1997: Packers Defeat Patriots with Big Plays in Super Bowl XXXI

The Green Bay Packers had won a record 11 NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls, when it was a contest between the champions of rival leagues and not yet the NFL Championship game. But three decades had gone by since the last title was achieved as the Packers met the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI on January 26, 1997 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, the Packers were in the postseason for the fourth straight year in 1996. They had gone 13-3 to win the NFC Central and blasted past the 49ers and upstart Panthers in the playoffs to win the conference title. QB Brett Favre (pictured above) was the consensus league MVP as he led the NFL in touchdown passes (39) and ranked second in passing (95.8 rating). He had Pro Bowl TE Keith Jackson to throw to, as well as wide receivers Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks, and when injuries struck them veteran WR Andre Rison was obtained with good results. Running backs Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens combined for 1465 rushing yards and caught 31 passes apiece. The defense featured 35-year old Pro Bowl DE Reggie White, on the downside of his great career but still effective, tackles Gilbert Brown and Santana Dotson, cornerbacks Craig Newsome and Doug Evans, and All-Pro SS LeRoy Butler.

The Patriots were coached by Bill Parcells, who had twice led the New York Giants to championships. They had won the AFC East with an 11-5 record and gave up a total of nine points in postseason wins over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. The offense had Pro Bowl QB Drew Bledsoe, who in his fourth season led the league in pass attempts (623) and completions (373) while accumulating 4086 yards and 27 TD passes. It also had WR Terry Glenn, who set a then-rookie record with 90 catches, and Pro Bowl TE Ben Coates, with 9 touchdowns among his 62 receptions. Second-year RB Curtis Martin rushed for 1152 yards and 14 TDs. The defensive line, anchored by DE Willie McGinest, solidified over the course of the season, and other key performers on defense included LB Chris Slade, CB Ty Law, and SS Lawyer Milloy.

Before a crowd of 72,301 inside the domed stadium, New England got the ball first and had to punt. WR Desmond Howard, another contributor to the team’s success throughout the year with his kick returns, brought this one back 32 yards to the Green Bay 45. Two plays later, Favre threw to Rison for a 54-yard touchdown and the Packers were ahead, 7-0.

On the second play of the Patriots’ next possession, Bledsoe was intercepted by Evans, giving the Packers the ball at the New England 28 yard line. Green Bay advanced to the 19, from where Chris Jacke kicked a 37-yard field goal.

Now down 10-0, the Patriots responded with a six-play, 79-yard drive that included pass completions by Bledsoe of 32 yards to RB Keith Byars and 20 to Martin, a 26-yard gain on a pass interference call on the Packers, and concluded with a one-yard TD pass to Byars.

Green Bay went three-and-out, with Favre nearly intercepted on a third down pass, and punted. New England moved 57 yards down the field in four plays, one of them a 44-yard pass from Bledsoe to Glenn. Bledsoe threw to Coates for a four-yard touchdown and the Patriots took the lead at 14-10.

Both teams punted on each of their next two possessions, but in the first minute of the second quarter, with Green Bay at its own 19, Favre connected with Freeman, who caught the ball at the 45 and continued on for an 81-yard touchdown. The big play put the Packers back in front at 17-14.

Following another New England punt that Howard returned 34 yards to near midfield, Favre threw to Rison for 23 yards into Patriots territory. Levens ran 12 yards on a draw play and, four plays later, Jacke kicked another field goal, this time from 31 yards.

Bledsoe was intercepted again on the next series and the Packers once more capitalized on the turnover. Favre completed two passes and Levens ran for 31 yards on four carries as Green Bay went 74 yards in 9 plays, with Favre running the ball in from two yards out for a TD. The score was 27-14 at halftime.


The Packers, with the first possession of the second half, drove to the New England 37, but on fourth-and-one, Levens was stopped for a seven-yard loss. The teams traded punts and the Patriots scored another TD with an 18-yard run by Martin on a draw play to pull to six points behind. However, the situation changed quickly as Howard returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown (pictured at left). Favre passed to TE Mark Chmura for a two-point conversion and Green Bay was back ahead by two touchdowns. It proved to be more than enough.

The kickoff return seemed to take all the air out of the Patriots, who went three-and-out upon getting the ball again, with Bledsoe sacked twice consecutively by Reggie White. The teams continued to trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter until Bledsoe was intercepted by Craig Newsome. The Packers held onto the ball for 11 plays, and while they came up empty when Jacke was wide on a 47-yard field goal attempt, there were now just under four minutes left to play. The Patriots went quietly, never getting out of their own territory the last two times they had the ball, and Green Bay came away the winner by a final score of 35-21.

