The rosters have been announced for the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl, and once again the Packers will be well-represented on the NFC team. Seven Packers were named to this year's team, four as starters.
Aaron Rodgers was named the NFC starting quarterback in his second appearance in the Pro Bowl, and fullback John Kuhn will start in his first Pro Bowl. Charles Woodson won a starting spot for his 8th Pro Bowl appearance, and Clay Matthews will start in his 3rd straight year as a Pro Bowler.
Wide receiver Greg Jennings, center Scott Wells, and defensive tackle B.J. Raji were all selected as Pro Bowl reserves.
Seven Packers were also selected as Pro Bowl alternates, including kicker Mason Crosby, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, kick returner Randall Cobb, tight end Jermichael Finley, guard Josh Sitton, linebacker Desmond Bishop, and cornerback Tramon Williams.
The Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, January 29, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii
This past weekend was huge for Wisconsin sports. The Brewers, Badgers and Packers all had big wins on their way to an undefeated weekend.
Brewers
Friday night the Brewers began a three game series against the Florida Marlins. Going into the game the Brewers had a magic number of two to clinch the National League Central division, meaning they needed to win two games, or the second-place St. Louis Cardinals needed to lose two games, or some combination of the two.
The Brewers got on the board early on a solo home run by Prince Fielder in the second inning. The Marlins tied the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Bryan Peterson.
In the eighth inning Corey Hart doubled and Nyjer Morgan walked, bringing Ryan Braun to bat with two men on base. Braun worked Marlins pitcher Clay Hensley into a 3-1 count and sent the following pitch 431 feet into center field, putting the Brewers up 4-1.
"I think for me honestly, I live for that moment. You play the game to have the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch in September," Braun said after the game. "I truly expected to come through in that situation."
John Axford claimed his 44th save in the ninth inning to give the Brewers the victory.
With the Brewers' magic number reduced to just one, the Crew now looked to the Cubs/Cardinals matchup that was, at the time, in the eighth inning. 20 minutes later, the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-1, ironically giving the Brewers their first NL Central division title since 1982.
The Brewers went on to beat the Marlins again on Saturday (6-4) and Sunday (9-5) to improve to 94-65 on the season. The Brewers' victory on Sunday gave the crew 55 wins at home in the 2011 season, a team record. The Brewers will also attempt to pick up their 95th win of the season on Monday night, which would tie the team record for most wins in a season.
Badgers
On Saturday the 7th ranked Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) faced off against the South Dakota Coyotes (2-2) at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
After struggling in the first quarter, the Badgers exploded to end the first half and went on to steamroll the Coyotes 59-10.
Russell Wilson continued his dominance for the Badgers, completing 19 of 25 passes for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Wilson found wide receiver Nick Toon seven times for a career-high 155 reception yards and two touchdowns. Jared Abbrederis also caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Montee Ball amassed 15 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and James White carried the ball 9 times for 95 yards and a score. As a team the Badgers collected 267 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
The Badgers finished out the non-conference schedule with their fourth straight win. They have outscored their non-conference opponents 194-34.
Wisconsin opens their Big Ten schedule next Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. ESPN College Gameday will come to Madison for the night game as the #7 and #8 teams face off.
Packers
The Packers traveled to Soldier Field on Sunday for a rematch of the 2010 NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay opened the scoring in the first quarter when Aaron Rodgers found tight end Jermichael Finley for a six yard touchdown pass. Rodgers found Finley again in the second quarter on a seven yard score to put the Packers up 14-0.
The Bears scored on a pass from Jay Cutler to Dane Sanzenbacher to make the score 14-7. Both teams added field goals near the end of the second quarter to make the score 17-10 at the half.
The Packers added another field goal in the third quarter, before going up 27-10 in the fourth on a third Rodgers/Finley connection, this time from from ten yards out.
The Bears scored again late in the fourth on a 32 yard pass to Kellen Davis to make the score 27-17. After a late-game punt return touchdown was called back on a penalty, the Bears were unable to mount a comeback and the Packers walked away with the victory.
Aaron Rodgers completed 28 of 38 attempts for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns, all to Jermichael Finley. Greg Jennings led all receivers with 9 receptions for 119 yards.
