1997 Green Bay Packers season

The 1997 Green Bay Packers season was their 79th season overall and their 77th in the National Football League. The 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.

1997 Green Bay Packers season
Head coachMike Holmgren
General managerRon Wolf
Home fieldLambeau Field
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st NFC Central
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers) 21–7
Won Conference Championship (49ers) 23–10
Lost Super Bowl XXXII (Broncos) 24–31

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]

The 1997 Packers are one of only two teams in NFL history[4] to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.[5]

Offseason

1997 NFL draft
Main article: 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.[6]

1997 NFL Draft selections
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 CB Montana State
7 240 Ronnie McAda QB Army

Ronnie McAda was Mr. Irrelevant.

Undrafted free agents
1997 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Randy Kinder Running back Notre Dame

Staff
1997 Green Bay Packers staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

[7] [8]

Roster
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
DateOpponentResultGame siteRecordAttendance
August 1, 1997Miami DolphinsW 20–0Lambeau Field1–0
59,089
August 8, 1997New England PatriotsW 7–3Lambeau Field2–0
60,778
August 16, 1997at Oakland RaidersW 37–24Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum3–0
42,956
August 24, 1997at Buffalo BillsW 35–3SkyDome4–0
53,896
August 28, 1997New York GiantsW 22–17Camp Randall Stadium5–0
76,704

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.[9]

WeekDateOpponentResultGame siteRecordTV Time (CT)TV AnnouncersAttendance
1September 1, 1997Chicago BearsW 38–24Lambeau Field1–0ABC 8:00pmAl Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf
60,766
2September 7, 1997at Philadelphia EaglesL 9–10Veterans Stadium1–1FOX 3:00pmPat Summerall & John Madden
66,803
3September 14, 1997Miami DolphinsW 23–18Lambeau Field2–1NBC 12:00pmDick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms
60,075
4September 21, 1997Minnesota VikingsW 38–32Lambeau Field3–1FOX 12:00pmPat Summerall & John Madden
60,115
5September 28, 1997at Detroit LionsL 15–26Pontiac Silverdome3–2FOX 12:00pmDick Stockton & Matt Millen
78,110
6October 5, 1997Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 21–16Lambeau Field4–2FOX 12:00pmPat Summerall & John Madden
60,100
7October 12, 1997at Chicago BearsW 24–23Soldier Field5–2FOX 12:00pmKevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville
62,212
8Bye
9October 27, 1997at New England PatriotsW 28–10Foxboro Stadium6–2ABC 8:00pmAl Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf
59,972
10November 2, 1997Detroit LionsW 20–10Lambeau Field7–2ESPN 7:00pmMike Patrick & Joe Theismann
60,126
11November 9, 1997St. Louis RamsW 17–7Lambeau Field8–2FOX 12:00pmJoe Buck & Bill Maas
60,093
12November 16, 1997at Indianapolis ColtsL 38–41RCA Dome8–3FOX 12:00pmPaul Kennedy & Bill Maas
60,928
13November 23, 1997Dallas CowboysW 45–17Lambeau Field9–3FOX 12:00pmPat Summerall & John Madden
60,111
14December 1, 1997at Minnesota VikingsW 27–11Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome10–3ABC 8:00pmAl Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf
64,001
15December 7, 1997at Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 17–6Houlihan's Stadium11–3FOX 12:00pmDick Stockton & Matt Millen
73,523
16December 14, 1997at Carolina PanthersW 31–10Ericsson Stadium12–3FOX 3:00pmPat Summerall & John Madden
70,887
17December 20, 1997Buffalo BillsW 31–21Lambeau Field13–3NBC 11:30amTom Hammond & Randy Cross
60,108

Game summaries

Week 1
1 234Total
Bears 0 11013 24
• Packers 3 15614 38

[10]

Week 7
1 234Total
• Packers 0 1473 24
Bears 10 076 23
  • Date: October 12
  • Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 62,212
  • Game weather: 68°F; wind 15
  • Television network: Fox

[11]

Week 12

The Packers suffered a shocking loss to the 0–10 Indianapolis Colts, but did not lose another game until the Super Bowl.

Standings
NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 422 282 W5
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 6 0 .625 299 263 W1
(5) Detroit Lions 9 7 0 .563 379 306 W2
(6) Minnesota Vikings 9 7 0 .563 354 359 W1
Chicago Bears 4 12 0 .250 263 421 L1

Playoffs
WeekDateOpponentResultGame siteTV TimeAttendance
DivisionalJanuary 4, 1998Tampa Bay BuccaneersW 21–7Lambeau FieldFOX 12:00pm
60,327
NFC ChampionshipJanuary 11, 1998at San Francisco 49ersW 23–103Com ParkFOX 3:15pm
68,987
Super BowlJanuary 25, 1998Denver BroncosL 24–31Qualcomm StadiumNBC 5:15pm
68,912

NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 0 707
Packers 7 6 0821

at Lambeau Field

  • Date: January 4, 1998
  • Game time: 11:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 27 degrees, relative humidity 79%, wind 17 mph

NFC Championship Game at. San Francisco 49ers
NFC Championship at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Packers 3 10 01023
49ers 0 3 0710

at 3Com Park

  • Date: January 11, 1998
  • Game time: 1 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 54 degrees, relative humidity 90%, wind 10 mph

Super Bowl XXXII vs. Denver Broncos
Super Bowl XXXII vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Packers 7 7 3724
Broncos 7 10 7731

at Qualcomm Stadium

  • Date: January 25, 1998
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 59 degrees, relative humidity 79%, wind 6 mph

The Packers advanced to their fourth Super Bowl appearance, which was also their second consecutive appearance. Despite being favored by double digits, they were denied their fourth ring, as well as their second consecutive championship, by John Elway and the Denver Broncos, who defeated them 31–24. To date, the loss is the only Packers' Super Bowl loss in team history.

Awards and records

References
  1. "Super Bowl XXXII – Denver 31, Green Bay 24". Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  2. "List of APMVP winners". sportsline.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  3. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 400
  4. 1998 Jets
  5. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, team won game, in games against playoff teams only, only in games against teams with winning record for season, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
  6. "NFL Draft History – Green Bay Packers". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  7. "Administration and Coaching Staff". Green Bay Packers 1997 Official Media Guide. pp. 6–37.
  8. "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  9. "1997 NFL Standings". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  10. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  11. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-Dec-14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.