Both teams had 14 first downs while the Packers outgained New England by 323 yards to 257. Both quarterbacks were sacked five times. However, while Green Bay suffered no turnovers, the Patriots turned the ball over four times.


Brett Favre completed just 14 of 27 passes, but for 246 yards with two long touchdowns and no interceptions. Dorsey Levens (pictured at right) led the Packers in rushing with 61 yards on 14 carries and also caught three passes for 23 yards. Antonio Freeman gained 105 yards and scored the longer TD on his three receptions. Desmond Howard, the game’s MVP, returned four kickoffs for 154 yards, including the TD that put the game away, plus 6 punts for 90 more yards (a 15.0 avg.).

For the Patriots, Drew Bledsoe went to the air 48 times and had 25 completions for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted four times. Ben Coates caught 6 passes for 67 yards and a TD. The club ran the ball just 13 times for 43 yards (and only six times after the first quarter), with Curtis Martin accounting for 42 yards on 11 carries and a TD.

“I thought we might have them rocking a little bit,” said Bill Parcells regarding the third quarter score that briefly pulled New England to just six points behind. “It's 27-21, we
had a lot of momentum. But (Howard) made the big play and I credit him for it.”

“Big plays did kill us,” said Ty Law of the Patriots, speaking more to the two long touchdown passes than the kickoff return. “You never want to go into a game and give up plays like that. If a team beats you, you want to make it hard for them.”

In the victorious Green Bay locker room, Mike Holmgren said, “This trophy, men, it was named after Vince Lombardi. As important as it is to every player in the league, it's more important to us. This is where it belongs.”

Desmond Howard departed the Packers via free agency in the offseason, but Green Bay repeated as NFC Champions, losing the Super Bowl to Denver. In New England, Parcells quit as head coach as a result of ongoing disputes on personnel matters with owner Robert Kraft. The Patriots reached the playoffs in the next two seasons under Pete Carroll, but didn’t get past the Divisional round – they would next reach the Super Bowl in 2001, under Carroll’s successor, Bill Belichick.

1987: Simms Leads Giants to Win Over Broncos in Super Bowl XXI

The New York Giants had not won a NFL Championship since 1956, and lost five title games in the seven seasons that followed. After that came a long dry spell, but on January 25, 1987 the club’s title game absence came to an end as they took on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Under Head Coach Bill Parcells, the Giants plowed through the 1986 regular season with a 14-2 record, winning their last eight contests to finish atop the NFC East. The offense was conservative and led by 32-year-old QB Phil Simms (pictured above), who passed for 3487 yards and 21 touchdowns, but also 22 interceptions. All-Pro RB Joe Morris ran for 1516 yards and 14 touchdowns, and TE Mark Bavaro blocked well and caught 66 passes for 1001 yards to also receive first-team All-Pro recognition. However, the wide receivers were average at best. The defense was outstanding and featured OLB Lawrence Taylor, with his 20.5 sacks. NT Jim Burt and DE Leonard Marshall were Pro Bowlers on the defensive line, and OLB Carl Banks and ILB Harry Carson were outstanding performers as well. New York thrashed the 49ers in the Divisional round of the playoffs and shut out Washington for the NFC title.

The Denver Broncos, coached by Dan Reeves, won the AFC West with an 11-5 tally. They had beaten the Patriots in their Divisional playoff game and then got past the Browns in a dramatic overtime win for the AFC Championship. QB John Elway (pictured below left) had keyed the victory over Cleveland by leading a remarkable 98-yard game-tying drive to force the sudden death period, and the fourth-year pro was the very embodiment of a franchise quarterback. Veteran WR Steve Watson was joined by rising stars Mark Jackson and Vance Johnson, while TE Orson Mobley was a pleasant surprise. The running game, however, was ordinary. The defense featured DE Rulon Jones, versatile All-Pro LB Karl Mecklenburg, and SS Dennis Smith.


There was a crowd of 101,063 at the huge stadium on a pleasant, 76-degree day in Southern California. The Broncos drove to a score on their first possession, with Elway setting the tone on the first play by scrambling away from the rush and running 10 yards. He also threw down the middle to Jackson for a 24-yard gain into New York territory at the 39. Rich Karlis capped the seven-play drive with a 48-yard field goal.

The Giants responded with a scoring drive of their own. Simms completed all six of his passes on the nine-play, 78-yard possession, including a six-yard touchdown pass to TE Zeke Mowatt. New York was ahead by 7-3.

