Ranking the Green Bay Packers' 10 Best Wins on Monday Night Football
The Green Bay Packers will make only one appearance this season on Monday Night Football, and that is this week's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Since the start of MNF in 1970, the Packers have had some magical moments while playing in front of a national television audience. Here is a look at the Packers' 10 best games on MNF.
To qualify for this list, the game must have been played on Monday Night Football between 1970 and the present day. Earlier games played on Monday night as an experiment by the NFL are not considered here. Neither are games played on other days of the week as part of various national television deals by the league.
The games are ranked according to their historical significance to the Packers and the NFL, their excitement and on any unique or record-setting performances that took place in the game.
Feel free to comment on any of the games mentioned here and to share your memories of them. You can also discuss any games you feel belong on this list but were omitted. As always, please indicate why you feel the way you do.
Honorable Mentions
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Three games made honorable mention on this list. Here they are in chronological order:
September 17, 1973: Packers 23, New York Jets 7
The Packers were the defending NFC Central champs and opened their 1973 season in Milwaukee against Joe Namath and the New York Jets.
While Namath got most of the attention, the Packers defense got the last laugh. Green Bay sacked Namath three times, and cornerback Ken Ellis intercepted him once. Two fumble recoveries by safety Jim Hill also set the Packers up for easy scores.
John Brockington ran for a touchdown, and Scott Hunter threw to tight end Rich McGeorge for another as the Packers rolled to a 23-7 win.
September 11, 1995: Packers 27, Bears 24
The Packers jumped off to an early 21-0 lead and held on to beat the Chicago Bears in Chicago, 27-24. Brett Favre threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the game. The highlight was a 99-yard record-tying scoring play to wide receiver Robert Brooks. He had eight catches for 161 yards and two scores, while running back Edgar Bennett ran for 96 yards.
The Bears mounted a late comeback that ended when Reggie White sacked Erik Kramer and forced a fumble, which was pounced on by linebacker Wayne Simmons.
The win was the first of the season for Green Bay en route to an 11-5 record and its first division title since 1972.
December 3, 2001: Packers 28, Jaguars 21
The Packers trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-7 in the third quarter, but Favre led them to a 28-21 comeback victory in Jacksonville. The veteran quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran for the game-winning score with just 1:30 left on the clock.
Both Bill Schroeder (106) and Antonio Freeman (104) had more than 100 yards receiving in the game, while Favre threw for 362 yards. He defeated his former backup, Mark Brunell, who threw for 311 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort.
The win improved Green Bay's record to 8-3 on the season.
10. September 8, 2008: Packers 24, Vikings 19
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The Packers opened the 2008 NFL season on Monday Night Football as they hosted the Minnesota Vikings. This was history in the making as Aaron Rodgers was making his first career NFL start after serving as Brett Favre's backup for three years.
Favre turned the summer into a soap opera, retiring and returning yet again after the Packers declared Rodgers would be the starter in 2008. The Packers eventually traded their former start to the New York Jets.
If Rodgers felt the pressure of making his first start on national television, he didn't show it. The new quarterback was efficient in his debut as the starter. He threw for 178 yards and a touchdown and ran for another touchdown in the fourth quarter that clinched the win for the Pack. For trivia buffs, fullback Korey Hall caught Rodgers' first career touchdown pass as a starter (and the second of his career) from one yard out.
A couple of big plays also contributed to the Packers' win. Will Blackmon returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put Green Bay ahead 17-6. Then, safety Atari Bigby made a key interception in the closing minutes, ending the Vikings' last chance to win the game.
9. October 16, 1972: Packers 24, Lions 23
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The Packers stood alone atop the NFC Central with a 4-1-0 record after coming from behind to beat the Detroit Lions 24-23 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The loss dropped the Lions to 3-2-0.
Detroit took a 17-0 lead in the second quarter on touchdown runs by quarterback Greg Landry and running back Altie Taylor and an Errol Mann field goal.
Scott Hunter engineered the comeback, relying on the duo of MacArthur Lane (89 yards) and John Brockington (41 yards) to move the football and sustain drives. Hunter also ran for a touchdown.
A key play was an 80-yard punt return by cornerback Ken Ellis that pulled the Packers to within one score in the third quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Hunter led the Pack on a 14-play, 84-yard drive that took seven minutes, 28 seconds off the clock. Hunter finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Leland Glass with 1:54 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Chester Marcol's extra point gave Green Bay a 24-23 lead.
Landry tried to rally the Lions, but defensive end Alden Roche deflected a fourth-down pass to thwart Detroit's desperate comeback attempt.
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8. September 20, 1982: Packers 27, NY Giants 19
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The Packers' 27-19 win over the New York Giants was strange in a lot of ways. Fans knew this was likely to be the last NFL game they'd see for some time, as the players announced they would go on strike at the conclusion of Week 2. It would be the first time an NFL regular-season game was canceled as a result of a labor dispute.