The packer defense held Chicago running back Matt Forte to just two yards on nine carries, and Morgan Burnett intercepted Jay Cutler twice.
The Packers return home next Sunday against the Denver Broncos (1-2).
On September 8, the 2011 NFL season will open with a matchup of the past two Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers will attempt to become the 12th straight defending Super Bowl Champion to win their season opener when the Saints come to Lambeau Field Thursday night.
Both teams are preseason favorites to return to the playoffs, and each hopes to open the 2011 season with a huge win over a premier team.
Several positional matchups will be huge factors in the outcome of the game.
Check out the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
The Wisconsin Badgers opened the 2011 NCAA season with a 51-17 routing of the UNLV Rebels on Thursday night.
The Badgers overpowered the Rebels in all facets of the game, accumulating 499 yards from scrimmage while limiting UNLV to less than 300 yards of offense.
Transfer quarterback Russell Wilson made the most of his Badger debut, completing 10 of 13 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown.
The running back tandem of Montee Ball and James White was stellar as well, as Ball rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns and White ran for 64 yards and a score. Ball also caught 2 passes, one for a touchdown.
After a Rose Bowl season in 2011, five Wisconsin Badgers were selected in the NFL Draft—the most Badgers taken in a draft since 2006, when five were also taken.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
In his first home start for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, Zack Greinke pitched six innings, struck out nine, and gave up just two earned runs on the way to a 4-3 Brewers victory over the San Diego Padres.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
According to sources for the Milwaukee Brewers, Corey Hart will return to the team for his first start on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how well he feels after his Monday night start for Triple-A Nashville.
Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.
The Brewers beat the Braves for the 3rd straight time to win the home series and improve their season record to 3-4.
Ryan Braun got the scoring started with a 2-run homer in the first inning. After the Braves tied the game, Nyjer Morgan ran over Brave catcher Brian McCann, jarring the bar loose and scoring the go-ahead run. The Brewers added a run in the 8th on a Prince Fielder RBI.
Shaun Marcum pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings of working. He also recorded 4 strikeouts and walked just 2 batters. The Brewer relievers held on to the lead, and John Axford tallied his 2nd save of the season.
The Brewers welcome in the rival Cubs for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. Randy Wolf will face off against Carlos Zambrano.
The Milwaukee Brewers finally scraped out their first win of the 2011 MLB season last night in a 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Yovani Gallardo was undoubtedly the hero of the game, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up just 2 hits and scoring the sole run for the Brewers.
Gallardo became the first Brewer pitcher in history to throw a complete game shutout and score the only run of the game, and is the first player in the MLB to accomplish the feat since Pete Harnisch of the Houston Astros did it in 1991.
The Brewers face the Braves again tonight at 7. Marco Estrada takes the mound for the Brewers facing Mike Minor. Both are making their first starts of the season.
Wisconsin heads to New Orleans Thursday night to make their 5th Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last 11 seasons, facing the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs.
The 4th seeded Badgers are coming off two big wins to start the tournament. Last Thursday the Badgers were a favorite to be upset by the Belmont Bruins. Belmont stuck around for a short time, but the Badgers were too much and pulled away, eventually winning 72-48.
The story was much different last Saturday against Kansas State. The 5th seeded Wildcats came in with one of the best scorers in the league, point guard Jacob Pullen. Wisconsin struggled to guard him the entire game, but thanks to little production from the rest of the Wildcats and a few defensive stops at the end of the game, Wisconsin scraped out a 70-65 game and held Pullen to "only" 38 points.
Butler, who made it to the finals last year against eventual tournament-winner Duke, started out this year's tournament by beating 9th seed Old Dominion on a buzzer-beating layup and narrowly upsetting the #1 seed Pitt Panthers.
The Sweet Sixteen will be a matchup of two similar teams. Both Wisconsin and Butler like to play a slow game, take care of the ball, and shoot tons of 3's.
Some key matchups to watch:
Shelvin Mack vs. Jordan Taylor
Both Mack and Taylor have the ability to produce on the offensive end. We saw Taylor explode for 39 against Indiana, and Mack put 30 up against #1 Pitt. Taylor has the edge as a distributor, and has double Mack's assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.
