1997: Packers Defeat Buccaneers in NFC Central Showdown

Two strong defensive teams, the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, met on December 7, 1997 in Tampa with the NFC Central title on the line.

The Packers, coached by Mike Holmgren, were the defending NFL Champions and had a 10-3 record thus far. QB Brett Favre (pictured at right) was the key to the offense and was helped by the presence of wide receivers Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman as well as capable RB Dorsey Levens. Star DE Reggie White was hindered by back pain but overall, the defense was tough and aggressive.

Tampa Bay was right behind the Packers at 9-4, having gotten off to a 5-0 start before losing three straight contests, starting with a defeat at Green Bay. No longer a perennial loser with the arrival of Head Coach Tony Dungy, the offense benefited from the presence of rookie RB Warrick Dunn, who teamed well with RB Mike Alstott in the conservative offense that was directed by QB Trent Dilfer. DT Warren Sapp anchored a solid defensive line and linebackers Hardy Nickerson and Derrick Brooks were outstanding. 

There were a franchise-record 73,523 fans in attendance at Houlihan’s Stadium on a clear afternoon. The Buccaneers had the opening possession and advanced into Green Bay territory as Trent Dilfer threw to WR Karl Williams for a 35-yard gain, but the drive stalled at the 39 and they punted. The Packers gave the ball right back on their first play when TE Mark Chmura fumbled when hit hard by SS John Lynch and CB Donnie Abraham after catching a short pass and LB Hardy Nickerson (pictured below) recovered at the Green Bay 13. Two carries by Mike Alstott picked up seven yards and the Bucs got on the board when Michael Husted kicked a 24-yard field goal.

The Packers had to punt following a short series, but it was their turn to benefit from a turnover when Alstott fumbled the ball away at the Tampa Bay 36, FS Eugene Robinson recovering. A loss on a running play and false start penalty backed the visitors up, but Brett Favre, scrambling away from pressure, threw deep to Robert Brooks for a 43-yard touchdown. Ryan Longwell added the extra point and the Packers were in front by 7-3.

The teams exchanged punts as the game headed into the second quarter. Tampa Bay got a break when Dorsey Levens fumbled and Abraham recovered at his 40, and while the Bucs lost ground and again had to punt, they got the ball back on yet another turnover when Lynch intercepted an overthrown Favre pass and returned it 28 yards to the Green Bay 30. The home team still wasn’t able to move the ball on offense, and Dilfer suffered a sprained ankle when sacked on third down by Reggie White, but they managed to not come up empty when Husted kicked a 48-yard field goal to narrow the score to 7-6.

Taking over with 1:52 remaining in the first half, the Packers moved into Tampa Bay territory as Favre completed six straight passes, the longest to Antonio Freeman for 27 yards to the Bucs’ 14. But Longwell’s 31-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Nickerson and the tally remained unchanged at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter until the Packers put together a 10-play, 73-yard series. Favre again completed six passes, including one of 18 yards to Freeman to convert a third down and two to Chmura that picked up 20 and 10 yards to reach the Tampa Bay 15. Favre’s last completion was to Levens for an eight-yard touchdown and, with Longwell’s point after, Green Bay was ahead by 14-6.

The Buccaneers advanced methodically to the Green Bay 47, but once again a third down sack, this time by Robinson, forced another punt. As the game entered the final period, the Packers put together a long possession that covered 88 yards in 16 plays and used up over ten minutes of playing time. Levens started the drive off with runs of 17 and 15 yards and Favre completed five passes. Longwell kicked a 27-yard field goal and Green Bay’s lead was up to 11 points with 6:24 to play.

With Dilfer finally forced from the game by his injured ankle, Steve Walsh was at quarterback when the Buccaneers got the ball back, and he converted a third-and-12 situation with a completion to Williams (pictured below) that picked up 38 yards to the Green Bay 36. But three plays later, an interception snuffed out the threat.