Denver came back with a 58-yard drive in six plays to score another touchdown. Elway had four completions, including a screen pass to RB Sammy Winder that gained nine yards to the Giants’ 24 and, with two penalties tacked on (a late hit called on Carson and unsportsmanlike conduct on Taylor), the ball was moved to the six. Three plays later, Elway took off on a four-yard quarterback draw and dove into the end zone. With the extra point, the Broncos were back in front at 10-7 after a quarter of action.

New York’s next possession, which stretched into the second quarter, resulted in the first punt of the day. Denver again moved into Giants territory on an Elway pass to Vance Johnson that covered 54 yards to the 28 yard line. With Elway completing short passes, the Broncos moved inside the ten, and a seven-yard completion to RB Steve Sewell on third-and-two gave Denver a first-and-goal at the one.

On first down, Elway swept to the right and was dropped for a one-yard loss by Taylor. RB Gerald Willhite carried up the middle for no gain. Now facing third down, Elway pitched out to Winder, who attempted to run a sweep to the left but was dropped by Banks for a four-yard loss. Backed up to the six on fourth down, Karlis attempted a 23-yard field goal that he shanked to the right. Instead of opening up a six-to-ten point lead on the Giants, the Broncos came up empty.

New York punted following its next possession, and Denver took over at its own 15. Elway was sacked, threw an incomplete pass, and then was sacked again, this time by DE George Martin for a safety that cut the Broncos lead to one point. The Giants went three-and-out after receiving the free kick, and Denver regained possession with just over a minute remaining in the half. Elway completed a 31-yard pass to Watson to the New York 32. A shovel pass to Willhite gained 11 yards, but the drive was stopped there. Karlis again missed on a field goal attempt, this time from 34 yards, and the score remained at 10-9 in favor of Denver at halftime.

The Broncos had missed scoring opportunities in the first half, and the Giants made them pay in the third quarter. On the first possession of the second half, New York rolled 63 yards in nine plays that featured five more completions by Simms, including one of 13-yards to Bavaro for a touchdown. With the PAT, the Giants were back in front at 16-10. Along the way, the Giants had converted a fourth-and-one play when they went into punt formation and the up-man, reserve QB Jeff Rutledge, moved up under center, took the snap, and plowed ahead for two yards and the first down.

Following a three-and-out series by the Broncos, the Giants, primarily keeping the ball on the ground, drove 32 yards in eight plays that concluded with a 21-yard Raul Allegre field goal. Denver again couldn’t move the ball on its next possession, and four plays after the Giants got the ball back, Simms completed a pass on a flea-flicker play to WR Phil McConkey for a 44-yard gain to the Broncos’ one yard line. On the next play, Morris ran the final yard for a TD and the Giants had a commanding 26-10 lead in the final seconds of the period.

Elway was intercepted by CB Elvis Patterson early in the fourth quarter, which led to yet another Giants score. Simms threw for a 36-yard gain to WR Stacy Robinson and on the sixth play of the drive, a pass into the end zone that was deflected off of Bavaro’s shoulder was caught by McConkey for a six-yard touchdown.

Karlis finally connected on a field goal, from 28 yards, with six minutes left to play, and the Giants promptly drove 46 yards in five plays that featured a Simms bootleg of 22 yards and ended with RB Ottis Anderson running for a two-yard TD up the middle (Allegre missed the extra point attempt). The Broncos scored one last, long, and meaningless touchdown on a 47-yard pass play from Elway to Johnson, but the outcome had long been decided. The Giants won by a final score of 39-20.

New York outgained the Broncos (399 yards to 372) while both teams had 24 first downs. The Giants outrushed Denver (136 yards to 52) and sacked Elway four times, while Simms was dumped just once. There was only one turnover in the game, by Denver on Elway’s one interception.


Phil Simms, the game’s MVP, set a Super Bowl record for passing efficiency as he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Joe Morris (pictured at right) ran for 67 yards and a TD on 20 carries. Three Giants caught four passes apiece (Morris, Mark Bavaro, and FB Maurice Carthon) while Stacy Robinson had the most receiving yards with 62 on his three receptions.

John Elway was successful on 22 of 37 throws for 304 yards with a touchdown and the interception and, tellingly, was Denver’s leading rusher with 27 yards and a TD on six carries. Gerald Willhite gained 19 yards on four attempts and was one of two receivers on the Broncos with 5 catches, for 39 yards. The other was Vance Johnson, who gained 121 yards and scored a touchdown.

As to the key series of the game, in the second quarter when Denver failed to score after having a first down on the New York one yard line, Dan Reeves said afterward, “It hurt us. How much I don’t know. But being down there, first-and-goal on the one, and not getting any points, that hurts.”

