1997 Green Bay Packers season

American football season August 2023 March 2026 Green Bay Packers 1997 13–3 1st NFC Central Green Bay Packers, Inc. Bob Harlan Mike Holmgren Sherman Lewis Fritz Shurmur Ron Wolf Lambeau Field Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Buccaneers) 21–7Won NFC Championship(at 49ers) 23–10Lost Super Bowl XXXII(vs. Broncos) 24–31 6 QB Brett Favre RB Dorsey Levens TE Mark Chmura DE Reggie White SS LeRoy Butler ST Travis Jervey Packers seasons 3 QB Brett Favre (1st team) S LeRoy Butler (1st team) DE Reggie White (2nd team) 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.http://www.superbowl.com/history/recaps/game/sbxxxii Super Bowl XXXII – Denver 31, Green Bay 24 2007-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20070209182325/http://www.superbowl.com/history/recaps/game/sbxxxii 2007-02-09 dead 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 111 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 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.2004-09-16 Broncos circumvented cap from 1996-98 https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1883127 2024-03-02 ESPN.com en2016-02-14 Revisiting Denver's cap penalties from the 1990s https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/revisiting-denvers-cap-penalties-from-the-1990s 2024-03-30 NBC Sports en-US 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. http://sportsline.com/nfl/history/awards/apmvp/ List of APMVP winners sportsline.com 2007-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20071013100515/http://sportsline.com/nfl/history/awards/apmvp/ 2007-10-13 dead The Packers became the first team to have six NFL MVP award winners.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 400 The 1997 Packers are one of only four teams in NFL history The 1998 Jets, the 2024 Ravens, and 2024 Chiefs are the other teams to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/y9iWm Stathead For combined games in one season, opponent made playoffs, in the regular season, sorted by descending Wins. February 11, 2026 Offseason Additions Subtractions QB Steve Bono (Chiefs) WR Desmond Howard (Raiders) LB Seth Joyner (Cardinals) 1997 NFL draft 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.http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/teams/GB NFL Draft History – Green Bay Packers NFL.com 2007-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20070129051214/http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/teams/GB 2007-01-29 dead 1997 Green Bay Packers 1 30 Ross Verba Offensive tackle Iowa yes 2 60 Darren Sharper Safety William & Mary yes yes 3 90 Brett Conway Kicker Penn State no 4 126 Jermaine Smith Defensive tackle Georgia yes 5 160 Anthony Hicks Linebacker Arkansas no 7 213 Chris Miller Wide receiver USC no 7 231 Terrance Lucas Cornerback Montana State no 7 240 Ronnie McAda Quarterback Army Mr. Irrelevant no no Undrafted free agents + 1997 Undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRandy KinderRunning backNotre Dame Staff 1997 Green Bay Packers 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 Green Bay Packers 1997 Official Media Guide 6–37 Administration and Coaching Staff http://nfl.packers.com/history/all_time_roster/coaches/ All Time Coaches Database Packers.com December 26, 2013 December 27, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131227073313/http://nfl.packers.com/history/all_time_roster/coaches/ dead Roster 1997 Green Bay Packers roster Quarterbacks 13 Steve Bono  4 Brett Favre 18 Doug Pederson Running backs 44 Chris Darkins 24 Aaron Hayden 30 William Henderson FB 32 Travis Jervey 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 81 Tyrone Davis American football 83 Jeff Thomason Offensive linemen 70 Joe Andruzzi G 67 Jeff Dellenbach C 72 Earl Dotson OT 77 John Michels OT 62 Marco Rivera G 73 Aaron Taylor G 63 Adam Timmerman G 78 Ross Verba OT 64 Bruce Wilkerson OT 52 Frank Winters C Defensive linemen 93 Gilbert Brown DT 71 Santana Dotson DT 97 Paul Frase DE 90 Darius Holland DT 94 Bob Kuberski DT 95 Keith McKenzie DE 99 Jermaine Smith DT 92 Reggie White DE 98 Gabe Wilkins DE Linebackers 55 Bernardo Harris MLB 56 Lamont Hollinquest OLB 54 Seth Joyner OLB 53 George Koonce OLB 51 Brian Williams OLB Defensive backs 36 LeRoy Butler SS 26 Mark Collins FS 33 Doug Evans CB 38 Blaine McElmurry CB 28 Roderick Mullen CB 39 Mike Prior FS 41 Eugene Robinson FS 42 Darren Sharper SS 37 Tyrone Williams CB Special teams 60 Rob Davis LS 17 Craig Hentrich P  8 Ryan Longwell K Injured Reserve 34 Edgar Bennett RB (IR) 7px 10 Brett Conway K (IR) 7px 58 Mike Flanagan C (PUP) 7px 50 Anthony Hicks LB (IR) 7px  7 Ronnie McAda QB (Military Reserve) 7px 21 Craig Newsome CB (IR) 7px Practice squad 12 Ronnie Anderson WR 29 Anthony Fogle CB 96 Billy Lyon DT 47 Kyle Wachholtz TE 53 active, 6 inactive, 4 practice