Tampa Bay got one last shot with the clock down to 2:37 following a punt by the Packers, but three passes netted nine yards and an incompletion on fourth down effectively ended the game. Green Bay came away the winner by a final score of 17-6.

The Packers generated far more offense than the Buccaneers, reflected in their lead in total yards (362 to 161) and first downs (20 to 8). While Green Bay was held to 82 yards on the ground, Tampa Bay’s normally robust running game was held to 67. The Packers had more turnovers, with three to the Bucs’ two, but theirs all came in the first half and Green Bay also recorded all of the game’s four sacks.

Brett Favre completed 25 of 33 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, giving up one interception. Dorsey Levens rushed for 54 yards on 22 carries but also led the Packers in pass receptions with 8, good for 64 yards and a TD. Antonio Freeman gained 73 yards on 5 catches and Robert Brooks (pictured below) was right behind with 71 yards on his three receptions that included a score.

For the Buccaneers, Trent Dilfer was successful on just 6 of 17 throws for 67 yards and no TDs, although also no interceptions. Steve Walsh was four-of-nine for 50 yards and was picked off once. Karl Williams caught 5 passes for 87 yards, by far the biggest performance of any of the Tampa Bay receivers, while Mike Alstott gained just 34 yards on 10 carries and Warrick Dunn was held to 33 yards on 12 attempts.

“In my 43 years, I’m not sure I’ve been around a better effort than the one today,” said Green Bay defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur regarding his unit’s performance.

“We had some chances, some turnovers,” said Coach Dungy of his Buccaneers. “We couldn’t convert. They converted theirs. That was pretty much the difference.”

The win clinched a third straight NFC Central title for the Packers, who ended the regular season with a 13-3 record. Tampa Bay placed second at 10-6, the franchise’s best record since 1979, and qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card. A win over Detroit in the first round set up another meeting for the Buccaneers with the Packers at the Divisional level, and for a third time they lost to Green Bay. The Packers went on to win the NFC Championship, losing a close contest to Denver in the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre led the NFL in touchdown passes (35) and the NFC in passing yards (3867). He was Associated Press MVP, consensus first-team All-NFL, and a Pro Bowl selection for the third consecutive year. Dorsey Levens was also named to the Pro Bowl as he placed second in NFC rushing with 1435 yards, in addition to catching 53 passes for another 370 yards and scoring a career-high 12 touchdowns.

2000: Packers Beat Vikings on Stunning Freeman TD Catch in Overtime

The Green Bay Packers were struggling at 3-5 as they faced the division-rival Minnesota Vikings on November 6, 2000. While Head Coach Mike Sherman’s team still had star QB Brett Favre, very much in his prime at age 31, there were questions at running back, where veteran Dorsey Levens was out with an injury and backup Ahman Green, new to the team after two nondescript years with Seattle, was not yet established in the offense. WR Antonio Freeman appeared to be on the downside of his career and the rest of the receivers were ordinary. While the defense was not bad, it would be severely tested against Minnesota’s outstanding receivers.

The Vikings, under Head Coach Dennis Green for the ninth year, had a 7-1 record, having lost for the first time at Tampa Bay the previous week. Second-year QB Daunte Culpepper was easing successfully into the starting role and was helped by the presence of two outstanding wide receivers in Cris Carter and Randy Moss. RB Robert Smith was also highly productive. However, the defense was a cause of concern.

There were 59,854 fans in attendance for the rainy Monday night encounter at Lambeau Field. The Packers had first possession and punted. On Minnesota’s second play, Daunte Culpepper threw to Randy Moss on a slant and, after evading two tackles before being caught by DT Santana Dotson 20 yards down field, he lateraled to Cris Carter for an additional eight yards. A pass to Carter and two carries by Robert Smith advanced the ball to the Green Bay nine. On third-and-goal, Culpepper scrambled for an apparent touchdown, but it was nullified due to a personal foul penalty and the Vikings had to settle for a 30-yard Gary Anderson field goal.

