1997 Green Bay Packers season | |
---|---|
Head Coach | Mike Holmgren |
Home Field | Lambeau Field |
Results | |
Record | 13–3 |
Place | 1st NFC Central |
Playoff Finish | Won NFC Divisional Playoff Won NFC Championship Lost Super Bowl XXXII (Denver Broncos) |
Timeline | |
Previous Season | Next Season |
1996 | 1998 |
The 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.[1] The team narrowly missed its opportunity to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
After a dominating 1996 campaign which ended with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI, many expected the Packers to repeat as champions in 1997. During training camp, star safety LeRoy Butler, among others, said that the Packers had the chance to run the table and go 19-0. This opinion drew increased coverage from the media as the Packers notched impressive victories in all five preseason games. The undefeated hype ended quickly, however, when Green Bay lost week 2 in Philadelphia. Following a relatively slow 3-2 start, the Packers caught fire in the second half of the season, finishing with a 13-3 regular season record and 8-0 home record for the second consecutive year. In the playoffs, Green Bay defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field in the divisional round, and San Francisco 49ers at 3Com Park in the NFC Championship. Some in the media dubbed the NFC title game as "the real Super Bowl" because of the 49ers' and Packers' league dominance, and the relative inferiority of the AFC in recent Super Bowls. Green Bay's win marked the third consecutive year the team had defeated San Francisco in the playoffs. The Packers entered Super Bowl XXXII as 11 1/2 point favorites. The point spread was likely determined by Green Bay's victory in the previous Super Bowl, the AFC's string of 13 consecutive Super Bowl losses, and Denver's losses in four previous Super Bowls. The game itself was a seesaw battle, and one of the most exciting Super Bowls in history. The Broncos won the thriller 31-24, earning John Elway his first Super Bowl victory at the age of 37, and the first championship in franchise history. Years later, Brett Favre said the Broncos were far underrated, and credited Denver's innovative blitz packages and strategies, foreign to the league at that time, for confusing the Packers.
Packers' quarterback Brett Favre was named the league's MVP for the third year in a row in 1997. Favre was the first player in the history of the award to win three MVPs, and remains the only player to have won three MVPs consecutively.[2] The Packers became the first team to have six NFL MVP award winners.[3]
Offseason[]
1997 NFL draft[]
Despite picking last in the 1997 NFL draft, the Packers did well, picking up future all-pro tackle Ross Verba and free safety Darren Sharper.[4]
Round | Sel# | Player | Pos. | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 30 | Ross Verba | T | Iowa |
2 | 60 | Darren Sharper | FS | William & Mary |
3 | 90 | Brett Conway | K | Penn State |
4 | 126 | Jermaine Smith | DT | Georgia |
5 | 160 | Anthony Hicks | LB | Arkansas |
7 | 213 | Chris Miller | WR | Southern California |
7 | 231 | Terrance Lucas | DB | Montana State |
7 | 240 | Ronnie McAda | QB | Army |
Ronnie McAda was Mr. Irrelevant
Personnel[]
Staff[]
1997 Green Bay Packers staff | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
Roster[]
This is the roster that is printed in the Green Bay Packers 1997 Official Media Guide. This information was printed previous to the playing of the season and does not reflect the regular season cut down or any mid season transactions.
1997 Green Bay Packers roster | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
Rookies and first-year players in italics |
Schedule[]
Preseason[]
Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 1 | Miami Dolphins | W 20-0 | Lambeau Field | 1-0 | |
August 8 | New England Patriots | W 7-3 | Lambeau Field | 2-0 | |
August 16 | at Oakland Raiders | W 37-24 | Oakland Coliseum | 3-0 | |
August 24 | at Buffalo Bills | W 35-3 | SkyDome | 4-0 | |
August 28 | New York Giants | W 22-17 | Camp Randall Stadium | 5-0 |
Regular season[]
The Packers finished the 1997 regular season with a 13-3 record, clinching first place in the NFC Central division, as well as a first-round playoff bye.[6]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 1 | Chicago Bears | W 38-24 | Lambeau Field | 1-0 | |
2 | September 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 9-10 | Veterans Stadium | 1-1 | |
3 | September 14 | Miami Dolphins | W 23-18 | Lambeau Field | 2-1 | |
4 | September 21 | Minnesota Vikings | W 38-32 | Lambeau Field | 3-1 | |
5 | September 28 | at Detroit Lions | L 15-26 | Pontiac Silverdome | 3-2 | |
6 | October 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21-16 | Lambeau Field | 4-2 | |
7 | October 12 | at Chicago Bears | W 24-23 | Soldier Field | 5-2 | |
8 | Bye week | |||||
9 | October 27 | at New England Patriots | W 28-10 | Foxboro Stadium | 6-2 | |
10 | November 2 | Detroit Lions | W 20-10 | Lambeau Field | 7-2 | |
11 | November 9 | St. Louis Rams | W 17-7 | Lambeau Field | 8-2 | |
12 | November 16 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 38-41 | RCA Dome | 8-3 | |
13 | November 23 | Dallas Cowboys | W 45-17 | Lambeau Field | 9-3 | |
14 | December 1 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 27-11 | Metrodome | 10-3 | |
15 | December 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17-6 | Houlihan's Stadium | 11-3 | |
16 | December 14 | at Carolina Panthers | W 31-10 | Ericsson Stadium | 12-3 | |
17 | December 20 | Buffalo Bills | W 31-21 | Lambeau Field | 13-3 |
Standings[]
NFC Central | ||||||
Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green Bay Packers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 422 | 282 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 299 | 263 |
Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 379 | 306 |
Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 354 | 359 |
Chicago Bears | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 263 | 421 |
Playoffs[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Divisional | January 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21-7 | Lambeau Field | |
NFC Championship | January 11 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 23-10 | 3Com Park | |
Super Bowl | January 25 | Denver Broncos | L 24-31 | Qualcomm Stadium |
Awards and records[]
- Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (304)
- Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Passing Yards (3,867)
- Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (35)
- Brett Favre, NFL Most Valuable Player
- Brett Favre, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
- Brett Favre, All-Pro Selection
- Brett Favre, Best NFL Player ESPY Award
- Brett Favre, First Player to win Three Consecutive MVP Awards
- Robert Brooks, National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award
References[]
- ↑ Super Bowl XXXII - Denver 31, Green Bay 24. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ↑ List of APMVP winners. sportsline.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 400
- ↑ NFL Draft History - Green Bay Packers. NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ↑ All Time Coaches Database. Packers.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-03.
- ↑ 1997 NFL Standings. NFL.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.