So, the Green Bay Packers’ All-Decade Team is in the books.
But what about the best moments or games of the decade? We’d have to talk about that, wouldn’t we?
Yes we would.
After all, the past 10 years have been filled with those “Wow” moments for us Packers fans. Narrowing them down to a list of 10 proved no easy feat, to say the least. But after much deliberation, I’ve been able to do just that. Again, I know some of you won’t necessarily be happy with some of the moments/games I picked – or, at the very least, you might not like the order in which I ranked them. I’m cool with that and, as always, your comments are welcomed.
We’ll be running the bottom half of our list today. The top five will run tomorrow. I’ve also tacked on links to some of the moments/games at the end of the descriptions, so you can go back and watch for yourself. I was, unfortunately, unable to find clips for some.
Is that all the background info you need? Yeah, I think so.
Here are the first five moments/games of the decade.
Enjoy.
10. “Woody Saves the Season” – vs. Dallas, November 15, 2009. The Packers were in dire straits heading into this one. Green Bay, thought by many to be the division favorites before the season, sat at just 4-4 and were coming off an utterly embarassing loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers the week before. Dallas, on the other hand, was 6-2 and looking awfully formidable. A loss at Lambeau to the hated Cowboys would pretty much cause the Packers’ playoff hopes to vanish. Charles Woodson was not about to let that happen. Woodson was a one-man army in this one, recording nine tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack and a game-clinching interception of Tony Romo. Sure, other players contributed – Nick Barnett had two sacks and Aaron Rodgers was money on third downs, for example – but Woodson was the clear-cut reason the Packers came out with a 17-7 win. The victory kicked off a five-game winning streak and was the centerpiece moment in Woodson being named 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Watch it here.
9. “Favre Slices Up the Champs” – vs. Baltimore, October 14, 2001. This early season matchup pitted a pair of 3-1 squads, one of which just happened to be the defending world champions. The Ravens had one of – if not the – best single-season defense of all time in winning the title the previous season. Their defense was still pretty damn good by the time they got to Lambeau, where they ran into a surgeon named Brett Favre. No. 4 was as precise as ever in this one, completing 27-of-34 passes for 337 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed passes to nine different receivers, with the touchdowns going to Bubba Franks (two) and Antonio Freeman. In my mind, it’s one of the best five games he’s ever had. The Packers went on to win 31-23, although the game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. No clip available.
8. “Walk Off at Invesco” – at Denver, October 29, 2007. The first 60 minutes of this “Monday Night Football” affair weren’t incredibly memorable, outside of a 79-yard scoring strike from Favre to James Jones in the first quarter. That tied the score at 7-7, with the rest of regulation, essentially, a field goal battle between Mason Crosby and Jason Elam. The Packers won the coin toss in overtime and took over at their own 18-yard line. On Green Bay’s first play from scrimmage in the extra frame, Favre did what he normally did in such situations: He went for it all right off the bat. Off a playaction fake, Favre hit Greg Jennings in stride down the left sideline with a beauty of a bomb. Jennings did the rest, outrunning his defender to the house. The Packers were 6-1 on the season. Watch it here.
7. “The Birth of A-Rodg” – at Dallas, November 29, 2007. Nearly three years into his professional career by the time this battle of 10-1 teams rolled around, Rodgers was still an unknown for the most part. He’d slowly gotten better in each of his three preseasons, yes, but we really had no idea how well he’d hold up in a game that counted. After Favre – who started the game a horrendous 5-of-14 passing for just 56 yards and two interceptions – injured his elbow in the second quarter, we finally got to find out. With the Packers trailing 27-10, Rodgers got off to a bit of a rough start. He quickly rebounded and showed why Green Bay used its first round pick on him in 2005. He threw with precision and confidence and also showed he could make plays with his feet, something we hadn’t seen in quite some time. For a moment there, it looked as though Rodgers might actually lead the Packers to a huge comeback win. They didn’t, of course, losing 37-27. But Rodgers’ performance – 18-of-26, 201 yards, one touchdown (no picks) and five rushes for 30 yards – made us feel better, knowing the future was in good hands. Watch it here.
6. “The Packers Save Christmas” – at Minnesota, December 24, 2004. Bitter rivals, both 8-6 at the time, met at the Metrodome on a Friday afternoon (the first Friday NFL game in quite some time, at that point) to decide who would win the NFC North. After a scoreless first quarter, the teams combined for 38 points in the second. A Ryan Longwell field goal at the buzzer cut Green Bay’s deficit to four at 21-17. A nine-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Javon Walker midway through the third provided the only points for either team as Green Bay clung to a 24-21 lead heading into the final frame. Morten Andersen (oh, the irony for Vikings fans) evened things up early in the fourth. Midway through, things looked bleak for the Pack as Minnesota linebacker Chris Claiborne picked Favre off and sprinted 15 yards to the house, giving the home team a 31-24 advantage. Favre re-gained his composure and dominated the rest of the way. On the Packers’ last two drives of the game, he completed 10-of-16 passes for 137 yards. The first of those drives ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver. The second ended with Longwell drilling a 29-yard field goal as the clock struck zero to give the Packers a 34-31 win. The victory clinched their third straight division title and ensured a merry Christmas for Packers fans everywhere. Watch it here.
That’s all for part one. Again, check back tomorrow as we unveil the top five moments of the decade.
-Chris Lempesis
A couple of reflections after watching those clips again:
–Everybody focused on the throw Favre made against the Broncos. But I didn’t remember how badly Greg Jennings torched Dre’ Bly on that play. A star was born that night.
–Speaking of stars being born, the Cowboys game was all the Packers had to go on with Aaron Rodgers when Favre retired the first time (how many are we up to now? Seven?). But he did the things in that game that Favre had done all season, but not that night. And they’re the things that have made Rodgers good ever since; he let receivers make plays, didn’t force the ball, and extended plays with his feet. He had faith in a dangerous group of receivers, particularly in Jennings’ ability to make plays after the catch, and he got the Packers within three.
–That Tramon Williams pass interference in the Cowboys game? Wow. More ridiculous now than it ever seemed at the time. If you want a basis for why we at OBOD talk about “mob refs” every time the Packers go down to Dallas, look no further than that play. Close game, eight minutes left? Sure, Jerry. Just have Tony Romo throw it up and we’ll take care of you.
–Gene