Ranking the Green Bay Packers' 5 Best Wins over the New England Patriots
The Green Bay Packers are set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday in a game that many say could be a Super Bowl preview. While the Pack and Pats don't meet all that often, they have played some very big games since their first meeting back in 1973. Here is a look at the Packers' five best wins over the Patriots.
While most of the talk leading up to the 2014 matchup between these teams centers on the meeting of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, this will be the first time these two great quarterbacks will be starting against each other.
In the last meeting between these teams in 2010, Rodgers was injured and backup Matt Flynn kept the Packers close in a 31-27 New England win. That game is the honorable mention on our list.
The games are ranked by their historical importance to the Packers, how memorable the games were and how competitive and exciting each contest was.
Feel free to comment on any game on this list or to mention one you feel belongs on this list but was omitted. As always, please indicate why you feel the way you do.
5. October 9, 1988: Packers 45, Patriots 3
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The Packers earned their first victory under head coach Lindy Infante in a 45-3 route of the Patriots at Milwaukee County Stadium.
Running back Brent Fullwood rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries to pace the Green Bay offense.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie started for the Patriots but was intercepted three times by the Green Bay defense. Steve Grogan replaced him and was picked twice in just seven attempts.
Don Majkowski threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for an additional score.
The Patriots took an early 3-0 lead but two touchdowns by Fullwood in the final five minutes of the second quarter gave the Packers the lead to stay.
Kenneth Davis ran for 58 yards and a touchdown in just 10 carries. Ed West and Sterling Sharpe each caught three passes, tops among Green Bay receivers.
With the win, the Packers improved to 1-5, while the loss dropped the Patriots to 2-4 on the season.
4. October 13, 2002: Packers 28, Patriots 10
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Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes while the Green Bay defense intercepted Tom Brady three times as the Packers defeated the Patriots 28-10.
Ahman Green ran for 136 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Favre as well in this game. Bubba Franks and William Henderson also caught touchdown passes for Green Bay.
The Packers won the turnover battle 4-0 which was the biggest difference in this game.
The Patriots led 3-0 on a second-quarter field goal by Adam Vinatieri, but the Pack scored the next 28 points to take control of the contest.
Green Bay won despite a defense that was struggling with injures to defensive backs Mike McKenzie and Darren Sharper.
The win improved the Packers to 5-1 and upped their winning streak to four games. New England fell to 3-3 with the loss.
3. October 27, 1997: Packers 28, Patriots 10
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Dorsey Levens ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, and he caught seven passes for 40 more yards and another score as the Packers downed the Patriots 28-10 in a Super Bowl rematch.
Brett Favre threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns for Green Bay to overcome a 10-7 second-quarter lead for the Patriots.
First, Favre hit Mark Chmura for a 32-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to give the Pack a 14-10 halftime lead.
A third-quarter touchdown toss to Robert Brooks and Levens' touchdown run closed out the scoring.
The Packers intercepted Drew Bledsoe three times and limited Curtis Martin to just 65 yards on 18 carries.
Mike Holmgren's club improved to 6-2 with the win, while Pete Carroll's Pats slipped to 5-3. The Packers finished the season 13-3 and returned to the Super Bowl for the second straight year.
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2. October 1, 1979: Packers 27, Patriots 13
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The Green Bay Packers were heavy underdogs in 1979 when they faced the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field in Week 5. The Pack were off to a disappointing 1-3 start to the season, while the Patriots came in at 3-1 and were a playoff team in 1978.
There was a festive atmosphere throughout the NFL's smallest city for this game. It was the first time the Packers ever hosted a Monday Night Football game in Green Bay. Howard Cosell and company were on hand to broadcast the contest and the entire football world was watching.
The Patriots took an early 7-0 lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan to tight end Russ Francis.
The Packers took control of the game after that. Quarterback David Whitehurst ran for one touchdown and threw another to wide receiver Aundra Thompson. Terdell Middleton and Barty Smith each scored from one-yard out to add to the Packers lead.
The key to the huge upset was turnovers. The Packers intercepted five Patriot passes, three from Grogan and two off backup Tom Owen.
Middleton ran for 80 yards on 20 carries, while tight end Paul Coffman made six catches for 43 yards.
This upset win was the highlight of the season for the Packers. They finished the year 5-11-0 after losing seven of their final nine games.
1. Super Bowl XXXI: Packers 35, Patriots 21
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Brett Favre threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as the Packers beat the Patriots 35-21 to win their first Super Bowl title in 29 years.
The Packers made several big plays to earn the win. Favre found Andre Rison on a 54-yard pass early in the game to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead. The quarterback called an audible at the line of scrimmage and found Rison in single coverage deep.
In the second quarter, Favre threw an 81-yard touchdown to Antonio Freeman to set a new Super Bowl record for the longest touchdown pass.
The Patriots closed the gap to 27-21 on an 18-yard run by Curtis Martin late in the third quarter, but MVP Desmond Howard returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for the clinching score.
Reggie White had three sacks in the fourth quarter to stifle any comeback hopes the Patriots may have had.
The Packers picked off Drew Bledsoe four times without giving the ball away to New England all game.
It was the first championship for the Packers since the Lombardi-era, while Patriots' coach Bill Parcells lost a Super Bowl for the first time in his career after two wins with the New York Giants.
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