen Favre rally the Packers to a division title. There weren’t a lot of signs of hope this year, although from historical perspective, we know that Green Bay’s schedule had been frontloaded with the top three seeds in the NFC bracket. Philadelphia and New Orleans were having turnaround seasons that was not yet fully apparent in this early moment.

The Pack went to Miami and fell behind a subpar Dolphins team coached by Nick Saban, 10-6 in the first half. Green got rolling  and rushed for 118 yards. Driver caught ten balls for 93 yards and keyed the passing game. Woodson came up with a third-quarter Pick-6 and Green Bay went on to win 34-24.

A second straight win followed at home against the shaky Arizona Cardinals. Green’s 106 yards keyed a massive 203-86 edge in rush yardage. And Vernand Morency had his fifteen minutes of fame, catching eleven passes for 101 yards in what would be the only 100-yard game of his career. The Packers cruised to a 31-14 win.

At 3-4 and games against losing teams in Buffalo and Minnesota coming up, Green Bay was in position to make something of this season. But they had to handle the road in both games.

In Buffalo they did not. Favre threw an early Pick-6 and the Packers lost the turnover battle 4-zip. Even though Green ran for 122 yards and it was tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter, it was the Bills who pulled away to a 24-10 win.

Facing a must-win game in the old Metrodome, Favre stepped up with a vintage big-play performance. He went 24/42 and those twenty-four completions produced 347 yards. Driver caught six balls for 191 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown strike. The defense came up with four sacks and the Packers kept themselves alive with a 23-17 victory.

But Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were up next. Even with the game in Lambeau, this got really ugly. Favre only went 5/15 for 73 yards, before being pulled in what ended up as a 35-0 rout. Rodgers got some playing time, but could only manage 4/12 for 32 yards. The gap between the Packers and the league’s best teams was still obviously quite substantial.

And there was no time to lick wounds, with two more playoff teams up next. Green Bay went to Seattle. In a sloppy game, both the Packers and Seahawks turned it over four times. But Green Bay added in ten penalties and were crushed in rushing, 235-51. They took a 34-24 defeat.

Even worse was a home game against the Jets. In a 31-0 hole at halftime, Green Bay was booed off the field. This might be par for the course in a lot of places, but the generally kind and gentle Midwestern folks that come to Lambeau Field are known for their loyalty. But even they had snapped. This game ended 38-10. The Packers were 4-8 and this was becoming something pretty close to 2005 all over again.

But the schedule softened up and Green Bay dug deep. They went to mediocre San Francisco. Favre typically played well against the 49ers, even against their best teams through the 1990s. In this spot, facing Alex Smith, the rookie San Francisco chose over Rodgers, Favre went 22/34 for 293 yards and no mistakes. Green Bay stopped the bleeding with a 30-19 win.

Favre was shaky against Detroit, throwing three interceptions. But Morency added a couple touchdown runs, Green ran for 79 yards, the defense got big stops and the Packers ground out a 17-9 home win.

The NFC wild-card race was shrouded in mediocrity, so Green Bay’s 6-8 record actually had them very much in the mix for the final playoff spot. They trailed the Giants and Falcons by a game, with the Rams and Panthers also sitting on 6-8.

Minnesota came to Lambeau for a Thursday Night date a few days prior to Christmas. This could have turned into a big lump of coal for Packer fans, with Favre spotty, throwing a Pick-6 and no running game to be found. But the defense delivered the Christmas gift. That Pick-6 was the only points the Packers allowed and they squeaked out a 9-7 win.

Meanwhile, both the Giants and Falcons lost on Sunday, while the Rams and Panthers won. It was a crackup of five teams at 7-8 and one playoff spot available.

New York held the tiebreaker, but Green Bay was second in line. Given that the Packers were only three weeks removed from being booed off their homefield, this was pretty good. They were slated to play on Sunday Night in Chicago to end the regular season. New York was scheduled in prime-time for Saturday night in Washington.

When the Giants beat the Redskins 34-28, the playoff bid was over. There was no chance to play spoiler with the Bears, as Chicago had the top seed for the playoffs wrapped up. But with everyone wondering if this prime-time date in Soldier Field was going to be Favre’s swan song, it was still must-see television.

I recall being in Orlando that New Year’s Eve, watching the game at a bar in Disney World, in advance of going out to watch Wisconsin play in the following day’s Capital One Bowl. Favre went 21/42 for 285 yards. Russell Martin had a fifteen minutes of fame moment, gaining 118 yards and then never being heard from again. Nick Collins picked off two passes and brought one back to the house. Patrick Dendy added a Pick-6 of his own. Playing the Chicago backups, Green Bay cruised to a 26-7 win.

Everyone was watching Favre in the postgame interview to see if he would give any hints as to his future. Surrounded by his offensive line, the quarterback had tears in his eyes and was reserved. It seemed to be something close to a goodbye.

But it wasn’t. Favre came back in 2007 and had one of the best years of his Hall of Fame career, leading the Packers to an NFC Championship Game. He retired and unretired a couple more times and took Minnesota to the NFC Championship Game in 2009. The late surge of 2006 had set the stage for the final act of the Gunslinger’s great career.

The Brett Favre years in Green Bay had seen tremendous success. Since his arrival in 1992, the Packers had made the playoffs ten times, won six division crowns, went to the Super Bowl twice and won it all in 1996. Even the three years they were out of the money for the postseason, the Pack still finished .500 or better. The 2005 Green Bay Packers season brought that all to a crashing halt. The Packers collapsed and began a rebuild, with Favre’s future now in doubt.

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It was following the 2004 division title run that Favre began the public discussion of retirement which eventually turned into a national soap opera and caused Green Bay to use a first-round draft pick on a quarterback from Cal named Aaron Rodgers.

What happened on the field in ’05 only furthered that speculation. While his 61 percent completion rate was still good, it was no longer in the league’s elite, ranking 13^th among starting quarterbacks. Favre’s yards-per-attempt, usually a strength, slipped to 6.4 and was 25^th. And his 29 interceptions were off the charts awful. Being intercepted on nearly five percent of his throws put Favre 34^th—dead last among quarterbacks with enough throws to qualify.

To make matters worse, versatile running back Ahman Green was limited by injuries to five games. Samkon Gado ended up as the leading rusher. Tony Fisher tried to replace Green’s production as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and caught 48 passes. But the combo wasn’t nearly as good as a healthy Green.

There were new faces at other spots. Antonio Chatman replaced Javon Walker at one wide receiver spot. Chatman’s 49 catches for 549 yards were a big dip from the Pro Bowler Walker. Donald Lee replaced a Pro Bowl tight end in Bubba Franks. Lee caught 33 balls, but for less than 300 yards.