Before the game, the players all met at midfield and shook hands to show solidarity.
It was almost prophetic when the lights at Giants Stadium went out early in the second quarter, further delaying the game. The lights were eventually turned back on, and the game resumed.
For the second straight week, the Packers earned a dramatic comeback victory.
The Giants took a 19-7 at the half behind the leadership of quarterback Scott Brunner. Joe Morris and Cliff Chatman ran for scores to give New York the early lead.
The game turned in the third quarter on an 83-yard touchdown run by wide receiver James Lofton, who outraced everybody on a reverse to quickly pull the Pack to within five points. Lofton grabbed four passes for 101 yards in the game in addition to scoring on the reverse.
Eddie Lee Ivery scored on an 11-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put the Packers ahead to stay. Two field goals by Jan Stenerud added to the lead and clinched the victory for Green Bay.
The Packers improved to 2-0 on the season but wouldn't play another game until November 21, when the players and owners finally reached an agreement and resumed the season.
Green Bay finished the abbreviated 1982 campaign with a 5-3-1 record and reached the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
7. October 29, 2007: Packers 19, Broncos 13 (OT)
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As far as overtimes go, this one was over quickly. On the first play from scrimmage, Brett Favre connected with wide receiver Greg Jennings on an 82-yard touchdown pass to give the Packers a 19-13 road win over the Denver Broncos.
Earlier in the game, Favre hit wide receiver James Jones for a 79-yard score, which tied the game 7-7. Both Jennings (six catches for 141 yards) and Jones (three for 107) went for more than100 yards receiving, while Ryan Grant rushed for 104 yards on 22 carries.
The Packers were clinging to a 13-10 lead when Jay Cutler and the Broncos got the ball at the Denver 7-yard line with just 2:27 left on the clock. Cutler led the Broncos all the way to the Green Bay 4 as the clock ticked down. The Broncos field-goal unit managed to get on the field, and Jason Elam kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
This was the first overtime road win for the Packers since Week 15 when Green Bay edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-9 in 1983 in Bart Starr's last win as coach.
6. October 1, 1979: Packers 27, Patriots 14
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The Packers pulled off a huge upset as they defeated the heavily favored New England Patriots 27-14 in the first Monday Night Football game at Lambeau Field.
The Packers intercepted five Patriots passes in the game, and picks by Johnny Gray, Steve Luke and Mike McCoy set up Green Bay scoring drives.
The Packers also pressured Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan throughout the game, sacking him five times. Defensive end Robert Barber led the way with a pair of sacks.
Grogan was quoted in Newsday the next day as saying, "It was one of the most physical games I've ever been in."
Quarterback David Whitehurst ran for one touchdown and threw for 206 yards and another score on a 15-yard pass to Aundra Thompson. Running backs Terdell Middleton (80 yards in the game) and Barty Smith (39 yards) each also ran for a touchdown. Tight end Paul Coffman led the Packers with six catches in the game.
The Packers played inspired football in front of a national television audience despite being heavy underdogs against a talented Patriots team.
Head coach Bart Starr was thrilled with his team's performance and told Newsday that this was "as inspirational and emotional victory as I’ve been a part of."
(Quotes taken from microfilm, no links available)
5. September 24, 2001: Packers 37, Redskins 0
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The Packers crushed the Washington Redskins 37-0 in this game, but the circumstances surrounding it make it memorable.
This was the first Monday Night Football game since the September 11 attacks. The NFL shut down for a week while the country started on the long road to recovery. This was the first nationally televised broadcast after the league resumed play.
The crowd in the NFL's smallest city was electric before the game. In an emotional moment, former Air Force Academy graduate Chris Gizzi led the Packers onto the field carrying an American flag while the fans chanted "U.S.A., U.S.A."
The game itself was a blowout. The Green Bay defense held the Redskins to just eight first downs and 137 total yards for the game.
Favre threw for three touchdown passes, while Ahman Green ran for 116 yards on 25 carries and caught six passes for another 30 yards.
This event helped the nation take one step back toward normalcy after the tragic events earlier that month. So even though the Packers won in a rout, this game earned its place on our list of memorable MNF contests.
4. October 14, 1996: Packers 23, San Francisco 20 (OT)
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Chris Jacke booted a 53-yard field goal 3:41 into overtime to give the Packers a 23-20 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers. He kicked five field goals in the game for Green Bay, which improved to an NFL-best 6-1 record with the win.
The 49ers were playing without quarterback Steve Young, but Elvis Grbac kept them in the game and actually had San Francisco ahead when he led his team into field-goal range with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter. Jeff Wilkins booted a 28-yard field goal, and the Packers trailed 20-17.
Green Bay had time for one more drive, but it stalled at the San Francisco 14. Jacke's 31-yard boot with eight seconds left tied the game at 20-20 and sent it to overtime.
Favre threw for 395 yards in this game. His only touchdown was a 59-yard toss to wide receiver Don Beebe. The fleet Beebe finished the game with 11 grabs for 220 yards, by far his best game as a Packer.