Matt Howard vs. Jon Leuer
The inside game will be vital for both teams. Leuer was able to score at will against Belmont in the second half, and put up 18 against Kansas State. Howard was the hero against Old Dominion, getting a rebound to score a buzzer-beating layup, and was able to score 16 against Pitt. Leuer will have to exploit his height advantage when he is matched up against Howard.
Keaton Nankivil vs. Butler's help defense
Butler's center, Andrew Smith, is not nearly as mobile as Nankivil. The Badgers will look to pop Nankivil outside the arc for an easy three. If Nankivil is able to hit a few shots it will open up the court and put Butler in a tough defensive situation.
Butler's bench vs. Wisconsin's bench
The Badgers' backups came up big in the win over Kansas State. Mike Bruesewitz scored 11 points, including a key three near the end of the game, and picked up 6 rebounds. Ryan Evans provided a much-needed spark midway through the second half. Butler regularly plays 4 backups. Should any of the big hitters get into foul trouble, both teams' benches will need to step up.
Bo Ryan vs. Brad Stevens
Ryan has never missed the NCAA Tournament while coaching Wisconsin, and has seen moderate tournament success in his tenure. Butler coach Brad Stevens might look like a teenager, but has made the NCAA Tournament in all four years at Butler, making it to the final round last year.
The Green Bay Packers cut linebacker A.J. Hawk yesterday, with hopes to re-sign him at a reduced salary. Hawk was scheduled to make over $10 million in the upcoming season.
According to Hawk's agent, Mike McCartney, the two sides are "putting the finishing touches" on a deal to bring Hawk back to the Super Bowl champs just one day after his release.
UPDATE: A.J. Hawk and the Packers have agreed upon a 5-year contract, the details of the contract have yet to be released.
The 2011 off-season has been troubling to date. With the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring on Thursday, the potential for a 2011 lockout looms bigger than ever. It does not appear that the conflict between the NFL team owners and the Player's Union will be resolved and a new CBA will be put into place before the current agreement expires.
If no agreement is reached, the players will be locked out - players won't be able to work out at team facilities, teams can't conduct organized team activities, such as mini-camps, and the free agency period will not begin.
The lockout potential affects all teams as the 2011 season (hopefully) approaches.
The Green Bay Packers
In 2010 the Packers were one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They also experienced a heavy dose of injuries throughout the season. That makes 2011 exciting for Green Bay.
The Packers will experience a talent influx as injured players return to the team. 2010 starters like Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett and Morgan Burnett will be thrown back into the mix as the team looks to return to the Super Bowl.
One of the problems the Packers will face in the off-season is making room for the injured players to return to the roster. This is most notable at the middle linebacker position.
Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar, both inside linebackers, had season-ending injuries last year. A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop stepped up to handle most of the middle-linebacking duties. Bishop was rewarded for his play with a 4-year contract extension.
Deciding whether to keep A.J Hawk or Nick Barnett is a different story. Hawk's contract calls for a base salary of $10 million next year. Barnett has suffered season-ending injuries two out of the past three years. It appears that there is not room for both of these players on the Packer roster, one issue Green Bay will have to deal with.
As much as I love Nick Barnett, I feel the Packers need to attempt to re-negotiate a contract that will keep A.J. Hawk in a Packer jersey for years to come. Hawk struggled with the 3-4 defense early in its inception, but has developed into a vital part of Dom Capers' scheme. He led the Packers in tackles in 2010.
Another issue the Packers will need to address is their free agents. The Packers have several players with expiring contracts. Most notable is Cullen Jenkins. It is highly likely Jenkins will not be re-signed by the Packers and will be playing football elsewhere next fall. I would expect Mike Neal to move into the starting defensive end role.
Several other players, including John Kuhn, Atari Bigby, Jason Spitz, Mason Crosby, James Jones, Charlie Peprah and Brandon Jackson are also facing free agency. Expect the Packers to re-sign many of these players to contract extensions.
The Packers have several areas to address in the 2011 NFL Draft. First, another offensive lineman is a necessity. Bryan Bulaga took over for Mark Tauscher last season, but the aging Chad Clifton will soon need to be replaced. T.J. Lang has seen playing time at tackle, but he has been streaky at best.