To make matters worse, the team’s best offensive lineman, Marco Rivera, had left via free agency. So even though Donald Driver had a good year at receiver, catching 86 passes for over 1,200 yards, the Packer offense was unusually bad. They only ranked 22^nd in the league in points scored.

And the Green Bay defense, bereft of elite talent for several years now, wasn’t going to make up the gap. They had some good pass rushers in Kabeer Gbajala-Biamilia and Aaron Kampman, who combined for 14 ½ sacks off the edges. But that was nowhere near enough and the Packer defense was 19^th in the NFL in points allowed.

Week 1 provided a clue as to what lie ahead. Green Bay was in Detroit. The Lions weren’t any good, but the Packers only rushed for 46 yards and allowed four sacks. Favre threw a couple picks and the result was a 17-3 loss.

A home game with another bad team in Cleveland provided a chance to get back on track. Favre got dialed in with some big plays, going 32/44 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Driver caught six balls for 105 yards. But Favre also threw a couple picks, the defense didn’t force any turnovers and a touchdown with four seconds left handed the Packers a 26-24 loss.

Losing to two bad teams wasn’t good preparation for facing a genuinely good one in playoff-bound Tampa Bay. Green Bay was pounded up front, losing rush yardage 161-75 and Favre threw three more interceptions. It was another close game, but also another loss, this one 17-16.

Carolina was another playoff-bound team out of the NFC South and that’s where Green Bay was headed for a Monday Night visit. In a must-win game, the Pack dug themselves a 26-7 hole. Favre dug deep and went 28/47 for 347 yards and four touchdowns. He rallied the Packers to within 32-29 at the three-minute mark. But that’s where the comeback bid ended. Green Bay was 0-4.

New Orleans was on their way to an atrocious season, one that put them into position to draft USC’s Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush. The Saints came to Lambeau. The Pack spotted the visitors a field goal and then took over. Favre went 19/27 for 215 yards. The defense brought back two interceptions for touchdowns. The result was a cathartic 52-3 rout that at least got Green Bay in the win column going into the bye.

For the historical record, something else happened on that October 9 day in Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers threw and completed his first NFL pass.

Optimists could point out that Green Bay had started 1-4 in 2004 and rallied to win the NFC North. Any such comeback this year would have to begin at Minnesota on the far side of the bye. Favre played a good game, going 28/36 for 315 yards. Driver caught eight of those passes for 114 of those yards. The Packers led 17-10 in the fourth quarter. But they couldn’t run the ball, the Vikings rallied and Green Bay lost 23-20.

A road trip to Cincinnati, the eventual AFC North champs, saw the defense play much better, but Favre threw five interceptions. That ended in a 21-14 loss. Pittsburgh, bound for the playoffs and eventually a Super Bowl title run from the 6-seed, came to Lambeau for a late Sunday afternoon game. Green Bay, trailing 6-3 in the second quarter, was driving. They fumbled and it went back the other way for a touchdown. With another poor running game performance, the Packers lost 20-10.

The record was down to 1-7 and everyone knew this was a lost season by the halfway point. Green Bay still went to mediocre Atlanta and played with some pride. Gado ran for one touchdown and caught another. Driver snagged ten catches for 114 yards. The Packers pulled out a 33-28 win.

Time for a rematch with Minnesota, who would stay on the fringe of playoff contention all year. On the Monday Night stage, Favre hit Driver on a couple long TD passes from 51 and 53 yards. But Favre also threw a Pick-6. The Packers were outrushed 160-21. And they were beaten on a last-play field goal, 20-17.

Green Bay went on to Philadelphia. The Eagles, like the Packers, were having a down year after four consecutive seasons of success. Green Bay took a 14-10 lead at halftime, but an erratic Favre threw a couple interceptions and Philly eventually won 19-14.

The calendar turned to December. Green Bay still had both games ahead with archrival Chicago. The Bears were setting the pace in the NFC North and the Packers could at least hope to play spoiler. Not on this day in Soldier Field. Even though the defense played well and Gado ground out 75 yards, Favre went to the air 58 times. He completed 31 and got 277 yards, but it was inefficient yardage. He also threw two interceptions, one a late fourth quarter Pick-6 that sealed Green Bay’s 19-7 loss.

A Sunday Night home date with Detroit provided an opportunity to get a win. It was hairy, as two bad teams played a competitive game. But Gado’s 171 yards rushing were the difference in the 16-13 overtime triumph.

Any good feels were short-lived. The worst performance of a putrid year was coming up on Monday Night in Baltimore. Facing a bad Ravens team, Favre threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. He was pulled and Rodgers got his first taste of extended playing time. The rookie went 8/15 for 65 yards and an interception. Nothing to cheer about for Green Bay fans in the 48-3 humiliation.

At 3-11, Green Bay’s final two home games were against Chicago and Seattle. These were the teams headed for the top two seed positions in the NFC playoffs. One was the Packers’ historic rival, the other was led by Favre’s first coach, Mike Holmgren. Surely this could be a motivating moment for the Pack.

If it was, it didn’t show on the field on Christmas Day afternoon against the Bears.  Green Bay fell behind 24-7. Favre put it up 51 times and threw four interceptions, including a Pick-6 in his own end zone. The 24-17 final was only cosmetically competitive.

Seattle had the top seed wrapped up and eventually made the Super Bowl. Against an opponent that was mailing it in, Green Bay finally got another win. Driver caught six passes for 118 yards and the Pack beat the Seahawk second string 23-17.

A long year was over. So was the tenure of Mike Sherman, who had coached the team since 2000 and been the general manager since 2001. He was fired from both roles. Ted Thompson came in as GM and he hired Mike McCarthy as the new coach. The final tumultuous chapter of Brett Favre’s time in Green Bay was at hand.

The 2004 Green Bay Packers were similar to their immediate predecessors from 2003—they started slow, dug themselves a hole and rallied to come out of it. Like ’03, there were big wins down the stretch and a frustrating playoff lost. But unlike the previous year, this one ended on a particularly dour note and foreshadowed the end of one section of the Brett Favre era.

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Favre delivered another strong year in 2004. His 64 completion rate was ninth among NFL quarterbacks. His 7.6 yards-per-attempt would normally have put him near the top of the league, but with big plays in general up a bit due to stricter regulation of defensive secondary play, it ranked 11th. The TD-INT ratio of 30/17 was vintage Favre. Plenty of big plays, both good and bad.

There were Pro Bowl players at the skill positions. Ahman Green continued to be one of the more versatile backs in the NFL. Even though his production slipped after a spectacular ’03, Green still rushed for 1,163 yards, averaged 4.5 yards-per-attempt and his 40 catches made him a vital part of the passing game.

