| 1996 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Green Bay Packers, Inc. |
| President | Bob Harlan |
| General manager | Ron Wolf |
| Head coach | Mike Holmgren |
| Offensive coordinator | Sherman Lewis |
| Defensive coordinator | Fritz Shurmur |
| Home stadium | Lambeau Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1stNFC Central |
| Playoffs | WonDivisional Playoffs (vs.49ers) 35–14 WonNFC Championship (vs.Panthers) 30–13 WonSuper Bowl XXXI (vs.Patriots) 35–21 |
| All-Pros | 3
|
| Pro Bowlers | |
The1996 season was theGreen Bay Packers' 76thseason in theNational Football League (NFL), their 78th overall and their fifth underhead coachMike Holmgren. The franchise won its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL Championship. The Packers posted a league-best 13–3 regular season win-loss record, going 8–0 at home and 5–3 on the road. It was the first time since 1962 that the team went undefeated at home.[1] Additionally, the Packers had the NFL's highest-scoring offense (456) and allowed the fewest points on defense (210). Green Bay was the first team to accomplish both feats in the same season until the undefeated1972 Miami Dolphins. They finished the season with the number one offense, defense, and special teams. They also set a then NFL record for the fewest touchdowns allowed in a 16-game season, with 19. The Packers also allowed the fewest yards in the NFL and set a record for punt return yardage. Brett Favre won his second straight MVP award while also throwing for a career-high and league-leading 39 touchdown passes.
In thepostseason, the Packers defeated theSan Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and theCarolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. Green Bay beat theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XXXI to win their thirdSuper Bowl and twelfthNFL Championship.[2]
In 2007, the 1996 Packers were ranked as the 16th greatest Super Bowl champions on theNFL Network's documentary seriesAmerica's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, with team commentary fromBrett Favre,Mike Holmgren, andDesmond Howard, and narrated byKevin Bacon. The 1996 Packers were ranked 6th-greatest Super Bowl team of all time by a similar panel done byESPN and released in 2007. Later, they ranked #20 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary.[3][4] As of 2023, the Packers are the only team since the implementation of the salary cap to score the most points and allow the fewest in the regular season.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| WRDon Beebe (Panthers) | QBTy Detmer (Eagles) |
| WRDesmond Howard (Jaguars) | WRMark Ingram Sr. (Eagles) |
| FSEugene Robinson (Seahawks) | LBJoe Kelly (Eagles) |
| DTSantana Dotson (Buccaneers) | LBFred Strickland (Cowboys) |
| FSGeorge Teague (Cowboys) | |
| DTJohn Jurkovic (Jaguars) |
| 1996 Green Bay Packers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | John Michels | Offensive tackle | USC | |
| 2 | 56 | Derrick Mayes | Wide receiver | Notre Dame | |
| 3 | 90 | Mike Flanagan * | Center | UCLA | |
| 3 | 93 | Tyrone Williams | Cornerback | Nebraska | |
| 4 | 123 | Chris Darkins | Running back | Minnesota | |
| 6 | 208 | Marco Rivera * | Guard | Penn State | |
| 7 | 240 | Kyle Wachholtz | Quarterback | USC | |
| 7 | 252 | Keith McKenzie | Defensive end | Ball State | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Keeney | Defensive tackle | The Citadel |
| Eric Matthews | Wide receiver | Indiana |
| Troy Stark | Offensive tackle | Georgia |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Game recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 2 | New England Patriots | W 24–7 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–17 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 17 | atBaltimore Ravens | W 17–15 | 3–0 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 24 | atIndianapolis Colts | L 6–20 | 3–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | W 34–3 | 1–0 | Houlihan's Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 39–13 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 3 | September 15 | San Diego Chargers | W 42–10 | 3–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 4 | September 22 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 21–30 | 3–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap | ||
| 5 | September 29 | atSeattle Seahawks | W 31–10 | 4–1 | Kingdome | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 6 | atChicago Bears | W 37–6 | 5–1 | Soldier Field | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 23–20(OT) | 6–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 8 | Bye | |||||||
| 9 | October 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 13–7 | 7–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 3 | Detroit Lions | W 28–18 | 8–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 10 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 20–27 | 8–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | ||
| 12 | November 18 | atDallas Cowboys | L 6–21 | 8–3 | Texas Stadium | Recap | ||
| 13 | November 24 | atSt. Louis Rams | W 24–9 | 9–3 | Trans World Dome | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 1 | Chicago Bears | W 28–17 | 10–3 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 15 | December 8 | Denver Broncos | W 41–6 | 11–3 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 15 | atDetroit Lions | W 31–3 | 12–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap | ||
| 17 | December 22 | Minnesota Vikings | W 38–10 | 13–3 | Lambeau Field | Recap | ||
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round bye | ||||||
| Divisional | January 4, 1997 | San Francisco 49ers (4) | W 35–14 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap | |
| NFC Championship | January 12, 1997 | Carolina Panthers (2) | W 30–13 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | Recap | |
| Super Bowl XXXI | January 26, 1997 | New England Patriots (A2) | W 35–21 | 3–0 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Packers | 10 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 34 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Q1 | GB | Jacke 23-yard field goal | GB 3–0 | |
| Q1 | GB | Jackson 1 yard pass fromFavre (Jacke kick) | GB 10–0 | |
| Q2 | TB | Husted 48-yard field goal | GB 10–3 | |
| Q2 | GB | Jackson 4-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) | GB 17–3 | |
| Q2 | GB | Jackson 51-yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) | GB 24–3 | |
| Q3 | GB | Jacke 40-yard field goal | GB 27–3 | |
| Q3 | GB | Levens 1 yard pass from Favre (Jacke kick) | GB 34–3 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1)Green Bay Packers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 456 | 210 | W5 |
| (6)Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 298 | 315 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 283 | 305 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 221 | 293 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 302 | 368 | L5 |
Brett Favre broke the Packers single-season record for touchdown passes by throwing 39.[8]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Packers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay was able to win going away on a cold damp day at Lambeau Field. With the weather turning the field into a muddy mess both offenses struggled. San Francisco was able to keep pace offensively and defensively for most of the game, with the score 21–14 in favor of Green Bay in the third quarter, but special teams were decisively dominated by the Packers. Penalties also played a factor as San Francisco had 6 for 42 yards, while Green Bay only had 1 for 5.
A muffed kickoff by Green Bay set up a 49ers touchdown, but Green Bay's Desmond Howard returned two kicks for large gains, including one touchdown. The final score was Green Bay 35–14.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Packers | 0 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Packers | 10 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 35 |
at Louisiana Superdome
The Packers win their first championship since 1967. Desmond Howard is named the Super Bowl MVP, as he accumulated 244 total yards worth of returns (kick and punt) including a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Patriots QuarterbackDrew Bledsoe threw 4 interceptions while Brett Favre threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran another one in.
