1997 Green Bay Packers season

1997 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach	Mike Holmgren
Home field	Lambeau Field
Results
Record	13-3
Division place	1st NFC Central
Playoff finish	Won NFC Divisional Playoff Won NFC Championship Lost Super Bowl XXXII

The 1997 Green Bay Packers season ended with a 31-24 loss to the John Elway-led Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII, failing to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins. In addition, Packers' quarterback Brett Favre was named the league's MVP for the third year in a row, being the first player in the history of the award to do so. The Packers became the first team to have six NFL MVP award winners.

Offseason

1997 NFL draft

Despite picking last in the 1997 NFL draft, the Packers did well, picking up future all-pro tackle Ross Verba and free safety Darren Sharper.

1997 NFL Draft selections

Round	Sel#	Player	Pos.	College
1	30	Ross Verba	T	Iowa
2	60	Darren Sharper	FS	William & Mary
3	90	Brett Conway	K	Penn State
4	126	Jermaine Smith	DT	Georgia
5	160	Anthony Hicks	LB	Arkansas
7	213	Chris Miller	WR	Southern California
7	231	Terrance Lucas	DB	Montana State
7	240	Ronnie McAda	QB	Army

Ronnie McAda was Mr. Irrelevant

Personnel

Roster

This is the roster that is printed in the Green Bay Packers 1997 Official Media Guide. This information was printed previous to the playing of the season and does not reflect the regular season cut down or any mid season transactions.

1997 Green Bay Packers roster
Quarterbacks 13 Steve Bono 4 Brett Favre 7 Ronnie McAda 18 Doug Pederson Running Backs 34 Edgar Bennett 44 Chris Darkins 30 William Henderson FB 32 Travis Jervey 24 Randy Kinder 25 Dorsey Levens 22 Emory Smith FB 35 Jerald Sowell FB Wide Receivers 18 Ronnie Anderson 18 Don Beebe 18 Robert Brooks (IR) 86 Antonio Freeman 81 Qadry Ismail 2 Eric Matthews 80 Derrick Mayes 85 Terry Mickens 88 Chris Miller 84 Bill Schroeder 20 Ryan Yarborough Tight Ends 89 Mark Chmura 40 Hendrick Lusk 46 Lovell Pickney 83 Jeff Thomason 47 Kyle Wachholtz		Offensive Linemen 70 Joe Andruzzi 68 Gary Brown 69 Eugene Chung 67 Jeff Dellenbach 72 Earl Dotson 58 Mike Flanagan (IR) 65 Lindsay Knapp 40 Hendrick Lusk 77 John Michels 46 Lovell Pinkney 62 Marco Rivera 76 Marcus Spears 73 Aaron Taylor 63 Adam Timmerman 78 Ross Verba 64 Bruce Wilkerson 52 Frank Winters Defensive Linemen 93 Gilbert Brown DT 91 Shannon Clavelle DE 92 Tony Daniels DE 71 Santana Dotson DT 90 Darius Holland DT 79 Eric Johnson DE 94 Bob Kuberski DT 74 Walter Scott DE 99 Jermaine Smith DT 97 Mike Thompson DT 92 Reggie White DE 98 Gabe Wilkins DE		Linebackers 48 Reggie Clark ROLB 61 Joe Cummings MLB 55 Bernardo Harris MLB 50 Anthony Hicks MLB 56 Lamont Hollinquest LB 57 Kevin Jefferson ROLB 53 George Koonce MLB (IR) 95 Keith McKenzie LOLB 59 Wayne Simmons LOLB 51 Brian Williams ROLB Defensive Backs 36 LeRoy Butler SS 23 Matthew Dorsett LCB 27 Brad Edwards FS 33 Doug Evans RCB 26 Carl Greenwood LCB 45 Derrick Hoskins SS 28 Roderick Mullen RCB 21 Craig Newsome LCB 39 Mike Prior SS 41 Eugene Robinson FS 98 Darren Sharper FS 98 Tyrone Williams RCB Special Teams 10 Brett Conway K 17 Craig Hentrich P 8 Jim Richter K 9 John Krueger P 54 Harper Le Bel LS Rookies and first-year players in italics

