1996 Green Bay Packers season

The 1996 season was the Green Bay Packers' 76th season in the National Football League, their 78th overall and their fifth under head coach Mike Holmgren. The franchise won its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL Championship. The Packers posted a league-best 13–3 regular season won-loss record, going 8–0 at home and 5–3 on the road. It was the first time since 1962 that the team went undefeated at home.[1] Additionally, the Packers had the NFL's highest-scoring offense (456) and allowed the fewest points on defense (210). Green Bay was the first team to accomplish both feats in the same season since the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. They finished the season with the number one ranked offense, defense, and special teams. They also set a then NFL record for the fewest touchdowns allowed in a 16-game season, with 19. The Packers also allowed the fewest yards in the NFL and set a record for punt return yardage. Brett Favre won his second straight MVP award while also throwing for a career-high and league-leading 39 touchdown passes.

1996 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach	Mike Holmgren
General manager	Ron Wolf
Owner	Green Bay Packers, Inc.
Home field	Lambeau Field
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (49ers) 35–14 Won NFC Championship (Panthers) 30–13 Won Super Bowl XXXI (Patriots) 35–21

In the postseason, the Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. Green Bay beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI to win their third Super Bowl and twelfth NFL Championship.[2]

In 2007, the 1996 Packers were ranked as the 16th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions. The 1996 Packers were ranked 6th-greatest Super Bowl team of all-time by a similar panel done by ESPN and released in 2007. As of 2019, the Packers are the only team since the implementation of the salary cap to score the most points and allow the fewest in the regular season.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
WR Don Beebe (Panthers)	QB Ty Detmer (Eagles)
WR Desmond Howard (Jaguars)	WR Mark Ingram Sr. (Eagles)
FS Eugene Robinson (Seahawks)	LB Joe Kelly (Eagles)
DT Santana Dotson (Buccaneers)	LB Fred Strickland (Cowboys)
	FS George Teague (Cowboys)

NFL Draft

Main article: 1996 NFL Draft

1996 Green Bay Packers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	27	John Michels	Offensive tackle	USC
2	56	Derrick Mayes	Wide receiver	Notre Dame
3	90	Mike Flanagan *	Center	UCLA
3	93	Tyrone Williams	Cornerback	Nebraska
4	123	Chris Darkins	Running back	Minnesota
6	208	Marco Rivera *	Guard	Penn State
7	240	Kyle Wachholtz	Quarterback	USC
7	252	Keith McKenzie	Defensive end	Ball State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Staff

1996 Green Bay Packers staff

	Front office President/Chief Executive Officer – Bob Harlan Executive Vice President/General Manager – Ron Wolf Director of Pro Personnel – Ted Thompson Director of College Scouting – John Math Pro Personnel Assistant – Reggie McKenzie Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Holmgren Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Sherman Lewis Quarterbacks – Marty Mornhinweg Running Backs – Harry Sydney Wide Receivers – Gil Haskell Offensive Line – Tom Lovat Assistant Offensive Line/Tight Ends – Andy Reid			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Fritz Shurmur Defensive Line – Larry Brooks Linebackers – Jim Lind Defensive Backs/Secondary – Bob Valesente Defensive Assistant/Quality Control – Johnny Holland Special teams coaches Special Teams – Nolan Cromwell Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Kent Johnston Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Barry Rubin

[4]

