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SuperBowlConcierge.com > Super Bowls > SB 31 Champion Green Bay Packers |
Super Bowl History |
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Green Bay then made the playoffs in the 1993, 1994, and the 1995 seasons. As Holmgren,
Favre, and the Packers continued to win, they were able to attract impact
free agents like veteran defensive end Reggie White, nicknamed the "Minister of
Defense", who joined the team in 1993. In 1996, the Packers posted an NFC-best 13-3 regular season record after winning 8 of their first 9 games to start the season. After losing two straight games in November (one to the rival Dallas Cowboys), they finished off the regular season winning their remaining five games, including dominating wins over playoff teams Denver Broncos, 41-6, and Minnesota Vikings, 38-10. |
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SB 31 Champion Green Bay Packers |
After winning Super Bowl II after the 1967 regular season, the Packers became a losing
team for much of the 1970s and 1980s, only making the playoffs in 1972 and
the strike-shortened 1982 season. In addition to having the reputation of being
a poor team, the Packers were unable to attract good players because many did
not want to play in Green Bay's cold winter climate and the fact that they were
a small market team. All that changed when Mike Holmgren became the Packers head coach in 1992. During his first year, the team improved to a 9-7 regular season record, barely missing the playoffs. One of the significant players on the 1992 Packers team was second year quarterback Brett Favre, who spent his rookie season playing for the Atlanta Falcons. During a September 20, 1992 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Favre replaced injured starter Don Majkowski and proceeded to lead the team to a comeback victory. Afterwards, Favre became the starter for the rest of that season. |
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Super Bowl MVPs |
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The Packers also had the best defense in the league in both points and yards. They
allowed 210 points and also scored an NFL best 456 points, becoming the first
team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to score the most points in the league and
allow the fewest. They set an NFL record with seven wins by at least 25 points. Favre won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight season after throwing for 3,899 yards and an NFC record 39 touchdown passes during the 1996 regular season, with only 13 interceptions. |
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Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and Brett Favre passed
for two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Packers won their first Super Bowl
in twenty-nine years. Howard, en route to garnering the MVP trophy, equaled a Super Bowl record with 244 total return yards. It was Favre's arm that struck first, as he hit Andre Rison for a 54-yard touchdown pass on the Packers' second play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead. Two plays later Doug Evans made a diving interception of Drew Bledsoe's pass at the 28-yard line, setting up Chris Jacke's field goal and giving the Packers a 10-0 lead just 6:18 into the Super Bowl. The Patriots answered with touchdowns on their next two possessions. Craig Newsome's pass interference penalty set up the first touchdown and a 44-yard completion from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn preceeding Ben Coates's touchdown gave New England its first and only lead. The 24 combined first quarter points were the most in Super Bowl history. Green Bay struck again 56 seconds into the second quarter as Favre hit Antonio Freeman with a Super Bowl-record 81-yard touchdown bomb. Jacke booted his second field goal on Green Bay's next possession. After a Mike Prior interception, Favre orchestrated a 74-yard, nearly 6-minute drive that concluded with a diving Favre touching the ball against the pylon to give Green Bay a 27-14 halftime lead. Curtis Martin brought the Patriots to within a score by running in from 18 yards out with 3:27 left in the third quarter. But Howard broke the Patriots' spirit by returning the ensuing kickoff a Super Bowl-record 99 yards. Favre found Mark Chmura for the 2-point conversion to finish the scoring. Bledsoe was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter as the Patriots never crossed midfield in four fourth-quarter possessions. Reggie White set a Super Bowl record with three sacks. Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards, with no interceptions. Bledsoe completed 11 more passes than Favre, but for just seven more yards, and threw four interceptions. |
GAME RECAP |
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New England 14 0 7 0
21 Green Bay 10 17 8 0 35 |
BOX SCORE |
1 2 3
4 Total |
Date January 26, 1997 Stadium Louisiana Superdome City New Orleans, Louisiana MVP Desmond Howard, Kick Returner/Punt Returner Favorite Packers by 14 National anthem Luther Vandross Coin toss Past Super Bowl winning coaches: Hank Stram, Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, George Seifert Referee Gerald Austin Halftime show James Brown, ZZ Top, and The Blues Brothers Attendance 72,301 TV in the United States Network FOX Announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden Nielsen Ratings 43.3 Market share 65 Cost of 30-second commercial US$1.2 million |
Super Bowl 31 Information |
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Super Bowl Champs |
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Future Super Bowl Locations |
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Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, Ariz. Feb. 3, 2008 Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Fla. Feb. 1, 2009 Super Bowl XLIV, South Florida TBA, 2010 Super Bowl XLV, North Texas TBA, 2011 |
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His 39 touchdown passes was the third highest total in league history at that time.
Favre was also a good runner, ranking third on the team with 136 rushing yards
and scoring 2 touchdowns. The Packers also had a triple-whammy in a sense with game-breaking kick returner Desmond Howard. The former Heisman Trophy winner's NFL career as a wide receiver was widely viewed as a disappointment up until this point, recording just 92 receptions in his first 4 NFL seasons. After joining Green Bay before the 1996 season, the team used him as a kick returner. Howard excelled in this role and ended up setting an NFL record with 875 punt return yards, while also leading the league in yards per return (15.1) and punt return touchdowns (3). He also caught 13 passes for 95 yards and added another 460 yards returning kickoffs. Green Bay also had a number of offensive weapons. Wide receiver Antonio Freeman led the team with 933 yards and 9 touchdowns. Multi-talented veteran wide receiver Don Beebe was also a constant breakaway threat, catching 39 passes for 606 yards and adding another 403 yards, and a touchdown returning kickoffs. Beebe was a member of Buffalo Bills during their 4 Super Bowl losses, and was thus extremely eager for another shot at a Super Bowl win. The Packers also had 2 outstanding tight ends: Pro Bowler Keith Jackson recorded 40 passes for 504 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Mark Chmura had 28 receptions for 370 yards. Although Green Bay's running game did not have any standout backs or Pro Bowlers, running backs Dorsey Levens, Edgar Bennett, and fullback William Henderson were all very good at blocking, running and receiving. Bennett was the team's leading rusher with 899 yards, while also catching 31 passes for 176 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. Levens rushed for 566 yards, caught 31 passes for 226 yards, returned 5 kickoffs for 84 yards, and scored 10 touchdowns. Henderson had 130 rushing yards, caught 27 passes for 203 yards, and returned 2 kickoffs for 38 yards. Up front, Pro Bowl center Frank Winters anchored the offensive line, along with guard Adam Timmerman. On defense, White continued to be a weapon, recording 29 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, and led the team with 8.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Santana Dotson was also a big asset, recording 5.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. In the secondary, the team was led by safety Eugene Robinson, who recorded 55 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 107 return yards. Defensive back LeRoy Butler was also a major force, recording 65 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 fumbles recoveries, and 5 interceptions for 149 return yards and a touchdown. |