Staff

1997 Green Bay Packers staff
Front Office Executive Vice President/General Manager – Ron Wolf Head Coaches Head Coach – Mike Holmgren Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Sherman Lewis Quarterbacks – Andy Reid Running Backs – Harry Sydney Wide Receivers – Gil Haskell Offensive Line – Tom Lovat Tight Ends/Assistant Offensive Line – Mike Sherman			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Fritz Shurmur Defensive Line – Larry Brooks Linebackers – Jim Lind Defensive Backs – Bob Valesente Defensive Assistant/Quality Control – Johnny Holland Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Nolan Cromwell Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Kent Johnson

Schedule

Preseason

Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record
August 1, 1997	Miami Dolphins	W 20-0	Lambeau Field	1-0
August 8, 1997	New England Patriots	W 7-3	Lambeau Field	2-0
August 16, 1997	Oakland Raiders	W 37-24	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	3-0
August 24, 1997	Buffalo Bills	W 35-3	Toronto Skydome	4-0
August 28, 1997	New York Giants	W 22-17	Camp Randall Stadium	5-0

Regular season

The Packers finished the 1997 regular season with a 13-3 record, clinching first place in the NFC Central division, as well as a first-round playoff bye.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	TV Time
1	September 1, 1997	Chicago Bears	W 38-24	Lambeau Field	1-0	ABC 9:00pm
2	September 7, 1997	Philadelphia Eagles	L 9-10	Veterans Stadium	1-1	FOX 4:15pm
3	September 14, 1997	Miami Dolphins	W 23-18	Lambeau Field	2-1	NBC 1:00pm
4	September 21, 1997	Minnesota Vikings	W 38-32	Lambeau Field	3-1	FOX 1:00pm
5	September 28, 1997	Detroit Lions	L 15-26	Pontiac Silverdome	3-2	FOX 4:15pm
6	October 5, 1997	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 21-16	Lambeau Field	4-2	FOX 1:00pm
7	October 12, 1997	Chicago Bears	W 24-23	Soldier Field	5-2	FOX 1:00pm
8	Bye
9	October 27, 1997	New England Patriots	W 28-10	Foxboro Stadium	6-2	ABC 9:00pm
10	November 2, 1997	Detroit Lions	W 20-10	Lambeau Field	7-2	ESPN 8:00pm
11	November 9, 1997	St. Louis Rams	W 17-7	Lambeau Field	8-2	FOX 1:00pm
12	November 16, 1997	Indianapolis Colts	L 38-41	RCA Dome	8-3	FOX 1:00pm
13	November 23, 1997	Dallas Cowboys	W 45-17	Lambeau Field	9-3	FOX 1:00pm
14	December 1, 1997	Minnesota Vikings	W 27-11	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	10-3	ABC 9:00pm
15	December 7, 1997	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17-6	Houlihan's Stadium	11-3	FOX 1:00pm
16	December 14, 1997	Carolina Panthers	W 31-10	Ericsson Stadium	12-3	FOX 4:15pm
17	December 20, 1997	Buffalo Bills	W 31-21	Lambeau Field	13-3	NBC 12:30pm

Standings

NFC Central
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Green Bay Packers	13	3	0	.813	422	282
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	.625	299	263
Detroit Lions	9	7	0	.563	379	306
Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	354	359
Chicago Bears	4	12	0	.250	263	421

Awards and records

• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (304)
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Passing Yards (3,867)
• Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (35)
• Brett Favre, NFL Most Valuable Player
• Brett Favre, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
• Brett Favre, All-Pro Selection
• Brett Favre, Best NFL Player ESPY Award
• Brett Favre, First Player to win Three Consecutive MVP Awards
• Robert Brooks, National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award