Javon Walker punched a Pro Bowl ticket at wide receiver with a big year, catching 89 balls for nearly 1,400 yards. Donald Driver’s 84 catches averaged 14.4 a pop.  Tight end Bubba Franks continued to be a good blocker and a reliable option for Favre. William Henderson was 1^st-team All-NFL at the under-the-radar fullback spot and caught 34 passes.

Marco Rivera was the best of the offensive line, making the Pro Bowl at guard. All in all, this added up to the fifth-most productive offense in the NFL for points scored. The problems came on defense.

Green Bay still had a terrific pass rusher in Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilia (KGB) who recorded 13 ½ sacks. Aaron Kampman was a developing force on the other side of the defensive line. Free safety Darren Sharper had been a reliable player for several years. But no one made the Pro Bowl and the Packers finished 23^rd in the league for points allowed.

Lambeau Field was the site of the season’s opening Monday Night game and Green Bay was hosting Carolina. The Panthers had made the Super Bowl in 2003. But they were headed for mediocrity this season and Green Bay got them started in that direction. Green carried 33 times for 119 yards, keying a 152-38 edge in rush yardage and 38 minutes of possession time. The Packers delivered an efficient 24-14 win.

Chicago had been dormant for the past couple years and this season wouldn’t be a whole lot better. But the Bears had a new coach in Lovie Smith and success wasn’t far around the corner. Lovie delivered the first big win of his tenure thanks to some Green Bay mistakes. Trailing 7-3 late in the second quarter, the Packers were on the verge of a go-ahead touchdown when a fumble went 95 yard the other way. With Favre having a mediocre day, Green Bay lost 21-10.

A visit to powerful Indianapolis and Peyton Manning was next. In the late Sunday afternoon TV window, Favre and Manning put on a show. Favre went 30/44 for 360 yards, four touchdowns and no mistakes. Walker had a huge game, with eleven catches that produced 200 yards. But Manning was even better—393 yards, five TDs and no mistakes. Green Bay lost 45-31.

That loss wasn’t particularly alarming, but coming home and losing to the New York Giants was. The Packers were outrushed 245-81 and lost 14-7. Then they hosted Tennessee on Monday Night and were outrushed 224-35. Even though Favre threw for 338 yards that night, most of them to Walker and Driver, the quarterback also threw three interceptions. It wasn’t enough to overcome the rush yardage disparity and the Packers lost 48-27.

Green Bay was not only sitting at 1-4, but they had lost three home games to teams (Bears, Giants, Titans) that were on their way to a combined 16-48 record for the season. The Packers were in serious trouble by any measure you wanted to use.

So even though the next three opponents—the Lions, Cowboys and Redskins were all headed for poor seasons, no one in Packerland could count on any victories. But this is where Green Bay started to turn the corner.

The Packers held a 17-10 third quarter lead in Detroit when Sharper came up with a Pick-6. Favre went 25/38 for 257 yards and two touchdowns, playing error-free football. Driver caught nine passes for 110 yards. Green and backup running back Najeh Davenport combined for 143 yards and the Pack pulled away to a 38-10 win.

Dallas’ visit went refreshingly easy for the fans of Lambeau. Green ripped off a 90-yard touchdown run. Favre was razor-sharp, going 23/29 for 258 yards and two TDs, Walker catching eight of those passes for 129 yards. The final was 41-20.

Green Bay went to Washington and jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Favre was 20/32 for 289 yards, although he did throw three interceptions. But the early lead was plenty for a defensive line that got four sacks and the Packers won 28-14. They were back to .500 going into their bye week.

Minnesota, the key rival in the NFC North, was waiting on the far side of the bye. It was a late Sunday afternoon kickoff at Lambeau for a national audience. And the game was everything that Fox Sports could have hoped for.

Favre was 20/29 for 236 yards and four touchdowns. Green rolled up 145 yards on the ground. Green Bay was in command, up 31-17 in the fourth quarter. But their defensive woes, combined with an explosive Viking attack, made this one tight. Minnesota tied the game 31-31. Favre calmly led one more drive back down the field. On the game’s final play, Ryan Longwell kicked a 33-yard field goal for the win.

Green Bay went down to Houston the following Sunday Night. Facing a subpar team, the Packers couldn’t run the ball and were sloppy, committing ten penalties. They were staring at a 13-3 deficit in the fourth quarter. The four-game winning streak looked over.

But Favre found Driver on a 24-yard touchdown pass. The Gunslinger finished this night at 33/50 for 383 yards. He led a drive for a tying field goal. One more drive set up Longwell for another last-play field goal attempt. For the second straight week, the kicker delivered, this time from 46 yards and a 16-13 win.

The St. Louis Rams were in the midst of a .500 season when they came to Lambeau for another Monday Night game. This was no contest. The Packer running game simply destroyed the Rams. Green was out, but Davenport went off for 178 yards on 19 carries. Favre was 18/27 for 215 yards, three TDs and zero picks. The result was an easy 45-17 win.

Riding high with six wins in a row, Green Bay was due for a letdown. And a road trip to Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia was a logical place for it to happen. The defensive melted down and allowed five touchdown passes in the first half. The 47-17 rout never resembled a competitive game.

Still sitting on 7-5 in a division with no standout team, the Packers were in good shape. The focus of the NFC North was on a Christmas Eve afternoon battle up in Minnesota in the season’s penultimate game. The next two weeks were about positioning for that showdown.

Green Bay looked ready to revert to early season form when Detroit came to Lambeau for a late afternoon kick and took a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter. In a virtual replay of the Houston game, Favre stepped up with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Driver. Then the Pack got a tying field goal. Then Favre set up Longwell for a field goal. This time they left two seconds on the clock, but the 23-yarder got another 16-13 win.

Another late afternoon TV window game at home was up with Jacksonville. The Jags would not make the playoffs, but they were on the fringe of contention and finished 9-7. Jacksonville played like they needed this game. Green Bay did not, turning it over five times, three on Favre interceptions. They lost 28-25.

Even so, after the awful start to the season, no one in Green Bay was complaining about being 8-6 and tied for first with Minnesota. Even better, the Packers held the tiebreakers on the Vikings. Meaning Green Bay could clinch the division with a win on Christmas Eve and still be alive if they lost. Finally, none of the other wild-card contenders were better than 6-8. The Pack was in prime position to get a fourth straight playoff trip.

The old Metrodome in the Twin Cities was home to some of Favre’s most troubled moments as a Packer. It looked like this year might be one of them. In a 24-24 tie game and just over eight minutes left, Favre threw a Pick-6 deep in his own end.

But Favre’s struggles in Minnesota also mean that his successes there stand out. Like going 30/43 for 365 yards on the afternoon with three touchdown passes. Like rallying the Packers to tie the game. And like setting up Longwell for another last-play field goal. For the second time this season, Green Bay had beaten Minnesota by a 34-31 score. Aided in no small part by Driver’s eleven catches for 162 yards, the Packers were NFC North champs.

