Green Bay Packers: 9 Most Shocking Moments in Green Bay History
From the O.J. Simpson scandal to Barry Sanders retiring early, all NFL fans have seen their fair share of shockers.
At the time, these decisions and occurrences were talked about excessively due to their surprising nature.
If you're a loyal Packers fan, bringing back the memories of these shocking moments will burn the most.
But then again, shocking moments aren't always bad.
If you're a Cheesehead, dare to go through this slideshow and relive nine of the most shocking moments in Green Bay Packers history.
And if you're a fan of another NFL team, don't be afraid to look around and witness what Packers' fans have gone through over the years.
9. 2009 NFC Wild Card Shootout Ends in a Defensive Touchdown
1 of 9Joe Buck shared a quote that pretty much summed up the feelings of fans worldwide when he said, "Wouldn't you know a game like this ends on a defensive play."
In a game where defenses practically didn't exist, the game-winning touchdown was scored by Karlos Dansby after a forced fumble.
By getting the ball first in overtime, some figured the game to be over as the Packers would charge down the field for a field goal.
There were several questionable calls on this drive, particularly on the hit. But let's not play the game of "blame the refs for everything."
When Dansby scored the game-winning touchdown, everyone was left wondering how a game could end like this. A game featuring over 1,000 yards of total offense seemingly should end on an offensive touchdown.
Since it's in recent history and the memory still burns, this shocking touchdown barely makes the list.
8. Mike Holmgren Lets Terrell Davis Score in the Super Bowl
2 of 9Figuring that it was best to give the Broncos the lead and give his offense the ball back, Holmgren ordered the Packers defense to let the Broncos score.
If a game is tied 24-24 and it's the Super Bowl, it's a wonder as to why some people were puzzled at Holmgren's decision.
The plan didn't work out as the Packers offense was unable to answer.
If you watch the video, you'll see a hole that is mile wide.
And if you know your Super Bowl history, then you'll know that the Lombardi Trophy went back to Mile High.
7. 1998 NFC Wild Card Game
3 of 9Another quality commentator conclusion, "This is amazing," comes at the hands of a Packers loss.
Down 27-23 with eight seconds left, the 49ers have no choice but to throw it to the endzone. Anything short would result in a loss if tackled in-bounds.
The Packers bring a three-man rush and drop their players primarily back to the end zone.
But that doesn't stop Steve Young from firing a pass to Terrell Owens in what would become known as "The Catch II."
Another playoff game ending in a jaw-dropping play.
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6. Paul Hornung's Gambling Scandal
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In 1963, a scandal involving several players shocked NFC North fans as Paul Hornung (Packers) and Alex Karras (Lions) were suspended for betting on games.
Leading up to that point, the public had adored Hornung. He had numerous endorsements and was a fan favorite in Green Bay.
But then, a scandal emerged that forced one of the NFL's most versatile players to sit out an entire season.
He, along with several other players, were found out to have betted on NFL games. Obviously, since they were NFL players and played in those games, it was against the rules.
Hornung's image didn't take a huge hit as he was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but a season suspension for a so-called Golden Boy was certainly a shocker for Green Bay's loyal citizens.
5. 2010 Super Bowl Run
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Finally, something surprising that turned out to be a good thing for the Packers.
Sitting at 8-6 heading into Week 16, the 2010 squad was wondering what went wrong.
After all, they had come off a 11-5 season that saw them go 7-1 to close the season. But they didn't hang their heads.
Knowing that every game from now on was a must win, the Packers tallied six straight victories to become the Super Bowl champs.
Week in and week out, a plentiful amount of analysts and experts wrote off the Packers saying they couldn't continue the run.
After a 31-25 Super Bowl victory over the Steelers, the critics were finally put to rest.
Rallying for six straight wins when you have around 15 players on IR was certainly a magical sight to see.
4. Vince Lombardi's Death
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To start off this slide, I'd like to take a moment to honor one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. May he rest in peace.
Though he spent some of his later years with the Redskins, Lombardi will always be best known for his time spent in Green Bay.
When Lombardi was in Green Bay, the Packers flourished. Under him, they won five NFL Championships and two Super Bowl Championships in a short amount of time.
The former coach is such a legend that the Super Bowl trophy was named the Lombardi Trophy.
And even though news of Lombardi's illness was known months before his death, it was nonetheless a somber ending.
3. Ice Bowl
7 of 9The coldest game in NFL History would be played at a temperature of minus-48°F to start including wind chill. By the end of the game, the temperature had gone down to minus-70°F.
The Packers jumped to a 14-point lead early in the game but surrendered 17 consecutive points.
With 16 seconds left and a 3rd-and-goal situation, the Packers only needed to kick the field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime.
What ensued is a famous conversation between Bart Starr and head coach Vince Lombardi.
Lombardi gave the orders to, "Run it, and let's get the hell out of here!"
The QB sneak (fast forward to 8:34 to see it) was successful, and the risky move in the 1967 NFL Championship game ended up giving Lombardi his fifth title.
Recently, it was ranked on B/R as the No. 1 gutsiest decision in NFL History.
2. 4th-and-26
8 of 9When mentioned to a fan of the Green and Gold, 4th-and-26 can be a pretty terrible thing to say.
Ahead 17-14 with 1:12 seconds to go in the 2004, the Packers could smell victory. All they had to do was stop the Eagles from advancing 26 yards.
However, it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
Once the play started, the secondary backed up to around where the Eagles needed to get to.
As legend goes, Donovan McNabb threw a pass to Freddie Mitchell that got them the first.
After that play, an offsides penalty was called on Green Bay.
The meltdown continued, and in one of the biggest late game collapses in Packer history, the Eagles proceded to win 20-17 in overtime.
The End of the Brett Favre Saga
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Not all of this has to do with the Packers, but it relates to them so it counts.
After Brett Favre threw an interception that essentially ended the NFC Championship game in 2007, it looked like the end of his career.
He retired, and for the moment, fans in the NFL thought that was that.
But after asking to be reinstated, GM Ted Thompson refused to give the superstar his starting role back. This was the second of many shocking events.
He was traded to the Jets for a draft pick that was to change depending on Favre's level of a play.
The Jets lost four of their last five and missed the playoffs. Favre retires again.
The end wasn't meant to be because Favre decides again that he wants to play. In a decision that flabbergasted many, the Packer legend decided to sign with NFC North rival Minnesota.
Favre has one of the best seasons of his career while playing for the Vikings but falls up short in the NFC Championship.
As you can guess, he claims that he will not come back.
His teammates, particularly Jared Allen, convince him to rejoin the Vikings, and you know what comes next.
Favre gets caught in the middle of scandals and plays poorly as the Vikings compile a losing record. And to make things worse, his iron man streak ends after an injury suffered vs. Buffalo.
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