Roster

1996 Green Bay Packers final roster

	Quarterbacks  4 Brett Favre  9 Jim McMahon 18 Doug Pederson Running backs 34 Edgar Bennett 32 Travis Jervey 27 Calvin Jones 25 Dorsey Levens 30 William Henderson FB 49 Kevin Smith FB Wide receivers 82 Don Beebe 86 Antonio Freeman 81 Desmond Howard 80 Derrick Mayes 85 Terry Mickens 84 Andre Rison Tight ends 89 Mark Chmura 88 Keith Jackson 83 Jeff Thomason		Offensive linemen 68 Gary Brown T 72 Earl Dotson T 77 John Michels T 75 Ken Ruettgers T 64 Bruce Wilkerson T 65 Lindsay Knapp G 62 Marco Rivera G 73 Aaron Taylor G 63 Adam Timmerman G 60 Gene McGuire C 67 Jeff Dellenbach T 52 Frank Winters C Defensive linemen 91 Shannon Clavelle DE 96 Sean Jones DE 92 Reggie White DE 98 Gabe Wilkins DE 93 Gilbert Brown DT 71 Santana Dotson DT 94 Bob Kuberski DT 90 Darius Holland DT		Linebackers 95 Keith McKenzie OLB 54 Ron Cox MLB 55 Bernardo Harris OLB 56 Lamont Hollinquest OLB 53 George Koonce MLB 59 Wayne Simmons OLB 51 Brian Williams OLB Defensive backs 22 Bucky Brooks CB 42 Corey Dowden S 33 Doug Evans CB 21 Craig Newsome CB 46 Michael Robinson CB 37 Tyrone Williams CB 36 LeRoy Butler SS 28 Roderick Mullen CB 40 Chris Hayes S 39 Mike Prior S 41 Eugene Robinson FS Special teams 13 Chris Jacke K 17 Craig Hentrich P		Reserve lists 50 Mike Arthur C (IR) 87 Robert Brooks WR (IR) 16 Rob Carpenter WR (IR) 44 Chris Darkins RB (IR) 23 Matthew Dorsett DB (IR) 58 Mike Flanagan C (IR) 70 Jeff Miller T (IR) 38 Brian Satterfield RB (IR) Practice squad -- Bill Schroeder WR  7 Kyle Wachholtz QB Rookies in italics active, inactive, practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Game recap
1	August 2	New England Patriots	W 7–24	1–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
2	August 11	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 17–24	2–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
3	August 17	at Baltimore Ravens	W 17–15	3–0	Memorial Stadium	Recap
4	August 24	at Indianapolis Colts	L 6–20	3–1	RCA Dome	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	Game recap
1	September 1	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 34–3	1–0	Houlihan's Stadium	Recap
2	September 9	Philadelphia Eagles	W 39–13	2–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
3	September 15	San Diego Chargers	W 42–10	3–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
4	September 22	at Minnesota Vikings	L 21–30	3–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Recap
5	September 29	at Seattle Seahawks	W 31–10	4–1	Kingdome	Recap
6	October 6	at Chicago Bears	W 37–6	5–1	Soldier Field	Recap
7	October 14	San Francisco 49ers	W 23–20 (OT)	6–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
8	Bye
9	October 27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 13–7	7–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
10	November 3	Detroit Lions	W 28–18	8–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
11	November 10	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 20–27	8–2	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
12	November 18	at Dallas Cowboys	L 6–21	8–3	Texas Stadium	Recap
13	November 24	at St. Louis Rams	W 24–9	9–3	Trans World Dome	Recap
14	December 1	Chicago Bears	W 28–17	10–3	Lambeau Field	Recap
15	December 8	Denver Broncos	W 41–6	11–3	Lambeau Field	Recap
16	December 15	at Detroit Lions	W 31–3	12–3	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
17	December 22	Minnesota Vikings	W 38–10	13–3	Lambeau Field	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1 2 3 4 Total • Packers 10 14 10 0 34 Buccaneers 0 3 0 0 3 Date: September 1 Location: Houlihan's Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,102 Game weather: 81°F; wind 6 Television network: Fox

Scoring summary Q1 GB Jacke 23 yard field goal GB 3–0 Q1 GB Jackson 1 yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 10–0 Q2 TB Husted 48 yard field goal GB 10–3 Q2 GB Jackson 4 yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 17–3 Q2 GB Jackson 51 yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 24–3 Q3 GB Jacke 40 yard field goal GB 27–3 Q3 GB Levens 1 yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 34–3

[5]

Week 5: at. Seattle Seahawks

Week Five: Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	10	7	7	7	31
Seahawks	0	7	3	0	10

at Kingdome, Seattle

• Date: September 29
• Game time: 1:04pm local
• Game weather: indoors
• Game attendance: 59,973
• Referee: Ron Blum
• TV: Fox
• Gamebook