There was no shot at a first-round bye, so the season finale in Chicago the day after New Year’s was meaningless. Favre played the first half and was sharp, going 9/13 for 196 yards and a couple TDs. Sharper added another Pick-6 to his season totals. Favre came out with the score 21-7 and the Packers coasted to a 31-14 win.

Green Bay was up to the 3-seed, but that proved to be a mixed blessing. The way the rest of the playoff picture fell, Minnesota ended up in the 6-spot. The Packers would have to try and complete a three-game sweep in a rivalry that was closely contested.

On a late Sunday afternoon in Lambeau that ended wild-card weekend, all of the Packer weaknesses went on display. The defense was lit up by Dante Culpepper and dug Green Bay an early 17-0 hole. Favre was at his mistake-prone worse, throwing four interceptions. Favre was also at his never-give-up best and did cut the lead to 24-17 by the fourth quarter. But Green Bay never forced a turnover and Minnesota added a lockup touchdown. The season ended with the 31-17 loss.

Green Bay had now lost two home playoff games in the last three years—both in the wild-card round—after never losing a postseason game at Lambeau prior to 2002. Perhaps it wasn’t fair, but there was now a bad aftertaste to a season that had seen so many thrills and rallies.

Mike Sherman had been the Packer coach since 2000 and overseen the current run of playoff appearances. But this playoff loss was the sign that his time was coming to an end. Green Bay collapsed in 2005, a coaching change was made and the final chapter of Favre’s time as a Packer began in 2006.

To just look at the results of the 2003 Green Bay Packers might not tip you off that it was a special season and a wild ride. But if you lived through the adventures of those ’03 Packers you know that it was perhaps the year that best summed up the Brett Favre era. It wasn’t a breakout playoff year like 1993. It wasn’t a move into the NFL’s upper crust like 1995. It wasn’t the ultimate Super Bowl title run of 1996 or the near-repeat of 1997. But the 2003 Green Bay Packers captured everything that football fans loved about Brett Favre…and everything that could drive them a little crazy about his on-field play sometimes.

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Favre’s statistical line tells a little bit of that story. He was often brilliant, with a 65 percent completion rate that ranked second in the NFL and his 7.1 yards-per-attempt that was 10th. That, along with 32 touchdown passes, got the future Hall of Famer another Pro Bowl trip. But then there were the 21 interceptions—getting picked off at a 4.5 percent clip ranked Favre 30^th among NFL quarterbacks.

Ahman Green had become one of the game’s most versatile running backs and he rolled up nearly 1,900 yards on the ground. Even more impressive was that Green averaged better than five yards a pop in the process. He caught 50 passes and was another Pro Bowl player.

The receiving corps wasn’t particularly strong, but Donald Driver did catch 52 passes for over 600 yards. Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson were also contributors and could help Favre stretch the field. Bubba Franks only caught 30 passes, but his blocking skills helped him punch a Pro Bowl ticket.

Franks wasn’t the only one who could block. The offensive line, often a problem area during the Favre years, produced a pair of Pro Bowlers in center Mike Flanagan and guard Marco Rivera. The Packer offense ranked fourth in the NFL in points scored.

The defense was keyed by the pass-rushing skills of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (KGB) who record ten sacks from the edge. Two beneficiaries of KGB’s pressure were secondary ballhawks Mike McKenzie at corner and free safety Darren Sharper who combined to intercept nine balls. The Green Bay defense didn’t have any Pro Bowl players in 2003, but they ranked a respectable 11^th in the league for points allowed.

Green Bay hosted Minnesota to open the season. Homefield advantage usually defined this rivalry in the Favre years, but on this day the Gunslinger was awful. He threw four interceptions. The Packers were in a 27-3 hole by the third quarter before rallying to make the final score cosmetically close at 30-25.

Another division rival in Detroit came to Lambeau. The Packers had to win this one and they did. Green bolted 65 yards for a touchdown in the game’s opening minute, the start of a day he rolled up 160 yards rushing. Al Harris had a Pick-6 in the fourth quarter that put the finishing touches on a 31-6 rout.

Green Bay visited lowly Arizona for what should have been an easy win. And Favre played reasonably well, going 23/33 for 245 yards. But the Packers couldn’t get the running game going. Cardinal quarterback Jeff Blake was able to stretch the field. Green Bay was dumped 20-13.

A Monday Night visit to Chicago now had urgency attached. Of these first four opponents, only the Vikings were a contender. The Packers simply couldn’t start 1-3.

They didn’t. Green again set the tone with a long touchdown run early on, starting a 176-yard night. Green Bay was up 24-6 by halftime. When Chicago cut the lead to 24-16, Favre tossed a couple fourth quarter touchdown passes to widen the lead back out and the game ended at 38-23.

The Packers weren’t impressing anyone, but at 2-2 they were alive and hosting playoff-bound Seattle. Favre was efficient against his old mentor, Mike Holmgren, going 19/25 for 185 yards and no mistakes. Green rushed for 118 yards. Green Bay delivered their best performance of the still-young season in a 35-13 blowout win.

Kansas City was on their way to a 13-3 season thanks to an explosive passing game overseen by head coach Dick Vermeil. The Chiefs came to Lambeau. Favre was ready for the challenge and went 25/36 for 272 yards. Green went off for 139 yards. The Pack was coasting with a 31-14 lead after three quarters. Then KC came roaring back, tied the game 34-34 in the final two minutes. In overtime, the Packers lost the shootout, 40-34.

Another opponent against a good, playoff-bound offense came with a trip to St. Louis to face the Rams. Favre again played well, going 23/32 for 268 yards. But this time the running game disappeared. Green Bay was in an early 14-3 hole, had to chase the rest of the game and lost 34-24.

Green Bay went into the bye week at 3-4. On the far side of the bye was another big prime-time road game with a divisional rival, this one on the first Sunday Night in November up in Minneapolis.

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Favre played this one a little closer to the vest, steering clear of mistakes and going 18/28 for 194 yards. Green stepped up with a big game, 137 yards. Green Bay took over the fourth quarter. Tied 20-20, they ripped off ten straight points. The Vikes got a TD back, but the 30-27 final held. A huge road victory had kept the Packers in the mix in the NFC North.

Philadelphia was on their way to the top seed in the NFC bracket and they came to Lambeau Field for a Monday Night date. Green put on a show for the national audience, going off for 192 yards on the ground. He caught one TD pass and ran for another. In a tough defensive game, the Pack handed a 14-10 lead to their D late in the game. But the Eagles drove it down for the winning TD. Green Bay slipped back under .500 with the 17-14 loss.