Green Bay put together a 15-play, 81-yard drive that extended into the second quarter. Favre connected with Antonio Freeman for 20 yards on a third-and-five play and WR Bill Schroeder ran for 12 yards on a reverse that was helped by Favre’s block on LB Dwayne Rudd. Following a 15-yard completion to Freeman to get to the Minnesota five, the Packers couldn’t reach the end zone and Ryan Longwell kicked a 24-yard field goal to tie the score.

Key calls by the officials played a role in Minnesota’s next series. First, Culpepper was sacked by DT Russell Maryland, but an apparent fumble that was recovered by the Packers in the end zone was overruled with the officials explaining that the quarterback’s knee was already down. Then, on a third-and-19 play, a taunting penalty on CB Mike McKenzie gave the Vikings a first down. Smith ran for 22 yards and Culpepper threw to Moss for a 42-yard gain to the Green Bay 20. Another short pass was followed by a throw that Carter wrestled away from McKenzie for a five-yard TD. The series had gone 84 yards in eight plays and Anderson added the extra point to make it 10-3 in favor of the visitors.

The Packers came back with an 87-yard scoring drive. On the second play, Favre (pictured below) threw to Freeman for a 33-yard gain. An interference call on CB Cris Dishman added another 28 yards and, two plays later, Favre rolled out and, as he was being pulled down around the waist by LB Ed McDaniel, he flipped a pass underhand to Ahman Green, who caught the throw just inside the end zone for a touchdown. Longwell’s PAT once again made it a tie score at 10-10.

With time running out in the first half, the Vikings went 57 yards in nine plays. They converted in a third-and-eight situation when Moss out-jumped FS Darren Sharper to catch a Culpepper pass for a 33-yard gain. Two plays later, a screen pass to Smith gained 22 yards to the Green Bay 30. The drive came up dry at that point, with three passes falling incomplete, and Anderson booted a 48-yard field goal as the half ended to give the Vikings a 13-10 lead at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Packers got a break on defense when McKenzie intercepted a Culpepper pass and returned it 26 yards to the Minnesota 34. They were able to advance 21 yards in six plays and Longwell kicked a 31-yard field goal to again knot the score at 13-13.

Minnesota came right back with a 73-yard drive. Smith gained 13 yards on a sweep and Culpepper, flushed out of the pocket, ran for nine yards to the Green Bay 38. However, the series stalled but, facing third-and-17, Culpepper tossed a swing pass to Smith that the running back took all the way for a 45-yard touchdown. Anderson’s extra point had the Vikings back up by seven.

The Packers responded with a big play when CB Allen Rossum returned the kickoff 90 yards to the Minnesota two yard line. Two plays later, Green powered over for a TD from that distance and, adding Longwell’s kick, the score was tied once more at 20-20.

In the fourth quarter, Green Bay got the ball back following a punt when RB David Palmer fumbled on the return and long snapper Rob Davis recovered at the Minnesota 35. However, the Packers were unable to capitalize on a series in which Favre was sacked for a 12-yard loss.

Green Bay had another shot when a pass interference call on CB Robert Tate was good for 28 yards, but Schoeder dropped a third-and-seven throw in the end zone. The Packers passed up a long field goal attempt into the wind and the resulting punt went into the end zone for a touchback.

The Packers got the ball back in their own territory, couldn’t move, and had to punt, with Josh Bidwell’s kick going only 25 yards. Starting from the Green Bay 48, Culpepper threw to Moss for 19 yards and, with time running out, the Vikings lined up for a 33-yard field goal attempt by Anderson to win the game. But holder Mitch Berger couldn’t handle the snap cleanly and had to abort the kick. Rolling out to his right – and apparently forgetting that it was only first down and he could have thrown the ball away, with the team then able to attempt another kick – he tossed a desperation pass down the field that was intercepted by CB Tyrone Williams as time ran out. With the score still tied at 20-20, the game headed into overtime. 