squad Rookies in italics Schedule Preseason Date Opponent Result Game site Record Attendance July 26, 1997 Miami Dolphins W 20–0 Lambeau Field 1–0 59,089 July 31, 1997 New England Patriots W 7–3 Lambeau Field 2–0 60,778 August 8, 1997 at Oakland Raiders W 37–24 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 3–0 42,956 August 16, 1997 at Buffalo Bills W 35–3 SkyDome (Toronto, ON) 4–0 53,896 August 22, 1997 New York Giants W 22–17 Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, WI) 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.http://www.nfl.com/history/standings/1997 1997 NFL Standings NFL.com 2007-02-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20070203113658/http://www.nfl.com/history/standings/1997 3 February 2007 live Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1, 1997 Chicago Bears W 38–24 1–0 Lambeau Field 60,766 2 September 7 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–10 1–1 Veterans Stadium 66,803 3 September 14 Miami Dolphins W 23–18 2–1 Lambeau Field 60,075 4 September 21 Minnesota Vikings W 38–32 3–1 Lambeau Field 60,115 5 September 28 at Detroit Lions L 15–26 3–2 Pontiac Silverdome 78,110 6 October 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 21–16 4–2 Lambeau Field 60,100 7 October 12 at Chicago Bears W 24–23 5–2 Soldier Field 62,212 8 Bye 9 October 27, 1997 at New England Patriots W 28–10 6–2 Foxboro Stadium 59,972 10 November 2 Detroit Lions W 20–10 7–2 Lambeau Field 60,126 11 November 6 St. Louis Rams W 17–7 8–2 Lambeau Field 60,093 12 November 16 at Indianapolis Colts L 38–41 8–3 RCA Dome 60,928 13 November 23 Dallas Cowboys W 45–17 9–3 Lambeau Field 60,111 14 December 1, 1997 at Minnesota Vikings W 27–11 10–3 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,001 15 December 7 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 17–6 11–3 Houlihan's Stadium 73,523 16 December 14 at Carolina Panthers W 31–10 12–3 Ericsson Stadium 70,887 17 December 20, 1997 Buffalo Bills W 31–21 13–3 Lambeau Field 60,108 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 Bears 0 11 0 13 Packers 3 15 6 14 September 1 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 9:00 p.m. EST 60,766 69 F, wind 8 mph on ABC yes 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 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 2 September 7 70 F, wind 8 mph on 66,803 EST 4:00 p.m. Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia 7 Packers 3 0 0 Eagles 0 3 6 0 FOX yes 2 GB Ryan Longwell 22 yard field goal Packers 3–0 2 GB Ryan Longwell 18 yard Field Goal Packers 6–0 3 PHI Chris Boniol 32 yard Field Goal Packers 6–3 3 GB Ryan Longwell 27 yard Field Goal Packers 9–3 4 PHI Freddie Solomon 2 yard pass from Ty Detmer (Chris Boniol Kick) Eagles 10–9 yes Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles – September 7th, 1997 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199709070phi.htm 2021-06-20 Pro-Football-Reference.com en Week 7 Packers 0 14 7 3 Bears 10 0 7 6 October 12 Soldier Field, Chicago 1:00 p.m. EST 62,212 68 F; wind 15 mph on Fox yes 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 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-Dec-14. 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 RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordStadiumAttendance Wild Card First-round bye NFC Divisional Playoff January 4, 1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4) W 21–7 1–0 Lambeau Field 60,327 NFC Championship Game January 11, 1998 San Francisco 49ers (1) W 23–10 2–0Candlestick Park 68,987 Super Bowl XXXII January 25, 1998 Denver Broncos (A4) L 31–24 2–1 Qualcomm Stadium 68,912 NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Green Bay Packers; Green Bay Packers;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Divisional Game vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary January 4, 1998 11:30 p.m. PDT Buccaneers 0 0 7 0 Packers 7 6 0 8 Lambeau Field 27 F, relative humidity 79%, wind 17 mph on NFC Championship Game at. San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers; Green Bay Packers;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Championship at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary January 11, 1998 1 p.m. PDT Packers 3 10 0 10 49ers 0 3 0 7 3Com Park 54 F, relative humidity 90%, wind 10 mph on Super Bowl XXXII vs. Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers; Green Bay Packers;text-align:center; autocollapse Super Bowl XXXII vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary January 25, 1998 3:30 p.m. PDT Packers 7 7 3 7 Broncos 7 10 7 7 Qualcomm Stadium 59 F, relative humidity 79%, wind 6 mph on 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 30em Category:Green Bay Packers seasons Category:NFC Central championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Green Bay Packers Green