The Packers also need to address their defensive line. The 3-4 defense Dom Capers runs rotates defensive lineman in and out constantly. If the Pack lose Jenkins to free agency, more depth will be necessary on the defensive line.
Expect the Packers to draft a defensive back, a corner most likely, as well. Charles Woodson is aging, and Jarrett Bush is of more use as a special teamer than a dime-back. Several other positions could be impacted depending on what free agents the Packers are able to re-sign.
After a Championship 2010 season, the Packers rewarded Mike McCarthy with a 3-year contract extension that pays him around $5 million per year, putting him among the top ten highest paid coaches in the NFL. Green Bay's general manager Ted Thompson also received a contract extension (note: of the 53 Green Bay players active for the Super Bowl, 49 were acquired by Thompson, 26 through the draft).
The threat of a lockout has tarnished the end of the 2010 NFL season. If the 2011 season starts as planned, the Green Bay Packers will certainly be a favorite to make a playoff run once again.
After three road wins, including victories against the top seeded Atlanta Falcons and the rival Chicago Bears, the Packers headed to Dallas to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh entered the playoffs after home victories over the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets.
The Steelers were looking to add to their NFL record six Super Bowl wins, and going for their third Super Bowl win in the past six years. The Packers, meanwhile, looked for ring number four in their first Super Bowl appearance since 1997, a loss to Denver.
The Packers opened the scoring on their second drive. Starting from their own 20, Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers the length of the field and found Jordy Nelson on a 29 yard touchdown pass. The Packers took a 7-0 lead.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff backed the Steelers inside their own 10 yard line. On the following play, Packer defensive tackle Howard Green drove an offensive lineman into Roethlisberger, forcing a bad pass. Nick Collins picked off the underthrown ball, and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 14-0 in the first quarter.
The Steelers added a field goal to make the score 14-3. A few drives later, Roethlisberger was again intercepted, this time by Jarrett Bush.
Four plays later, Rodgers found Greg Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown strike to give the Packers a 21-3 lead with 2:24 left in the first half.
Roethlisberger led the Steelers on an efficient two-minute drill and found Hines Ward for a touchdown with seconds left in the half, making the score 21-10. This drive was significant as it saw both Sam Shields and Charles Woodson leave the game with injuries.
Over halftime, Woodson was given an x-ray which clearly showed a snapped collarbone. Unable to continue playing and overcome with emotions, Woodson was barely able to impress upon his teammates what this game meant to him.
Luckily for the Packers, the extended halftime break (30 minutes instead of 10) gave them enough time to reconfigure their defensive gameplan to make up for the injuries.
In the second half, the Steelers were able to score quickly, thanks largely to running back Rashard Mendenhall. The Steelers closed the gap to 21-17.
The third quarter ended with the score still 21-17. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Steelers attempted to run at Clay Matthews. Matthews and Ryan Pickett collided with Mendenhaal, and Matthews was able to put a hit squarley on the football, jarring it loose. Desmond Bishop recovered the fumble, and the Packers had great field position near midfield.
The Packers went to work and quickly scored on a second Rodgers to Jennings connection, this time from eight yards out. The Packers extended their lead to 28-17.
Pittsburgh responded on the ensuing drive with a 25 yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. The Steelers went for two and succeeded, bringing the game to within three points at 28-25.
The Packers drove right back down the field, but their drive stalled inside the ten yard line. On third down, Rodgers missed Nelson by inches and the Pack settled for a field goal to go up 31-25 with 2:07 left in the game.
Hoping to pull off a second two-minute drill touchdown, Roethlisberger and the Steelers started their final drive from their own 17. After giving up some yards, the Packers forced a turnover on downs, with Tramon Williams breaking up a fourth down pass intended for Mike Wallace.
Two kneel-downs later, the Packers were Super Bowl champs.
Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP after his stellar performance. Rodgers finished 24 of 39 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, good enough for a passer rating of 111.5. Despite many dropped passes from Packer receivers, Rodgers was able to avoid mistakes and complete passes to eight different receivers.
Jordy Nelson had a career day, catching nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Jennings added four catches for 64 yards and two scores, while James Jones caught five balls for 50 yards.