Game information

First quarter GB – Antonio Freeman 13-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 4:36 (GB 7–0) GB – Chris Jacke 36-yard field goal, 0:34 (GB 10–0) Second quarter GB – Dorsey Levens 4-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 3:54 (GB 17–0) SEA – Chris Warren 37-yard run (Todd Peterson kick), 1:56 (GB 17–7) Third quarter GB – Keith Jackson 10-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 8:24 (GB 24–7) SEA – Todd Peterson 44-yard field goal, 5:35 (GB 24–10) Fourth quarter GB – Antonio Freeman 4-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 9:50 (GB 31–10) Top passers GB – Brett Favre: 20/34, 209 yds, 4 TD SEA – Rick Mirer: 10/30, 156 yds, 4 INT Top rushers GB – Edgar Bennett: 22 car, 94 yds SEA – Chris Warren: 18 car, 103 yds, 1 TD Top receivers GB – Antonio Freeman: 7 rec, 108 yds, 2 TD SEA – Mike Pritchard: 2 rec, 54 yds Team – pass – rush – total – to GB – 202 – 142 – 344 – 0 SEA – 170 – 159 – 329 – 5

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(1) Green Bay Packers	13	3	0	.813	456	210	W5
^(6) Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	298	315	L1
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	283	305	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6	10	0	.375	221	293	W1
Detroit Lions	5	11	0	.313	302	368	L5

Season statistical leaders

Brett Favre broke the Packers single-season record for touchdown passes by throwing 39.[6]

• Passing Yards: Brett Favre 3,899 Yards
• Passing Touchdowns: Brett Favre 39 TD
• Rushing Yards: Edgar Bennett, 899 Yards
• Rushing Touchdowns: Dorsey Levens, 5 TD
• Receiving Yards: Antonio Freeman, 933 Yards
• Receiving Touchdowns: Keith Jackson, 10 TD
• Points: Chris Jacke, 114 points
• Kickoff Return Yards: Desmond Howard, 460 Yards
• Punt Return Yards: Desmond Howard, 875 Yards
• Tackles: George Koonce, 97 Tackles
• Sacks: Reggie White, 8.5 Sacks
• Interceptions: Eugene Robinson, 6 Interceptions

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	First-round bye
Divisional	January 4, 1997	San Francisco 49ers (4)	W 35–14	1–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
NFC Championship	January 12, 1997	Carolina Panthers (2)	W 30–13	2–0	Lambeau Field	Recap
Super Bowl XXXI	January 26, 1997	New England Patriots (A2)	W 35–21	3–0	Louisiana Superdome	Recap

NFC Divisional Playoff vs. San Francisco 49ers

NFC Divisional Playoff: San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	7	7	0	14
Packers	14	7	7	7	35

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: January 4, 1997
• Game time: 11:30 a.m

Green Bay was able to win going away on a cold damp day at Lambeau Field. With the weather turning the field into a muddy mess both offenses struggled. San Francisco was able to keep pace offensively and defensively for most of the game, with the score 21–14 in favor of Green Bay in the third quarter, but special teams were decisively dominated by the Packers. Penalties also played a factor as San Francisco had 6 for 42 yards, while Green Bay only had 1 for 5.

A muffed kickoff by Green Bay set up a 49ers touchdown, but Green Bay's Desmond Howard returned two kicks for large gains, including one touchdown. The final score was Green Bay 35–14.

NFC Championship Game vs. Carolina Panthers

NFC Championship Game: Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	3	3	0	13
Packers	0	17	10	3	30

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: January 12, 1997
• Game time: 11:30 a.m

Super Bowl XXXI vs. New England Patriots

Super Bowl XXXI: New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	14	0	7	0	21
Packers	10	17	8	0	35

at Louisiana Superdome

• Date: January 26, 1997
• Game time: 5:30 p.m.

The Packers win their first championship since 1967. Desmond Howard is named the Super Bowl MVP, as he accumulated 244 total yards worth of returns (kick and punt) including a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Patriots Quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw 4 interceptions while Brett Favre threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran another one in.

Awards and records

• Brett Favre, Club Record, Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 39
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (39)
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Passing Yardage (3,899)
• Brett Favre, NFL MVP
• Brett Favre, Bert Bell Award[7]
• Brett Favre, Offense, UPI NFC Player of the Year
• Brett Favre, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
• Brett Favre, All-Pro Selection
• Brett Favre, Best NFL Player ESPY Award
• Desmond Howard, Super Bowl XXXI MVP
• Reggie White, NFC Pro Bowl Selection

References

1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 266
2. "1996 Season in Review". Archived from the original on 2002-08-08. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
3. "1996 Green Bay Packers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
4. "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jun-20.
6. "Green Bay Packers 1996 Statistics". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2012-08-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)