A year earlier, Tampa Bay had won the Super Bowl, keyed in part by a big November win over Green Bay. This year the Bucs were struggling. The Packers returned to the scene of the crime for a late Sunday afternoon game.

Favre often struggled with the aggressive Tampa defense and today was no exception. He was often erratic, but this time the Green Bay quarterback steered clear of big mistakes. The Packers picked up three turnovers. Green ran for 109 yards and got some help on the ground from Najeh Davenport, who added 70 yards. Defense, the running game and no mistakes keyed a nice 20-13 win.

Green Bay hosted mediocre San Francisco and Favre got things rolling quickly with a 66-yard touchdown strike to Walker and a 16-yard scoring pass to Ferguson. It was 14-0 in a hurry. Green then took over, ran for 154 yards and helped the Packers manage the rest of the game to a 20-10 win. They were back on the plus side of .500 at 6-5.

Not for long. A Thanksgiving Day visit to Detroit was a disaster. The Lions were a bad team, but Favre threw three interceptions and the Pack turned it over five times. A 14-13 lead after three quarters turned into a 22-14 loss.

If nothing else, Green Bay had ten days to get ready for games with mediocre Chicago and a lousy San Diego Chargers team. It was a chance for the Packers to get their bearings back and stay in the hunt for an NFC North division that had no great team.

The home date with the Bears didn’t start well—Favre threw a Pick-6 and the Packers were staring at a 14-0 hole. But it ended well. Favre went 22/33 for 210 yards and got Green Bay out to a 19-14 lead. When Chicago was driving in the fourth quarter threatening to get the lead back, McKenzie picked off a pass on his own 10-yard line and went all the way to the house. That all but sealed a game that ended 34-21.

The visit to San Diego proved to be a battle. The Chargers might not be good, but with Marty Schottenheimer rebuilding behind LaDanian Tomlinson in the backfield, the Bolts weren’t far from being a contender. They took a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter. Favre answered the bell, hitting Ferguson on a 40-yard TD strike, tossing an 11-yard scoring pass to Green and then going back to Ferguson from 16 yards out. The fourth quarter flurry, keyed by Driver’s eight catches for 112 yards, led a 38-21 win.

Green Bay was 8-6 and tied for first in the NFC North with Minnesota. The problem was, the Vikings held the tiebreaker based on conference record. Dallas led the wild-card race at 9-5 and had control of the tiebreakers. The Packers were tied with the Seahawks at 8-6 for the final berth. Green Bay held this tiebreaker based on head-to-head, but there was one problem—any Dallas loss could create a three-way tie and the Packers would end up the odd team out.

So it was must-win on Monday Night in Oakland. And now is when the legend of the 2003 Green Bay Packers really kicks into high gear.

The day before the game the Favre family received awful news. Favre’s father Irv had died of a heart attack. He was only 58-years-old. There was talk that Favre would not play the following night. In the end, his family persuaded him it was what Irv would have wanted. He took the field, but with a heavy heart.

A sympathetic nation rallied to a quarterback they already loved for his down-home demeanor. And on Monday Night, Favre electrified the audience. He threw for 399 yards. There were four touchdown passes. There were no mistakes. A 41-7 win over what was a bad Raider team normally wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. This one, with virtually everything Favre threw up, seeming to land in the hands of his receivers, had a magical quality to it.

With most great quarterbacks, their defining moment is often a legendary drive (see John Elway in 1986 at Cleveland), a big Super Bowl win (Joe Montana, Tom Brady and a host of others), an epic playoff comeback (Peyton Manning in 2006 against New England). Ask people about Brett Favre’s greatest moment and the most common answer you get is the night he threw four touchdown passes a day after his father died. Brett Favre, more than other star athletes, was Everyman and perhaps this sums it up.

Everyman was still no guarantee for the playoffs. The previous Saturday, Minnesota had blown out Kansas City, depriving the Packers of help in a game where it seemed possible. Seattle and Dallas had both won. Everything was up in the air going into the final week.

Green Bay was slated to play in the late Sunday afternoon window at home against Denver. The Broncos were playoff-bound, but had nothing to play for.

The problem is that neither did Dallas. The Cowboys dropped their finale in the early afternoon. Combine that with Seattle’s win in San Francisco on Saturday, and Green Bay was frozen out of the wild-card. The only hope was to catch Minnesota. The Vikings were out in Arizona for a finale that would play parallel to the Packers-Broncos game.

Green Bay took care of their business. Green had the best day of the best season in his career. He poured it on for 218 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown jaunt that all but sealed the game early in the fourth quarter. It ended 31-3.

Everyone at Lambeau was watching the score in Arizona. It didn’t look good. The Vikings led 17-6. Phil Simms, calling the game for CBS, noted that Green Bay had gone 10-6 and that such was usually a playoff season. The obituaries were being written.

Then the Cardinals got a touchdown. And got the ball back. Watching the Packer game became a surreal experience. Players from the sidelines were looking up at the fans, who were tuned into what was going on in the desert. Arizona got to the Minnesota 28-yard line, but there was only time for one more play.

What happened next remains stunning by any measure. Josh McCown stepped back for Arizona and found Nathan Poole for a touchdown. The crowd at Lambeau erupted as though they were there, even though their own game was still going on right before them. Arizona had pulled the upset. Green Bay was going to the playoffs. The thought that maybe Irv had guided McCown’s pass was a part of the storyline.

Green Bay was now hosting a first-round playoff game. Seattle came in for the second time this season. This one wasn’t as easy as the first. Both teams had two good first drives bog down with field goals. Favre found Franks for a 23-yard TD pass to make it 13-6 at the half.

The offenses picked up the pace in the second half. Favre went 26/38 for 319 yards. Counterpart Matt Hasselbeck was 25/45 for 305 yards. The back and forth battle went to overtime tied 27-all, neither quarterback having thrown a pick.

Maybe that’s why Hasselbeck was confident enough to tell the official “We’re gonna score” as Seattle won the coin toss under overtime rules that were then strict sudden death. Hasselbeck was almost right.

Seattle drove near midfield. Hasselbeck looked to his left. His pass was intercepted by Al Harris, who raced the other way for a Pick-6. In yet another stunning turn of events, the Packers had another victory.

Green Bay went to Philadelphia the following Sunday, a late afternoon kick that would conclude the divisional round weekend. The Packers played like the magic was still there. Favre went to Ferguson for touchdowns from 40 and 17 yards. Green Bay led 14-0.

Philadelphia rallied with two TDs of their own to tie it, but Green was owning the Eagles on the ground. His 25 carries produced 156 yards. A field goal early in the fourth quarter put the Packers up 17-14. They had the ball late in the game, facing 4^th-and-inches near the Philadelphia 40. A first down would seal the game. Head coach Mike Sherman opted to punt.