Of the outstanding performance by Phil Simms, Bill Parcells said, “Phil Simms was just unbelievable. He quarterbacked as good a game as ever has been played.”

“If it weren't for him, we couldn't have done it,” said Lawrence Taylor of Simms. Taylor added, “We've been the best all season. We expected to win. We deserved to win.”

The Giants dropped off to 6-9 in 1987, but were back up to 10-6 in ’88 and a division-winning 12-4 in 1989. They won a second Super Bowl under Coach Parcells (pictured below) in 1990. Denver returned to the Super Bowl the following year, and lost even more convincingly to the Redskins. John Elway and the Broncos would eventually become champions, after three misses in the 80s, but it would not happen until the Super Bowl following the 1997 season.

2005: Two Late Brunell to Moss TD Passes Pull Redskins Past Cowboys

The rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys has produced numerous close contests and exciting finishes over the years. Such was the case when the two teams met at Texas Stadium in a Monday night game on September 19, 2005.

The Redskins had lost 14 of the previous 15 meetings with the Cowboys dating back to 1997. Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs returned to the club in ’04 after an absence of twelve years amid high hopes of reversing the current dry spell, but Washington finished with a 6-10 record. Veteran QB Mark Brunell (pictured at right), obtained after spending nine years in Jacksonville, had labored through a difficult season and split time with third-year QB Patrick Ramsey. He was back for another year, and there was a newcomer at the head of the receiving corps in WR Santana Moss, obtained from the New York Jets for WR Laveranues Coles. They won their opening game against the Bears with Brunell playing well in relief of an injured Ramsey, who had started.

Dallas had also gone 6-10 in 2004 after reaching the postseason in ’03 in the first year under Head Coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys had made acquisitions designed to improve a leaky defense in 2005, and also brought in an experienced veteran quarterback in 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe. They, too, had won their ’05 opener, beating San Diego with a late score and solid defensive play.

There were 65,207 fans on hand (the largest Cowboys home crowd in ten years) for the home-opening game that also featured the induction to the club’s Ring of Honor of three stalwarts of the 1990’s championship teams, QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith, and WR Michael Irvin.

The Cowboys started off with a long 13-play drive that ended in a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by Jose Cortez. Early in the second quarter, Cortez made up for it by connecting on a 33-yard attempt. But by and large neither team could move the ball and the score stood at 3-0 at halftime.

Bledsoe connected with WR Terry Glenn for a 70-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to give the Cowboys a 10-0 lead, and when Cortez extended the margin to 13-0 nine minutes into the fourth period it seemed as though Dallas had the game safely in hand. Washington’s possessions had ended in seven punts and two turnovers and their closest penetration had been to the Dallas 28 yard line. Moreover, the Redskins had lost 25 consecutive games when behind after three quarters.

However, on the possession following the second Dallas field goal, the Redskins’ offense came alive. They drove 76 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Brunell scrambling for 25 yards and then completing a fourth-and-two pass to WR James Thrash for 20 more. The possession ended with a 39-yard TD pass to Moss.

The Cowboys needed to run the clock down, and seemed bound to do that when Bledsoe completed a 17-yard pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson to the Washington 37. However, a holding penalty on OT Flozell Adams negated the play and, instead of first-and-ten in scoring position, Dallas faced third-and-18 back at its own 36. Bledsoe was able to regain only 13 yards on a pass to TE Jason Witten and the Cowboys were forced to punt.

The resulting kick by Mat McBriar went into the Redskins end zone for a touchback. With 2:52 remaining on the clock, Brunell completed a 10-yard pass to RB Clinton Portis. His next pass was deep for Moss and resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, the Redskins were suddenly clinging to a one-point lead.

That lead appeared tenuous when RB Tyson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Washington 48. But the Cowboys couldn’t get a first down and when Glenn was stopped short on a fourth-and-four play, they were forced to turn the ball over on downs with under two minutes remaining. Dallas was able to get the ball back once more with 36 seconds left, but time ran out with Glenn tackled on the Redskins 43 after taking a lateral from RB Julius Jones, who had caught Bledsoe’s final pass of the game. Washington came away with a stunning 14-13 win.

Joe Gibbs was dumped with ice-water by his team on the sideline and pronounced the win “one of the greatest moments in sports for me.”

However, a frustrated Bill Parcells said afterward, “You’ve got to learn to close the show. We didn’t do that.” It was the first time that a Parcells-coached team had lost a game in which it led by 13 points in the fourth quarter, going back through 77 such instances.

