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1997 Green Bay Packers season
American football season
American football season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| team | Green Bay Packers |
| year | 1997 |
| record | 13–3 |
| division_place | 1st NFC Central |
| owner | Green Bay Packers, Inc. |
| president | Bob Harlan |
| coach | Mike Holmgren |
| off_coach | Sherman Lewis |
| def_coach | Fritz Shurmur |
| general manager | Ron Wolf |
| stadium | Lambeau Field |
| playoffs | **Won [Divisional Playoffs](1997-98-nfl-playoffs)** |
| (vs. [Buccaneers](1997-tampa-bay-buccaneers-season)) 21–7 | |
| **Won [NFC Championship](1997-nfc-championship-game)** | |
| (at [49ers](1997-san-francisco-49ers-season)) 23–10 | |
| Lost Super Bowl XXXII | |
| (vs. [Broncos](1997-denver-broncos-season)) 24–31 | |
| pro_bowlers | {{Collapsible list |
| title | 6 |
| 1 | QB Brett Favre |
| 2 | RB Dorsey Levens |
| 3 | TE Mark Chmura |
| 4 | DE Reggie White |
| 5 | SS LeRoy Butler |
| 6 | ST Travis Jervey |
| shortnavlink | Packers seasons |
| AP_All-pros | {{Collapsible list |
| title | 3 |
| 1 | QB Brett Favre *(1st team)* |
| 2 | S LeRoy Butler *(1st team)* |
| 3 | DE Reggie White *(2nd team)* |
(vs. Buccaneers) 21–7 Won NFC Championship (at 49ers) 23–10 Lost Super Bowl XXXII (vs. Broncos) 24–31 |AP_All-pros={{Collapsible list
The 1997 Green Bay Packers season was their 79th season overall and their 77th in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing 31–24 to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. The heavily favored team narrowly missed its opportunity to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
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-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 blowout losses in their four previous Super Bowls appearances. 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. Denver was also aided by a salary cap scandal, which allowed them to build a better team by covering parts of Elway and Terrell Davis' contracts with money outside of the team's designated salary.
Favre was named the league's MVP for the third year in a row in 1997. Favre is the first and only player in the history of the award to win three MVPs consecutively. The Packers became the first team to have six NFL MVP award winners.
The 1997 Packers are one of only two teams in NFL history to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| QB Steve Bono (Chiefs) | ||
| LB Seth Joyner (Cardinals) |
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.
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Randy Kinder | Running back | Notre Dame |
Staff
-
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 coach – Mike Holmgren
-
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 coordinator – Fritz Shurmur
-
Defensive line – Larry Brooks
-
Linebackers – Jim Lind
-
Defensive backs/secondary – Bob Valesente
-
Defensive assistant/quality control – Johnny Holland
-
Special teams – Nolan Cromwell
-
Strength and conditioning – Kent Johnston
-
Assistant strength and conditioning – Barry Rubin
Roster
| Green Bay Packers}}; color: white; border: 2px solid #FFCC00; text-align: center;" | 1997 Green Bay Packers roster |
|---|---|
| **Quarterbacks** |
Schedule
Preseason
| Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 26, 1997 | ||||||||||
| July 31, 1997 | ||||||||||
| August 8, 1997 | ||||||||||
| August 16, 1997 | ||||||||||
| August 22, 1997 |
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.
| Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Week | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Date | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Opponent | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Result | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Record | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Venue | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}}" | Attendance | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **[Chicago Bears](1997-chicago-bears-season)** | **W** 38–24 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 60,766 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 7 | at [Philadelphia Eagles](1997-philadelphia-eagles-season) | **L** 9–10 | 1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 66,803 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 14 | [Miami Dolphins](1997-miami-dolphins-season) | **W** 23–18 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | 60,075 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 21 | **[Minnesota Vikings](1997-minnesota-vikings-season)** | **W** 38–32 | 3–1 | Lambeau Field | 60,115 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 28 | at **[Detroit Lions](1997-detroit-lions-season)** | **L** 15–26 | 3–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,110 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 5 | **[Tampa Bay Buccaneers](1997-tampa-bay-buccaneers-season)** | **W** 21–16 | 4–2 | Lambeau Field | 60,100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 12 | at **Chicago Bears** | **W** 24–23 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 62,212 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Bye* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| at [New England Patriots](1997-new-england-patriots-season) | **W** 28–10 | 6–2 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 2 | **Detroit Lions** | **W** 20–10 | 7–2 | Lambeau Field | 60,126 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 6 | [St. Louis Rams](1997-st-louis-rams-season) | **W** 17–7 | 8–2 | Lambeau Field | 60,093 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 16 | at [Indianapolis Colts](1997-indianapolis-colts-season) | **L** 38–41 | 8–3 | RCA Dome | 60,928 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 23 | [Dallas Cowboys](1997-dallas-cowboys-season) | **W** 45–17 | 9–3 | Lambeau Field | 60,111 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| at **Minnesota Vikings** | **W** 27–11 | 10–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 7 | at **Tampa Bay Buccaneers** | **W** 17–6 | 11–3 | Houlihan's Stadium | 73,523 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 14 | at [Carolina Panthers](1997-carolina-panthers-season) | **W** 31–10 | 12–3 | Ericsson Stadium | 70,887 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Buffalo Bills](1997-buffalo-bills-season) | **W** 31–21 | 13–3 | Lambeau Field | 60,108 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
Week 2
Week 7
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
Playoffs
| Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Round | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Date | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Opponent (seed) | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Result | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Record | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Stadium | Green Bay Packers | year=1997 | border=2}};" | Attendance | Wild Card | NFC Divisional Playoff | NFC Championship Game | Super Bowl XXXII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *First-round bye* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 4, 1998 | [Tampa Bay Buccaneers](1997-tampa-bay-buccaneers-season) (4) | **W** 21–7 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 60,327 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 11, 1998 | [San Francisco 49ers](1997-san-francisco-49ers-season) (1) | **W** 23–10 | 2–0 | Candlestick Park | 68,987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 25, 1998 | [Denver Broncos](1997-denver-broncos-season) (A4) | **L** 31–24 | 2–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | 68,912 |
NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC Championship Game at. San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl XXXII vs. Denver Broncos
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
References
- "Super Bowl XXXII – Denver 31, Green Bay 24".
- (2004-09-16). "Cap zap: Broncos pay with fine, pick".
- (2016-02-14). "Revisiting Denver's cap penalties from the 1990s".
- "List of APMVP winners". sportsline.com.
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, {{ISBN. 0-7611-2480-2, p. 400
- The [[1998 New York Jets season. 1998 Jets]] are the other
- [http://pfref.com/tiny/jHNl9 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.]
- "NFL Draft History – Green Bay Packers". NFL.com.
- "Green Bay Packers 1997 Official Media Guide".
- "All Time Coaches Database". Packers.com.
- "1997 NFL Standings". NFL.com.
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199709010gnb.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
- "Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles – September 7th, 1997".
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199710120chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2013-Dec-14.
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