It was understandable decision, given the Eagles only needed a field goal and the Packer defense was playing well. I see why Sherman didn’t want to risk giving the Eagles a short field, even though I felt at the time it was a mistake to punt. Then the punt went into the end zone, Green Bay had only gained about twenty yards in exchange for giving up a chance to clinch the game behind a ground game that was clicking. But when the defense forced Philly into an impossible 4^th-and-26, it didn’t appear to matter.

The stunning turns of events were now going to turn around and bite the Packers. Philadelphia converted the first down and quite easily, as the Green Bay secondary led Freddie Mitchell waltz over the middle of the field wide open. The Eagles tied the game with a field goal.

Green Bay still got the coin toss in overtime. That’s when Favre threw what can only be described as the worst and most misguided pass of his career. In his own territory and under pressure, Favre scrambled and then basically hurled the ball blindly back across the field. To no one’s surprise, the blind backside desperation throw was intercepted. Philadelphia kicked a field goal and the season was over.

Live by the sword and die by the sword was Brett Favre’s mantra throughout his entire magnificent career. Never were both sides of that more obvious than in the highs and lows of 2003, with a heavy dose of heartwarming human interest on top of it all.

Brett Favre and the Packers enjoyed a comeback season in 2001, returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The 2002 Green Bay Packers were aiming to build on that with a return to the Super Bowl. And for almost the entirety of the season, the ’02 Packers were poised to do just that. Then two disastrous games undid it all.

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Favre had another Pro Bowl season, although his statistical performance was largely pedestrian. The 62 percent completion rate was good and ranked 11^th in the league. But Favre only generated 6.6 yards-per-attempt and that ranked 21^st among NFL quarterbacks. The TD/INT ratio of 29/16 was fine by the standards of the time, although being intercepted on 2.9 percent of all throws still put you in the middle of the league.

In short, he was decent, but it was far from vintage Brett Favre. So how did the Packer offense rank sixth in the NFL in points scored? Ahman Green rushed for over 1,200 yards. Marco Rivera emerged as a Pro Bowler at guard, one of the rare top-caliber offensive lineman Green Bay had during the Favre era.

Donald Driver stepped up at wide receiver with a Pro Bowl season, catching 70 balls for over 1,000 yards. Tight end Bubba Franks was another Pro Bowler, with 54 catches. All in all, there was a running game, a deep threat, an underneath receiving target and pedestrian numbers or not, this was still Brett Lorenzo Favre pulling the trigger. That’s how the Packers ranked sixth in the NFL in points scored.

Green Bay’s defense had playmakers up front. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (KGB) recorded twelve sacks from his defensive end spot. Vonnie Holliday added six more from the other end and Cletidus Hunt got home 5 ½ times working the interior. They were supported in the secondary by Pro Bowl free safety Darren Sharper and rookie strong safety Marques Anderson, who picked off four passes. All told, the Packer defense ranked 12^th in the league in points allowed.

The season opened at home against Atlanta. It was an ironic opener in one sense—the Packers’ bid for the division title and #2 seed the previous year had been seriously damaged by a home loss to what was a mediocre Falcons team. This season opener would seem even more ironic by season’s end.

For now though, it was just one wild football game. Green rushed for 155 yards and caught six passes. Favre went 25/36 for 284 yards. Michael Vick fired right back for Atlanta and the teams traded blows all the way to overtime. Green Bay landed the last one and won 37-34.

A road trip to New Orleans didn’t go as well. The Pack didn’t run the ball, they lost three fumbles, dug themselves a 21-3 lead and fell 35-20. Favre got back on track at lowly Detroit. The Gunslinger went 31/47 for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Green Bay took a 34-17 lead, watched the Lions make it tight with a couple touchdowns and then tacked on another field goal for a 37-31 win.

A mediocre opponent in Carolina visited Lambeau. Green Bay’s offense continued their up-and-down performance. But Hunt’s two sacks led a defensive effort that kept the Packers within 14-10 in the fourth quarter. Favre finished 18/32 for 200 yards and his 22-yard TD strike to Driver with just over four minutes left pulled out the 17-14 win.

Chicago had outlasted Green Bay for the division title a year ago, so the Packers’ October visit to Soldier Field was put on Monday Night Football. But this year’s Bears team would fall hard and never contend. Favre went 85 yards to Driver for a first-quarter touchdown and threw two more TD passes before the first half was done. Holding a 24-14 lead, KGB sealed the deal—he got his hands up, intercepted a pass and took it 72 yards to the house. Green Bay won 34-21.

The New England Patriots had emerged onto the scene a year earlier when a heretofore unknown quarterback named Tom Brady led them to a shocking Super Bowl run. Green Bay went to Foxboro and made a big statement. Favre played a mistake-free game, while the defense picked off three Brady passes. Green ran for 136 yards and the result was a surprisingly easy 28-10 win.

A mediocre Washington Redskins team came to Lambeau. The 30-9 win was largely uneventful, keyed by the defense getting four turnovers and six sacks, including two from KGB.

Except…well, there was one little event. Favre was knocked out of the game. The Iron Man had not missed a start in his entire career, going back to 1992. This one was serious enough that it threatened to end the streak.

Divine Providence smiled on Favre. There was a bye week before a coming Monday Night visit to Miami. It was touch-and-go and Favre’s health was a major national media story for the next couple weeks. But in the end, he got on the field.

And he played pretty well against a decent Dolphins team. Favre went 16/25 for 187 yards. It was enough for the defense to win the game. KGB got three sacks. Sharper had an 89-yard Pick-6. The score was 24-0 in the fourth quarter and ended 24-10.

Now rounded fully back into gear, Favre came home and unloaded on the Lions. He went 26/39 for 351 yards and no mistakes. Driver caught 11 balls for 130 yards. Aided by a Pick-6 from Anderson, the Packers dropped 30 points in the first half and won 40-14.

Minnesota was going through a tough year, but no one who followed Brett Favre would ever rest easy when he went to the Metrodome. This game proved hair-raising. The Packers were pounded in the line of scrimmage, losing rush yardage 218-71 and digging an early 14-0 hole. A sloppy game both ways resulted in 25 combined penalties and six combined turnovers.

But Green Bay kept coming. They pulled even 21-21. In the fourth quarter, Favre and Driver made another big play—an 84-yard touchdown pass. The Packers added a field goal for breathing room and escaped 31-21.

Green Bay was running away with the NFC North. They were in a tough fight with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seeding position in the playoffs. That made a late afternoon battle in Tampa on the Sunday before Thanksgiving all the more important.