The Packers had the first possession in OT. They converted a third-and-nine as Favre threw to Schroeder for a 22-yard gain. Two runs netted six yards and, on a third-and-four play, Favre went deep for Antonio Freeman, who was well-covered by Cris Dishman. Freeman slipped on the slick turf and fell as Dishman muffed a potential interception, and the ball fell onto Freeman’s left arm (pictured at top). The receiver pulled it to his chest and, jumping up, got past SS Robert Griffith and sped to the end zone where a wild celebration ensued. Green Bay won in astonishing fashion by a score of 26-20.

The Vikings significantly outgained Green Bay (407 yards to 298) and had the edge in first downs (22 to 19). However, Minnesota turned the ball over five times, while the Packers suffered none. The Vikings were also penalized 11 times at a cost of 129 yards, to 8 flags for 63 yards on Green Bay.

Brett Favre completed 17 of 36 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Antonio Freeman had 5 catches for 118 yards and the game-winning TD and Ahman Green also had 5 pass receptions, for 34 yards, to go along with his 68 rushing yards on 23 carries. He scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Bill Schroeder contributed four catches for 63 yards.

For the Vikings, Randy Moss had four catches for 103 yards in the first half despite Green Bay’s concentrated attempt to stop him, but was marginalized in the second half and ended up with 6 receptions for 130 yards. Cris Carter added 5 catches for 59 yards and a TD. Daunte Culpepper was successful on 17 of 34 throws for 276 yards and two TDs, but also tossed three interceptions. Robert Smith ran for 122 yards on 24 carries and had another 67 yards and a score on his two catches.

The Packers lost the next week but finished strong by winning five of their last six games (including another victory over the Vikings). They ended up third in the NFC Central with a 9-7 record. Minnesota recovered to win four straight games before losing three to finish out the regular season at 11-5. That made them division champs and they beat the Saints in the Divisional playoff round before being soundly beaten by the Giants for the NFC title.

Brett Favre had a relatively off year by his standards. He led the NFC with 580 pass attempts, completing 58.3 percent for 3812 yards and 20 touchdowns as opposed to 16 interceptions. Antonio Freeman caught 62 passes for 912 yards and nine TDs. Ahman Green performed well in the second half of the year and, in addition to leading the team in rushing (1175 yards), he also had the most pass receptions (73). It set the stage for bigger years to come as he topped the thousand-yard rushing mark in six of his first seven years with the club.

Daunte Culpepper went on to tie for the NFL lead in touchdown passes (33, along with Peyton Manning of the Colts) while throwing for 3937 yards and a fourth-ranked passer rating of 98.0. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. So was Randy Moss, who was also a consensus first-team All-NFL honoree as he caught 77 passes for 1437 yards and a league-leading 15 receiving touchdowns. 

1998: Terrell Davis Runs Broncos Past Packers in Super Bowl XXXII

In four appearances in the Super Bowl prior to the 1997 season, the Denver Broncos had experienced only disappointment. In three of them, John Elway had been the quarterback and had taken criticism for coming up short in the biggest game. He was 37 years old and in his 15th season in ’97, and time was running short. Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s team had gone 13-3 in 1996, only to lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs, but came back with a 12-4 record that was good enough for second place in the AFC West and a wild card spot. Elway had a typically outstanding year, throwing for 3635 yards and a career-high 27 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. WR Rod Smith (70 receptions, 1180 yards) and TE Shannon Sharpe (72 catches, 1107 yards) provided reliable targets. Third-year RB Terrell Davis (pictured), with 1750 rushing yards and a league-leading 15 TDs on the ground, supplied a key ingredient to the offense.

Denver easily got past Jacksonville in the Wild Card playoff and then defeated Kansas City in the next round (the team they had finished behind in the division) and Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship.

