The 50 Greatest Games of the Favre-Rodgers Era: #15-11

Good vibes only in today’s set of games! A bunch of memorable victories, and memorable for a wide range of reasons. 

The march on toward number one continues. Here we go!

#15 to #11

15. Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders, 2003 (GB 41, OAK 7)

Overall score: 7.73/10 (15/55)

Significance: 6.84/10 (23/55)

Entertainment value: 9.29/10 (3/55)

Intensity: 7.06/10 (32/55)

Not the most significant game, sure, but one that will live on forever as a career-defining game for Brett Favre, the NFL’s ultimate iron man. Favre’s 2003 season was defined by playing through pain (hell, he led the NFL in passing touchdowns with a broken thumb on his throwing hand), but the kind of pain that comes with the sudden loss of a parent is a whole different animal. The day after the passing of Big Irv, Favre came out and played one of the finest games of his career in a magical Monday Night performance that even earned him the cheers and standing ovation of a notoriously tough Raiders crowd.

View full game here.

View highlights here.

14. Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers, 1997-98 NFC Championship Game (GB 23, SF 10)

Overall score: 7.8/10 (14/55)

Significance: 8.2/10 (9/55)

Entertainment value: 7.7/10 (29/55)

Intensity: 7.5/10 (29/55)

This is a game that likely would be remembered in even fonder terms had the Packers gone on to win Super Bowl XXXII, because this was pure domination. The Packers went on the road to take on a 49ers team they had been beating time and time again, a VERY GOOD 49ers team with a 13-3 record that earned the top seed in the conference with a new coach and an offense playing a very high caliber of football. The Packers played an effective enough game on offense, but the defense simply shut down everything the 49ers wanted to do. It was a masterful game plan and made the Packers look unbeatable heading into the Super Bowl. 

View full game here.

View highlights here.

13. Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, 1993-94 Wild Card (GB 28. DET 24)

Overall score: 7.87/10 (13/55)

Significance: 7.58/10 (15/55)

Entertainment value: 8.12/10 (19/55)

Intensity: 7.9/10 (14/55)

A hell of a game, these days best remembered for the cross-field rainbow bomb from Brett Favre to a wide-open Sterling Sharpe to take the lead from the Lions and ultimately win the game. The Packers returned to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and were victorious. While they were promptly eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys, it was a gigantic step forward for the franchise in the second year under Favre, Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren, and represented a franchise finally emerging from a decades-long slumber.

View full game here.

View highlights here. 

12. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, 2018 (GB 24, CHI 23)

Overall score: 7.91/10 (12/55)

Significance: 6.52/10 (27/55)

Entertainment value: 8.88/10 (10/55)

Intensity: 8.45/10 (8/55)

A rocky start for the Packers had Bears fans feeling like they might potentially be entering a new era of the rivalry, led by a tenacious defense featuring the newly acquired Khalil Mack (who they traded for right under the Packers’ noses). Aaron Rodgers was entirely ineffective, then left the game with a knee injury, and Packer fans started to worry that their newly extended franchise quarterback could be out for yet another extended absence. However, after going down 20-0 at halftime, Rodgers magically returned and willed an epic comeback capped off by Randall Cobb’s lengthy go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Rodgers was loopy after the game in his interview, exclaiming his injury was to “my knee!”

View highlights here.

11. Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers, 2014-15 Divisional Playoffs (GB 26, DAL 21)

Overall score: 7.94 (11/55)

Significance: 7.08/10 (18/55)

Entertainment value: 8.29/10 (14/55)

Intensity: 8.44/10 (9/55)

The game that produced a quote that will echo on in Packer lore forever: “DEZ DROPPED IT!” A back-and-forth contest between these two familiar foes came down to the end of the game. It looked as though the Cowboys were in favorable position to gain the lead and possibly win, but a replay of what was ruled a reception by Dez Bryant near the Packers’ goal line led to the play being overturned, leading to plenty of controversy in the aftermath. Despite an injured calf muscle, Aaron Rodgers toughed it out and the team earned a spot in its first conference championship game since its Super Bowl XL championship.

View highlights here.

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CURRENT RANKINGS:

Honorable Mentions:

55. Denver at Green Bay, 2003

54. Seattle at Green Bay, 2012

53. Packers at Vikings, 1997

52. Packers at Broncos, 2007

51. Packers at Patriots, 1997

Countdown:

50. Detroit at Green Bay, 2011

49. Tennessee at Green Bay, 2020

48. Baltimore at Green Bay, 2001

47. Green Bay at Miami, 2014

46. Chicago at Green Bay, 2014

45. Atlanta at Green Bay, 1994

44. LA Raiders at Green Bay, 1993

43. Tampa Bay at Green Bay, 1999

42. Seattle at Green Bay, 2016

41. San Francisco at Green Bay, 2013-2014 Wild Card

40. Green Bay at Dallas, 2007

39. Minnesota at Green Bay, 1999

38. Green Bay at Chicago, 2021

37. New Orleans at Green Bay, 2011

36. Green Bay at Minnesota, 2019

35. Seattle at Green Bay, 2007 divisional playoffs

34. Minnesota at Green Bay, 2010

33. Detroit at Green Bay, 1994 wild card

32. Dallas at Green Bay, 2022

31. Green Bay at Arizona, 2021

30. San Francisco at Green Bay, 1996

29. Super Bowl XXXII

28. Dallas at Green Bay, 1997

27. Green Bay at Dallas, 2017

26. Green Bay at Arizona, 2015-2016 NFL Divisional Playoffs

25. Green Bay at Dallas, 2013

24. Green Bay at San Francisco, 1998 Wild Cards

23. Green Bay at Detroit, 2015

22. New England at Green Bay, 2014

21. Pittsburgh at Green Bay, 1995

20. New York Giants at Green Bay, 2007 NFC Championship

19. Cincinnati at Green Bay, 1992

18. Green Bay at Seattle, 2014 NFC Championship

17. San Francisco at Green Bay, 1996 Divisional Playoffs

16. Minnesota at Green Bay, 2000

15. Green Bay at Oakland, 2003

14. Green Bay at San Francisco, 1997-98 NFC Championship

13. Green Bay at Detroit, 1993-94 Wild Card

12. Chicago at Green Bay, 2018

11. Dallas at Green Bay, 2014-15 Divisional Playoffs

METHODOLOGY:

• Fans had the opportunity to submit games they loved into a Google form
• The 55 most-mentioned games were chosen to be in this poll
• Fans voted in the poll, giving a 1-10 rating for each game in three categories:
  • SIGNIFICANCE: How important or significant is the game to the franchise?
  • ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: How entertaining do you find the game?
  • INTENSITY: How intense was the action or atmosphere for the game?
• With all votes in, I created averages in each of these categories for each games. Their overall ranking is the mean value of the averages for each of those categories using the formula: (SIG + ENT + INT)/3