It was a memorable day for this writer personally. One of my best friends had gotten married the previous day and we were at the gift-opening ceremony on Sunday. As the guys all went to the basement to watch the game, there were jokes about how our buddy had to be dying listening to the shouts from the basement while he pretended to be thrilled about the new linens given as a wedding gift.

Anyway, it was a tough, physical game. Green Bay took a 7-3 lead by the half. But the Bucs’ aggressive defense, led by Hall of Fame tackle Warren Sapp, was making life miserable for Favre. They forced him into four interceptions. One of them stopped a Green Bay drive in the red zone. On another, Sapp leveled Packer tackle Chad Clifton with a block on the return. Clifton was knocked out, tempers got heated and Green Bay coach Mike Sherman was even screaming at Sapp on the field.

The frustration of the 21-7 loss undoubtedly added to Green Bay’s fury. The Bucs were now 9-2 and led the way for the 1-seed. The Packers and Eagles were both 8-3. Worse for Green Bay is that they trailed Philadelphia by three games in NFC record. Hence, the Pack would lose a tiebreaker to Tampa based on head-to-head and a tiebreaker to Philly based on conference record. Not much room for error, if any.

Green Bay hosted Chicago. Favre was erratic and the Packer trailed 14-6 at the half. Green and backup running back Tony Fisher were running well though and combined for 169 yards. The Pack took over in the second half and won 30-20.

They also got a break—Tampa lost at New Orleans. The race at the top of the NFC was now a three-way tie at 9-3.

Green Bay hosted Minnesota on Sunday Night Football and again had a shaky first half. But it could have been worse. A couple defensive stops inside their own 10-yard line kept the Packers within 13-0. Then Fisher, emerging late in the season as a running threat got going. He ran for 96 yards and ran for two TDs in the second half. The last one came with 1:06 left and pulled out a 26-22 win.

A big road trip to San Francisco was next. The 49ers were on their way to the NFC West title, although pretty clearly headed for the 4-seed in the bracket. Favre always played well against San Francisco and this key December battle was no different—25/33 for 201 yards and no mistakes. The Pack won 20-14.

Tampa and Philly were both holding serve, so all three teams were 11-3 and Green Bay would still be stuck as the 3-seed if nothing changed. Finally, in the season’s penultimate week, something did.

Playing in 25mph winds at home against mediocre Buffalo, Green rushed for 116 yards. Holliday had his entire season in one game, getting five sacks. The Packers won 10-0. The following night, Tampa Bay lost to Pittsburgh. There was one week to go. Philadelphia was still 12-3 and had inside track to the 1-seed, but Green Bay’s 12-3 mark was now good for the 2-seed and a first-round bye.

The three teams were not only all battling with each other, but they were also quite clearly the three best teams in all of football. Somebody that had a Super Bowl-caliber season was going to get stuck playing in the wild-card round.

The final week of the season was ideally spaced from a television perspective—the Eagles were playing the Giants in the early window. The Packers would visit the Jets in the marquee late afternoon slot. Tampa Bay was playing in Chicago on Sunday night.

Great news came early in the day. The Giants upset the Eagles. It was all there for Green Bay. Beat the Jets and get homefield advantage. And as of 2002, the Packers had never lost a playoff game in Lambeau Field.

But the Jets had plenty to play for. They were in three-way race of their own, with the Dolphins and Patriots for the AFC East title. By kickoff, New York knew they would take the division with a win. The Jets played like something was at stake. The Packers did not.

Green Bay only trailed 14-10 at the half. But Favre had a poor game, going 16/33 for 172 yards. His counterpart, Chad Pennington—ironically, a man Favre would displace as Jets quarterback six years later—heated up in the second half. The Packers were crushed 42-17. Tampa Bay won that night. The Packers, Eagles and Bucs were all 12-4. That left Green Bay on the wrong side of all tiebreakers and in the wild-card round.

Atlanta was the opponent. The Saturday night kickoff was the first time a game in the wild-card round was played in prime-time. And it would be the first time a road team won at Lambeau Field in the playoffs.

Nor would it be particularly close. Green Bay had a punt blocked. They turned it over five times. They trailed 24-0 at halftime and were booed off the field, an extremely rare display of anger by the normally uber-nice people of Wisconsin. There was no motivation in the second half and the final was 27-7.

The disasters against the Jets and the Falcons put a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth. But that shouldn’t obscure just how good this Packer team was for almost the entire 2002 season. Losing in the first round of the playoffs looks ugly. But that shouldn’t obscure how unbalanced the NFL was in ’02, with the best three teams being in the NFC.

Had the Packers been able to lick their wounds with a bye after the Jets disaster, they might have rebounded in the postseason. Instead, all the circumstances of 2002, tiebreakers and all, distorted the final legacy of this team. Let’s at least remember them as the team that tied for the best record in all of football.

The 1999 Green Bay Packers represented a key turning point in the Brett Favre era of franchise history. Mike Holmgren departed as head coach following 1998, after having come up with Favre onto the national stage over the previous seven seasons. The new man in charge was Ray Rhodes, who had previously taken the Philadelphia Eagles to a couple of playoff appearances. But the ’99 season didn’t work out. The Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1992 and Rhodes was one-and-done in Lambeau.

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Favre’s first year without his original coaching mentor was a struggle. He played with injuries, including a broken thumb and the numbers were mediocre. A 57 percent completion rate was 20^th among NFL quarterbacks. The 6.9 yards-per-attempt was in the middle of the league. And the TD-INT ratio was underwater at 22/23.

Antonio Freeman continued to be one of Favre’s favorite targets, as he’d been throughout the decade. Freeman caught 74 balls and cleared the 1,000-yard threshold. The normal second target was tight end Mark Chmura. But Chmura was lost for the season after two games and wide receiver Bill Schroeder stepped into the void. Schroeder caught 74 passes of his own and also went over 1,000 yards.

Dorsey Levens had a 1,000-yard season rushing, although he averaged less than four yards a carry. Levens, a versatile player, also caught 71 passes. All told, the Packers offense ranked 10^th in the NFL in points scored.

Defense was Rhodes’ specialty, but the Green Bay D struggled to 20^th in the league in points allowed. The great Reggie White had retired, leaving a big void in both leadership and production. LeRoy Butler was still at strong safety, but was starting to decline. Rookie corner Mike McKenzie picked off seven passes. But no one stood out.

In fact, a lack of standouts neatly summarizes the Green Bay problem. Not a single player made the Pro Bowl. Even in the best years of the Holmgren run, the Packers were always top-heavy reliant on their stars. Without that, the lack of depth was on display.

Green Bay opened the season at home against a mediocre Oakland Raiders team. The Packers were outrushed 153-91. Favre was intercepted three times and the Packers trailed 24-14. Favre also went 28/47 for 333 yards. Freeman caught seven balls for 111 yards. Favre threw two late TD passes, the last one with eleven seconds left and Green Bay pulled out a 28-24 win.