The NFC’s representative in Super Bowl XXXII was the Green Bay Packers, who were the defending champions. Under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, they had matched their 13-3 record of ’96 in winning the NFC Central. They featured QB Brett Favre (pictured below), who was the Associated Press NFL MVP for the third consecutive year (tied, this time, with Detroit RB Barry Sanders). Favre had led the NFL with 35 TD passes, 12 of them to WR Antonio Freeman (81 receptions, 1243 yards) and 7 more to WR Robert Brooks (60 catches, 1010 yards). Pro Bowl RB Dorsey Levens ran for 1435 yards and caught 53 passes as well. The solid defense featured DE Reggie White and SS LeRoy Butler.


The Packers defeated the Buccaneers in the Divisional round and San Francisco to repeat as conference champions. They were 12-point favorites entering Super Bowl XXXII, and the NFC had won the previous 13 straight NFL championships.

There were 68,912 fans on hand at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium for the game on January 25, 1998. Favre wasted no time, driving the Packers to the first score of the game in a four-minute opening possession that included three passes for 48 yards to Freeman, including a 22-yard TD pass. Denver responded in kind, featuring Davis carrying the ball five times for 42 yards; he capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Elway completed no passes on the possession, but had a 10-yard scramble to set up first-and-goal. The score stood at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Broncos took advantage of Green Bay turnovers to score 10 more points in the second quarter. First, DE Neil Smith recovered a Favre fumble that set up a 51-yard field goal by Jason Elam. Then SS Tyrone Braxton intercepted a pass that resulted in Denver’s offense going 45 yards in eight plays, ending with a two-yard run by Elway.

Down 17-7, the Packers fought back with a long drive of 17 plays that used up over seven minutes and ended in a Favre touchdown pass to TE Mark Chmura with twelve seconds left in the half.

Denver had missed the running of Terrell Davis for much of the second quarter, due to his taking a kick in the head, after rushing for 62 yards on 9 carries. He fumbled on the first play of the second half, with CB Tyrone Williams recovering for Green Bay. Ryan Longwell followed up with a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17.

The Broncos came back as Elway and Davis, making up for the fumble and having shaken off the effects of the injury, keyed a 13-play, 92-yard scoring drive. Eight of the plays were runs by Davis, including the one-yard touchdown that put Denver back in the lead at 24-17. Elway completed a 36-yard pass to WR Ed McCaffrey and, in a third-and-six situation, ran for eight yards that included a dive at the end to give the Broncos a first-and-goal.

After FS Eugene Robinson intercepted an Elway pass in the end zone, it was Brett Favre’s turn. The Packers again tied the score early in the fourth quarter, once more on a Favre pass to Freeman of 13 yards. Neither team was able to move the ball in its next possession as they traded punts. With 3:27 remaining, Denver took over just inside Green Bay territory. Thanks to a 15-yard face mask penalty and an Elway screen pass to FB Howard Griffith that covered 23 yards, the Broncos had first-and-goal at the eight yard line. They were backed up by holding penalty, but Davis responded with a 17-yard run to the one, and scored his third TD of the game untouched from there.

With time running out, the Packers charged down the field into Denver territory. However, a fourth-down pass by Favre was batted away by LB John Mobley and the Broncos were champions by a 31-24 score.


Terrell Davis was the game’s MVP, having run the ball 30 times for 157 yards with the three touchdowns. John Elway (pictured at right) had modest statistics, as he completed 12 of 22 passes for 123 yards with an interception, but made key runs (including a score) among his 17 yards on five carries and guided the offense well. Shannon Sharpe caught the most passes for the Broncos, with 5 (for 38 yards), while Ed McCaffrey was the leader in receiving yards with 45 on two catches.

For Green Bay, Brett Favre had 25 completions in 42 passing attempts for 256 yards and three TDs along with an interception. Antonio Freeman (pictured at bottom) caught 9 passes for 126 yards and two scores. Dorsey Levens ran effectively, with 90 yards on 19 carries; he also caught 6 passes for another 56 yards.

Denver repeated as champion in 1998 with an even stronger season in what was Elway’s last year; after all the Super Bowl disappointments in his Hall of Fame career, he capped it with two titles. The Packers were back in the playoffs in ’98, but as a wild card team that lost in the first round. They would not be back in the postseason until 2001.