| |
Packers' season in review
Feb. 12, 2008
Overview: It was one of the most successful seasons in the team’s 87-year history, as the Packers’ 13-3 record matched the franchise-best records of the 1996 and ’97 Super Bowl teams. The Packers were the NFL’s youngest team, with 26 first- or second-year players on the roster, but they were led by 38-year-old Future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, who had one of the finest seasons of his illustrious 17-year career. The Packers’ dream season ended on Lambeau Field’s frozen tundra with the Giants’ upset victory in overtime in a classic NFC title game that featured five lead changes.
|
|
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
Spread
|
Result
|
|
09/09/07
|
Philadelphia
|
+3
|
16-13
|
|
09/16/07
|
at NY Giants
|
+3
|
35-13
|
|
09/23/07
|
San Diego
|
+5½
|
31-24
|
|
09/30/07
|
at Minnesota
|
-1
|
23-16
|
|
10/07/07
|
Chicago
|
-3
|
20-27
|
|
10/14/07
|
Washington
|
-3
|
17-14
|
|
|
BYE WEEK
|
|
|
|
10/29/07
|
at Denver
|
+3
|
19-13 (OT)
|
|
11/04/07
|
at Kansas City
|
+2½
|
33-22
|
|
11/11/07
|
Minnesota
|
-5½
|
34-0
|
|
11/18/07
|
Carolina
|
-10
|
31-17
|
|
11/22/07
|
at Detroit
|
-3
|
37-26
|
|
11/29/07
|
at Dallas
|
+7
|
27-37
|
|
12/09/07
|
Oakland
|
-10
|
38-7
|
|
12/16/07
|
at St. Louis
|
-7
|
33-14
|
|
12/23/07
|
at Chicago
|
-8
|
7-35
|
|
12/30/07
|
Detroit
|
-3½
|
34-13
|
|
|
BYE WEEK
|
|
|
|
01/12/08
|
Seattle
|
-7½
|
42-20
|
|
01/20/08
|
NY Giants
|
-8
|
20-23 (OT)
|
|
Team MVP: Content to peck away underneath coverage in head coach Mike McCarthy’s precision short-passing game, Favre methodically shattered league records for career victories, TD passes, completions and passing yards while leading the Packers to a surprising NFC North title. After he registered a .665 completion percentage and seven 300-yard passing games, both career highs, and repeatedly singing the praises of his much younger supporting cast, the odds are strong that Favre will return for his 18th season in Green Bay.
Biggest surprise: Green Bay’s ground game was the worst in the league the first half of the season until the Week Eight game against Denver, when Ryan Grant, who had been obtained in a trade with the Giants on Sept. 1 for a sixth-round draft choice, was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time. Grant proved to be a revelation, finishing as the league’s second-leading rusher behind San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson over the final nine games with five 100-yard rushing performances. After his two early fumbles set up a pair of quick Seahawks TDs that put the Packers in a 14-0 hole in their divisional playoff game vs. Seattle, Grant bounced back with a team postseason-record 201 yards rushing and three TDs.
Biggest disappointment: Suffice it to say, the Packers’ loss in the NFC title game was a major downer that will take awhile to get over. The most disappointing aspect of that loss was the disappearance of the ground game, which managed only 28 yards on 14 carries, the lowest total in two seasons under McCarthy. Despite the major boost provided by Grant, the Packers still finished the season ranked 21st in rushing. Grant’s numerous long gains overshadowed the ground attack’s season-long inconsistency, which was caused in great part by shoddy zone run blocking.
Offseason outlook: The future looks bright for the Packers, with or without Favre, who said he would make a quicker decision than he had the last couple of seasons regarding his future. Although the Packers appear to have the financial resources to invest in the free-agent market, GM Ted Thompson is expected to stick to his philosophy of building primarily through the draft. McCarthy — whose 22-12 record is the same as Vince Lombardi’s and Mike Sherman’s after 34 games as the Packers’ head coach — followed in Thompson’s footsteps after the season, receiving a new five-year contract worth approximately $4 million per year.
|
|