The packers ran sparingly, but James Starks managed 52 yards on 11 carries.
After a season filled with injuries, the Packers were able to overcome losses of integral players in the biggest stage of all to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to its rightful home.
"We've been a team that's overcome adversity all year," said Greg Jennings. "Our head captain goes down, emotional in the locker room. Our No. 1 receiver goes down, more emotions are going, flying in the locker room. But we find a way to bottle it up and exert it all out here on the field."
The Green Bay Packers entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in football. After playing two straight games of win-or-go-home football, the upcoming game against Philadelphia seemed more like a third playoff game. Having just dominated the Giants and squeezed past Chicago in a close game, both at home in Lambeau Field, the Packers hit the road for the playoffs.
Wild Card Round: Green Bay at Philadelphia
The Packers had already survived in Philly once this season, thanks in large part to a great defensive performance against Kevin Kolb. This time around, however, Michael Vick would quarterback the Eagles for the entirety of the game.
The Packers opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to backup tight end Tom Crabtree. Rodgers threw a second touchdown pass, this time to James Jones, in the second quarter to put the Pack up 14-0.
David Akers, who missed a field goal for the Eagles in the first quarter, connected on a 29 yard field goal late in the 2nd quarter, making the halftime score 14-3 in favor of Green Bay.
The Eagles forced an Aaron Rodgers fumble in the third quarter, and Michael Vick was able to find Jason Avant on a 24 yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-10 Philadelphia.
On the ensuing drive the Packers drove down the field and worked their way to the red zone. Rodgers found Brandon Jackson on a well executed screen pass. Jackson followed his blockers on his way to a 16 yard score. The Packers now led 21-10 with just over a quarter left to play.
Late in the third quarter with the Eagles driving, the Packer defense stiffened and forced a stop. David Akers missed his second field goal of the day and the Packer lead remained 11 points.
The Eagles were finally able to put a touchdown on the board late in the fourth quarter on a 1 yard run from Vick. The Eagles went for two, and appeared to get the conversion on a pass to tight end Brent Celek.
However, Celek stepped out of bounds and returned to the field of play before he caught the ball. By rule, when a player re-establishes possession in bounds he cannot be the first player to touch the ball. A 5-yard penalty was assessed, and the Eagles failed to convert a second try, making the score 21-16.
The Philadelphia defense was able to force Green Bay to punt on the ensuing drive. The Eagles got the ball back with 1:45 remaining in the game.
Vick completed passes to DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper before taking a shot at the end zone. Vick didn't throw a great pass, and Tramon Williams came away with an interception in the endzone with 33 seconds remaining on the clock, sealing the victory.
"I feel like I got greedy and took a shot at the end zone," Vick said about his last pass. "I didn't throw the ball I wanted and got picked. It's not the way I wanted to go out, but I went down swinging. I have to learn from it."
The Packer defense was key in the victory over the Eagles. Green Bay held Vick to just 32 rushing yards and sacked him 3 times.
"We fought hard today," said Aaron Rodgers. "Big interception by Tramon who's had a great season for us. The defense played great. They've been carrying us a lot this season. We had three touchdowns tonight, it was enough to win."
The Packer offense, led by another great performance from Rodgers, also saw great production from the running game for the first time in ages. James Starks carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
The packers moved on to face the Atlanta Falcons, the #1 seed in the NFC.
Divisional Round: Green Bay at Atlanta
The Packers entered Atlanta for the second time in the season. The first outing had been unsuccessful, as the Packers had lost by 3 in the final seconds of the game. The Pack were determined to achieve a different outcome this time around.
The Falcons drew first blood, using a heavy dose of running back Michael Turner to drive down the field, with Turner eventually scoring on a 12 yard run.
The Packers responded, driving down the field and scoring from 6 yards out on a touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. On the ensuing kickoff, Eric Weems returned the ball 102 yards for an Atlanta touchdown, making the score 14-7.
The Packers fought back, tying the score at 14-all on a 1 yard touchdown run by John Kuhn.
On the ensuing drive, Atlanta drove into Green Bay's red zone. Charles Woodson sacked Matt Ryan for a 7-yard loss. On the following play Ryan lobbed a fade to Michael Jenkins. Jenkins slipped, and Tramon Williams came away with an interception.