A road trip to Detroit had a different vibe than in recent years, with legendary Lion running back Barry Sanders having just retired. Levens was the best back on the field and carried 29 times for 153 yards. But Favre didn’t have a good day and the defense allowed a couple long touchdown passes early in the game. A 23-15 loss dropped the Pack to 1-1.

The Minnesota Vikings, the defending divisional champ came to Lambeau Field for a late Sunday afternoon kickoff. Favre went 24/39 for 304 yards. It looked like it might not be enough when the Vikings took a 20-16 lead late in the game. But Favre led one last furious drive and then hit Corey Bradford on a 23-yard touchdown pass with twelve seconds left for a thrilling win.

Green Bay was going into the bye week at 2-1, but they were a matter of seconds from being 0-3. This was a team that had clearly had some problems to fix.

Tampa Bay was a divisional rival prior to the realignment of 2002. The Buccaneers joined the four current teams of the NFC North in what was then the NFC Central. The Bucs were coached by Tony Dungy and a contender. They came to Lambeau Field for a Sunday Night battle.

Green Bay was beaten in the trenches—outrushed 173-93 and they allowed five sacks. Favre stepped back and opened up to his wide receivers. Freeman and Schroeder each caught seven passes and each went over 150 yards on the night. Favre went 22/40 for 390 yards. More late-game magic was in store for the Lambeau crowd. A 21-yard Favre-to-Freeman TD strike with a minute left pulled out a 26-23 win.

The Packers went on to Denver. It was the first time the teams had played since the Super Bowl following the 1997 season. The Broncos won that one and then repeated as champs in 1998. But John Elway retired after ’98 and this year’s Denver team wasn’t very good. But you wouldn’t have known that from this game. Green Bay was pounded on the ground, losing rush yardage 151-21. Favre threw three interceptions. A game that was tied 10-10 in the third quarter turned into a 31-10 blowout loss.

Another road game out west came at mediocre San Diego and this one went much better for the Pack. The Chargers had two former Chicago Bears quarterbacks, Erik Kramer and Jim Harbaugh. Green Bay had gotten familiar with both and today they picked each QB off three times. The six interceptions keyed an easy 31-3 win.

It was time for the Monday Night game everyone had circled from the start of the season. The Seattle Seahawks were coming to town. Holmgren was coming back. It was the teacher facing his old student.

And the teacher decidedly won this one. Even though Favre threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Bradford to tie the game 7-7, it got away from Green Bay. Favre ended 14/35 for 180 yards and was intercepted four times. Seattle coasted to a 27-7 win and Holmgren went on to win a division title in his first season.

The Packers had to get well and a visit from a subpar Bears team should have been the perfect antidote. Favre played pretty well, going 27/40 for 267 yards. Green Bay won the turnover battle 4-1. But they settled for field goals on a couple of good drives and were outrushed 160-85. Chicago pulled a 14-13 upset. The Packers were 4-4 and in trouble.

The trouble got worse in Dallas, a team that joined Green Bay on the playoff fringe. The Pack was again pummeled on the ground, this time to the tune of 149-50. Favre was forced to throw fifty times. It wasn’t a formula for success and ended with a 27-13 loss.

A home game with Detroit, another team on the very edge of the playoff picture, was now must-win. Green Bay trailed 17-12 at the half. This time, Favre stepped up with a 26/40 for 309 yards performance. Levens ran for 99 yards, the Packers took over the second half and won 26-17.

Green Bay and San Francisco had a great rivalry through the 1990s and had met four straight years in the playoffs. The 49ers were having an even tougher go of it in 1999 than the Packers were, so this Monday Night game at the end of November was missing some juice. Either way, Green Bay needed the win and Favre delivered it. He was sharp 24/35 for 260 yards and no mistakes. The defense played its best game of the year in a 20-3 win.

Green Bay was 6-5 and the good news was that mediocrity was the story of the NFL in 1999. The Packers still had a shot at the NFC Central, with the Buccaneers, Vikings and Lions all 7-4. There were three wild-card spots available. The Cowboys were 6-5, with the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers all giving chase at 5-6. It was just about playing well in December in this packed race.

The Packers went to Chicago and took a measure of revenge. After spotting the Bears a 10-0 lead, they reeled off three quick touchdowns, including a fumble return by Keith McKenzie. The running game was put in the hands of De’Mon Parker, who went for 113 yards on 19 carries. The result was an easy 35-19 win.

In the meantime, Carolina had lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. That proved more important when the Panthers came to Lambeau and halted Packer momentum. In a back-and-forth game, neither team could run the ball. Favre and counterpart Steve Beuerlein each threw for over 300 yards. But this time, the Green Bay didn’t have the ball last. A Carolina touchdown run on the final play of the game handed the Packers a 33-31 loss.

Tampa Bay had seized control of the NFC Central and was 9-4. Detroit was 8-5. Green Bay and Minnesota were both fighting for their lives at 7-6. And they were set to meet on Monday Night in the old Metrodome.

In a good game, the difference was that Favre threw a couple picks while Minnesota stayed mistake-free and got some big plays in the passing game to Randy Moss. Green Bay lost a tough 24-20 decision.

The Packers were still in a four-way tie for the last playoff spot. The Cowboys, Giants and Panthers were also 7-7. But Green Bay was the one who had to visit surging Tampa Bay for a late afternoon start on the day after Christmas. Even though the Packers led 10-9 at the half, they only rushed for 12 yards and fell apart in the second half of a 29-10 loss.

There was still hope. In this year where no one seemed to want to play their way in, the Cowboys, Giants and Panthers all lost. So had the Lions, who were now 8-7 and holding on to the 5-seed. Green Bay didn’t control their destiny, but their path was pretty reasonable given how many missed opportunities there had been.

Green Bay played Arizona, who had been fading hard down the stretch. The game at Lambeau Field would kick off in the early window. If the Packers won, they simply needed to root for the Giants to win at Dallas in the late afternoon. If that parlay happened, Green Bay was in.

The Packers took care of their business easily. Favre went 21/34 for 311 yards. Levens piled up 146 yards on the ground and made his Fantasy owners happy with four touchdowns. Green Bay won 49-24.

But there was no help coming later in the day. Dallas was in complete control from the outset and their 26-18 win was not as close as it sounds. The Cowboys took the final playoff spot. In year where not one, but two 8-8 teams made the playoffs, the tiebreakers fell against the 8-8 Packers.

Green Bay wasted no time in cutting ties with Rhodes and bringing in Mike Sherman as the new head coach. But it would take until 2001 for Favre and the Packers to return to the playoffs.