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 coach	Mike Holmgren
General manager	Ron Wolf
Home field	Lambeau Field
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Won 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 President and Chief Executive Officer – Bob Harlan Executive Vice President and General Manager – Ron Wolf Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer – Mike Reinfeldt Director of Player Personnel – Ted Thompson Director of Pro Personnel – Reggie McKenzie Director of College Scouting – John Dorsey Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Holmgren Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Sherman Lewis Quarterbacks – Andy Reid Running Backs – Harry Sydney Wide Receivers – Gil Haskell Offensive Line – Tom Lovat Assistant Offensive Line/Tight Ends – Mike Sherman			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

[7] [8]

Roster

1997 Green Bay Packers roster
Quarterbacks 13 Steve Bono 4 Brett Favre 18 Doug Pederson Running Backs 34 Edgar Bennett 44 Chris Darkins 24 Aaron Hayden 30 William Henderson FB 32 Travis Jervey 43 Randy Kinder 25 Dorsey Levens Wide Receivers 82 Don Beebe 87 Robert Brooks 86 Antonio Freeman 80 Derrick Mayes 85 Terry Mickens 84 Bill Schroeder Tight Ends 89 Mark Chmura 88 Reggie Johnson 83 Jeff Thomason		Offensive Linemen 70 Joe Andruzzi G 67 Jeff Dellenbach C 72 Earl Dotson T 58 Mike Flanagan C 77 John Michels T 62 Marco Rivera G 73 Aaron Taylor G 63 Adam Timmerman G 78 Ross Verba T 64 Bruce Wilkerson T 52 Frank Winters C Defensive Linemen 93 Gilbert Brown DT 91 Shannon Clavelle DE 71 Santana Dotson DT 97 Paul Frase DT 90 Darius Holland DT 94 Bob Kuberski DT 95 Keith McKenzie DE 99 Jermaine Smith DT 92 Reggie White DE 98 Gabe Wilkins DE 96 Gerald Williams DT		Linebackers 55 Bernardo Harris MLB 56 Lamont Hollinquest OLB 54 Seth Joyner LOLB 53 George Koonce MLB 95 Keith McKenzie LOLB 59 Wayne Simmons LOLB 51 Brian Williams ROLB Defensive Backs 36 LeRoy Butler SS 26 Mark Collins S 33 Doug Evans RCB 38 Blaine McElmurry CB 28 Roderick Mullen RCB 21 Craig Newsome LCB 39 Mike Prior SS 41 Eugene Robinson FS 42 Darren Sharper FS 37 Tyrone Williams RCB Special Teams 60 Rob Davis LS 17 Craig Hentrich P 8 Ryan Longwell K Rookies and first-year players in italics

Schedule

Preseason

Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
August 1, 1997	Miami Dolphins	W 20–0	Lambeau Field	1–0	59,089
August 8, 1997	New England Patriots	W 7–3	Lambeau Field	2–0	60,778
August 16, 1997	at Oakland Raiders	W 37–24	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	3–0	42,956
August 24, 1997	at Buffalo Bills	W 35–3	SkyDome	4–0	53,896
August 28, 1997	New York Giants	W 22–17	Camp Randall Stadium	5–0	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]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	TV Time (CT)	TV Announcers	Attendance
1	September 1, 1997	Chicago Bears	W 38–24	Lambeau Field	1–0	ABC 8:00pm	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	60,766
2	September 7, 1997	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 9–10	Veterans Stadium	1–1	FOX 3:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	66,803
3	September 14, 1997	Miami Dolphins	W 23–18	Lambeau Field	2–1	NBC 12:00pm	Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms	60,075
4	September 21, 1997	Minnesota Vikings	W 38–32	Lambeau Field	3–1	FOX 12:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	60,115
5	September 28, 1997	at Detroit Lions	L 15–26	Pontiac Silverdome	3–2	FOX 12:00pm	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	78,110
6	October 5, 1997	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 21–16	Lambeau Field	4–2	FOX 12:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	60,100
7	October 12, 1997	at Chicago Bears	W 24–23	Soldier Field	5–2	FOX 12:00pm	Kevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville	62,212
8	Bye
9	October 27, 1997	at New England Patriots	W 28–10	Foxboro Stadium	6–2	ABC 8:00pm	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	59,972
10	November 2, 1997	Detroit Lions	W 20–10	Lambeau Field	7–2	ESPN 7:00pm	Mike Patrick & Joe Theismann	60,126
11	November 9, 1997	St. Louis Rams	W 17–7	Lambeau Field	8–2	FOX 12:00pm	Joe Buck & Bill Maas	60,093
12	November 16, 1997	at Indianapolis Colts	L 38–41	RCA Dome	8–3	FOX 12:00pm	Paul Kennedy & Bill Maas	60,928
13	November 23, 1997	Dallas Cowboys	W 45–17	Lambeau Field	9–3	FOX 12:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	60,111
14	December 1, 1997	at Minnesota Vikings	W 27–11	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	10–3	ABC 8:00pm	Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf	64,001
15	December 7, 1997	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17–6	Houlihan's Stadium	11–3	FOX 12:00pm	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	73,523
16	December 14, 1997	at Carolina Panthers	W 31–10	Ericsson Stadium	12–3	FOX 3:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	70,887
17	December 20, 1997	Buffalo Bills	W 31–21	Lambeau Field	13–3	NBC 11:30am	Tom Hammond & Randy Cross	60,108