The statistics reflected the closeness of the final score. Dallas outgained the Redskins by 351 yards to 346 and had the edge in net passing yards (261 to 242). Washington outrushed the Cowboys with 104 yards on 25 attempts to 90 yards on 29 carries. The Redskins gave up the only two turnovers and were penalized 12 times while Dallas drew 7 flags.


Mark Brunell went to the air 34 times with 20 completions for 291 yards, including the two late touchdowns; he was intercepted once. Santana Moss (pictured at left) caught 5 passes for 159 yards and both of the scores. Clinton Portis was Washington’s leading rusher with 52 yards on 17 carries.

Drew Bledsoe completed 21 of 36 passes for 261 yards and a TD with none picked off. Terry Glenn had 6 pass receptions for 157 yards and the one long touchdown. Julius Jones gained 81 yards on 22 carries.

The Redskins went on to sweep the season series with Dallas for the first time in ten years, and the games had a decisive effect on the final standings. Washington finished second in the NFC East with a 10-6 record and qualified for a wild card spot in the postseason, defeating Tampa Bay in the first round before falling to Seattle in the Divisional playoff. Dallas came in third in the division at 9-7 and failed to make the playoffs.

Mark Brunell, who had just turned 35 two days before the game at Dallas, had a comeback season in which he completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 3050 yards with a career-high 23 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions. Santana Moss caught 84 passes for 1483 yards (17.7 average) including 9 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1997: Bill Parcells Becomes Head Coach of New York Jets

On February 11, 1997 the New York Jets finally were able to sign the head coach they wanted, Bill Parcells. It was not an easily done deal for the franchise that had gone 4-28 in two seasons under Rich Kotite and had not been over .500 in any of the previous eight years.

Bill Parcells had established himself as a winning NFL coach with New York’s other team, the Giants, where he led the club to two championships and five postseason berths from 1983 through ’90. After retreating to the broadcast booth for two years, he had turned around a New England Patriots team that had been in a prolonged slump and reached the playoffs twice more, including a Super Bowl appearance following the 1996 season.

However, before the Patriots faced Green Bay in the Super Bowl there was already speculation that Parcells wanted to leave. He clashed with owner Robert Kraft and was dissatisfied with his level of input into player personnel decisions. Following the 35-21 loss to the Packers, Parcells left the Patriots.

Parcells wasn’t ready to step away from the sideline and sought to fill the Jets opening. Kraft made clear that Parcells had to abide by the terms of his contract, which meant he couldn’t coach any team but the Patriots in 1997. The Jets therefore announced that they would hire Parcells as a consultant to the team, and his chief assistant coach, Bill Belichick, would become head coach.

Kraft was not about to accept such an arrangement, and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was forced to intervene. The commissioner agreed with Kraft that the consulting arrangement was unacceptable, and brokered an agreement between the teams that freed Parcells to become coach of the Jets at the expense of four draft picks, including a first round choice in 1999.

The Jets finally had Parcells as head coach; Belichick settled for assistant head coach (he would, of course, eventually make his way back to the Patriots with significant results). The new coach set about changing the makeup and attitude of the team. Following the 1-15 record of 1996, the ’97 Jets went 9-7 and nearly made the postseason. RB Adrian Murrell had a second straight thousand-yard rushing season (1086). The youthful receiving corps made progress, led by brash second-year WR Keyshawn Johnson (70 catches for 963 yards). The linebacking corps that included Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis, as well as aging ex-Giant Pepper Johnson, and CB Aaron Glenn highlighted the defense.

Quarterback was a problem area, where veteran Neil O’Donnell ran afoul of Parcells and was replaced by the gunslinging Glenn Foley until Foley fell to a knee injury. The offensive and defensive lines were ordinary at best, and the same could be said of the secondary aside from Glenn. Still, the club gave up far fewer points in ’97 (287) as opposed to the disastrous 1996 season (454)

The Jets took a major plunge into the free agent market for 1998 and it paid off with key acquisitions in QB Vinny Testaverde, RB Curtis Martin (who had played for Parcells in New England), C Kevin Mawae, and LB Bryan Cox. All excelled – in particular Testaverde – and the team surged to 12-4, making it all the way to the AFC Championship game before falling to the Denver Broncos.

The Jets dropped to 8-8 in 1999, the last season with Parcells at the helm. While he failed to make the Super Bowl with the Jets, as he had with the Giants and Patriots, his overall record was 29-19 in the regular season, 1-1 in the playoffs. It was a significant turnaround for the franchise, and the team put together winning records in the next three seasons following Parcells’ departure. The price for landing the coach known as “the Big Tuna” had been high, but he had brought much-needed respectability.