Favre threw a franchise-record 61 passes in this game. That was partly due to the 49ers defense, which completely shut down the Green Bay running game. Favre led the Packers with 24 yards rushing. Neither running back was effective. Edgar Bennett gained just 18 yards on seven carries, while Dorsey Levens carried 10 times for just 16 yards.
The win prevented the 49ers from getting revenge for the previous season's playoff loss to the Packers at Candlestick Park. It also showed that the 1996 Packers were capable of beating an elite team when they didn't play their best football.
3. November 6, 2000: Packers 26, Vikings 20 (OT)
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Antonio Freeman's unbelievable 43-yard touchdown pass in overtime gave the Packers an improbable 26-20 win over the previously unbeaten Minnesota Vikings on a cold and windy night at Lambeau Field.
Freeman went downfield for a long pass in overtime and was covered man-to-man by Minnesota's Chris Dishman. The ball bounced off Dishman, who almost made the interception, and miraculously bounced onto Freeman's chest without hitting the ground. Freeman grabbed the ball and ran untouched into the end zone.
It was amazing that this game even went to overtime. The Vikings lined up to kick the game-winning field goal with seven seconds left in regulation time, but holder Mitch Berger bobbled the snap, and the game was still tied 20-20 after four quarters.
The Packers won mainly on the strength of five turnovers including three interceptions of Daunte Culpepper. Favre threw for 235 yards and two scores without throwing an interception.
The Packers pulled off the upset in one of the strangest finishes of any overtime game in NFL history.
2. December 22, 2003: Packers 41, Raiders 7
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Brett Favre played the game of his life under the most difficult circumstances. Favre's father Irv passed away from a sudden heart attack on Sunday. Monday night, the future Hall of Famer decided to play and honored his father with a near-flawless performance. The Packers cruised to a 41-7 win over the Oakland Raiders.
Even the Oakland crowd, normally one of the toughest in the league on opposing players, voiced support for Favre before the game got underway.
Favre went 22-of-30 for 399 yards and four touchdowns. The Kiln, Mississippi, native finished the first half with 311 passing yards, the best halftime total of his career.
It seemed anything he tried to do worked. Each of his receivers raised his game and made impressive catches for the quarterback.
Javon Walker caught two of Favre's touchdown tosses and finished the game with four catches for 124 yards. Ahman Green ran for 127 yards and another score.
Favre's performance was memorable and left even the most cynical fan teary-eyed. Irv Favre would have been proud of his son on this night.
1. October 17, 1983: Packers 48, Redskins 47
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On October 17, 1983, the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins played the highest-scoring game in the history of Monday Night Football. In the end, the Packers escaped with a 48-47 win over the defending Super Bowl champions in a game that wasn't decided until the final play.
The 1983 Packers were a tough team to figure out. They had one of the most electrifying offenses in the NFL. Quarterback Lynn Dickey directed an offense that could score on any play from anywhere. The receiving corps featured Pro Bowlers James Lofton, John Jefferson and Paul Coffman. Both starting running backs were very good receivers, and Eddie Lee Ivery and Gerry Ellis were also capable of moving the sticks on the ground as well.
But the Packers were decimated by injuries on defense, and the team gave up points as quickly as it could score them. In fact, the Packers set a new team record by scoring 429 points that season, but they also set a team record by allowing 439 points. It was no coincidence the team finished the season with an 8-8 record.
Green Bay's up-and-down season was illustrated in a microcosm on this night that saw the two teams go back and forth for 60 fast-paced and exciting minutes.
In the end, the two teams combined for 1,025 yards and 95 points, but the Packers earned the victory.
Dickey finished the game with 387 passing yards and three touchdowns. Redskins starter Joe Theismann finished with 398 yards and two scoring passes.
Both Coffman (six catches for 124 yards) and Ellis (four catches for 105 yards) had more than 100 yards receiving for the Packers, while Lofton added five grabs for 96 yards.
The Packers broke on top early on a 22-yard return of a fumble by linebacker Mike Douglas. The points just kept coming.
There were five lead changes in a frenetic fourth quarter. The Redskins broke ahead 47-45 with 2:50 left in the game on a five-yard pass from Theismann to running back Joe Washington.
Dickey answered by hitting Ellis on a 56-yard pass that set up a 20-yard chip shot by Jan Stenerud, and Green Bay led 48-47 with 54 seconds left to play.
That was too much time to leave Washington's high-powered offense, which would set a new league record by scoring 541 points that season.
Theismann led his team down the field for one last scoring try. He hit Washington three times on this drive on passes out of the backfield. Kicker Mark Moseley, who had already kicked four field goals in the game, came on to try a 39-yard boot with three seconds left on the clock. It sailed wide right, and the Packers had found a way to win the game.
The crowd at Lambeau Field went crazy as the exhausted but joyous Packers headed off the field.
The 1983 Packers were an enigma, but for one night, they played a Monday Night Football game for the ages.
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