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Bears 0 11 0 13 24 • Packers 3 15 6 14 38 Date: September 1 Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 60,766 Game weather: 69°F, wind 8 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 1 GB Ryan Longwell 38 yard field goal Packers 3–0 2 CHI Raymont Harris 1 yard run (Jim Flanigan pass from Todd Sauerbrun) Bears 8–3 2 GB Jeff Thomason 1 yard pass from Brett Favre (Dorsey Levens pass from Brett Favre) Packers 11–8 2 CHI Jeff Jaeger 42 yard field goal Tie 11–11 2 GB Robert Brooks 18 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick) Packers 18–11 3 GB Ryan Longwell 36 yard field goal Packers 21–11 3 GB Ryan Longwell 29 yard field goal Packers 24–11 4 GB Dorsey Levens 1 yard run (Ryan Longwell kick) Packers 31–11 4 CHI Ricky Proehl 22 yard pass from Erik Kramer (pass failed) Packers 31–17 4 GB Gabe Wilkins 1 yard fumble return (Ryan Longwell kick) Packers 38–17 4 CHI Raymont Harris 68 yard run (Jeff Jaeger kick) Packers 38–24

[10]

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total • Packers 0 14 7 3 24 Bears 10 0 7 6 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

Scoring summary Q1 CHI Raymont Harris 1 yard run (Jeff Jaeger kick) CHI 7–0 Q1 CHI Jeff Jaeger 41 yard field goal CHI 10–0 Q2 GB Mark Chmura 2 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick) CHI 10–7 Q2 GB Dorsey Levens 1 yard run (Ryan Longwell kick) GB 14–10 Q3 CHI Erik Kramer 3 yard run (Jeff Jaeger kick) CHI 17–14 Q3 GB Mark Chmura 12 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick) GB 21–17 Q4 GB Ryan Longwell 37 yard field goal GB 24–17 Q4 CHI Chris Penn 22 yard pass from Erik Kramer (pass failed) GB 24–23

[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

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	TV Time	Attendance
Divisional	January 4, 1998	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 21–7	Lambeau Field	FOX 12:00pm	60,327
NFC Championship	January 11, 1998	at San Francisco 49ers	W 23–10	3Com Park	FOX 3:15pm	68,987
Super Bowl	January 25, 1998	Denver Broncos	L 24–31	Qualcomm Stadium	NBC 5:15pm	68,912

NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	0	7	0	7
Packers	7	6	0	8	21

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	3	4	Total
Packers	3	10	0	10	23
49ers	0	3	0	7	10

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	3	4	Total
Packers	7	7	3	7	24
Broncos	7	10	7	7	31

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

• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (304)
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Passing Yards (3,867)
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (35)
• Brett Favre, NFL Most Valuable Player
• Brett Favre, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
• Brett Favre, All-Pro Selection
• Brett Favre, Best NFL Player ESPY Award
• Brett Favre, First Player to win Three Consecutive MVP Awards
• Robert Brooks, National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award

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.