Green Bay drove 80 yards and scored on a 20 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to James Jones. Atlanta received the ball with under a minute left in the half, down 21-14.
With 10 seconds left in the half Atlanta had driven the ball into range for a long field goal. Falcon's head coach Mike Smith instead called for an out pass to Roddy White, trying to gain a few more yards to shorten the field goal attempt. Tramon Williams read the play perfectly, picked off Ryan's pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
"I recognized the formation," Williams said. "I knew they were trying to get into position for a field goal."
"Not a very good decision on my part," Ryan said. "I just needed to throw the ball away."
The Packers went into halftime up 28-14.
On the first drive of the second half Green Bay all but sealed the victory with an 80 yard drive capped off by a 7 yard touchdown run from Aaron Rodgers, making the score 35-14. One possession later Rodgers found John Kuhn for a 7 yard touchdown pass, putting the Pack up 42-14.
In the 4th quarter Matt Ryan found Roddy White for a touchdown, but it was too little too late. Mason Crosby tacked on two field goals for Green Bay, and the Packers coasted to a 48-21 victory over the top seeded Falcons.
Aaron Rodgers had a career day, completing 31 of 36 passes for 336 yards and a passer rating of 136.8.
"This probably was my best performance -- the stage we were on, the importance of this game," Rodgers said. "It was one of those nights, I felt like I was in the zone."
Greg Jennings caught 8 passes for 101 yards, and Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, and James Jones amassed over 70 reception yards each. The Packer offense was so efficient that Tim Masthay didn't punt once.
On defense the Packers put on a show. The high-powered Falcon offense managed only 194 total yards. Clay Matthews sacked Matt Ryan twice; the Packers got to him 5 times. The Packers also forced 4 turnovers.
The big win over the Falcons set up an epic showdown against the Chicago Bears for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
NFC Conference Championship Game: Green Bay at Chicago
The classic NFC North rivalry between the Packers and Bears was set to take place for the third time this season. However, this time around it was for a Super Bowl bid.
The Packers came out firing and drove the length of the field on the opening drive. Aaron Rodgers scored on a 1 yard bootleg run to put the Packers up 7. Early in the second quarter James Starks found the endzone on a 4 yard touchdown run to give the Packers a 14-0 lead.
Both defenses came up with interceptions but neither offense was able to score again before halftime.
On the Packers first drive of the second half, Rodgers was intercepted by Brian Urlacher in the red zone. Rodgers made a touchdown-saving tackle that proved to be one of the most important plays in the game.
"I don't get paid to tackle, but that was probably one of my better plays of the game," Rodgers said.
On the following drive, Todd Collins replaced Jay Cutler as the Bears quarterback, a move that has led to much scrutiny of Cutler. Collins was unable to turn the turnover into points, and the Bears punted.
Two drives later Collins was replaced by Caleb Hanie. Hanie Led the Bears to their first score of the game.
Several drives later the Bears were pinned deep in their own territory. Hanie made a poor throw on a checkdown to Chester Taylor and B.J. Raji intercepted the pass and rumbled 18 yards for a touchdown.
Hanie would lead the Bears to another touchdown, bringing the Bears to within 7 points. Chicago got the ball back with 2:53 left in the game. The packer defense went into an 8-man coverage, forcing the young Hanie to throw into heavy coverage. On 4th and 5 from the Green Bay 29, Hanie was picked off by Sam Shields after attempting to throw into double coverage.
An Aaron Rodgers kneel down sealed the victory, and the Packers were headed to the Super Bowl.
Sam Shields became the first rookie and the fifth player ever to record a sack and two interceptions in a playoff game.
Punter Tim Masthay, after going unused in the Atlanta game, was the unsung hero of the Packer - Bear game. On 8 punts Masthay averaged 41.8 yards. He placed the ball inside the 20 five times, and the Packer cover team held Devin Hester to just 16 punt return yards.
The Packers overcame an injury riddled season, two win-or-go-home games to end the regular season and three road games in the playoffs to earn their way to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997.
Championship seasons rarely follow easy roads. The Green Bay Packers' 2010 Super Bowl season was no exception. This season was filled with injuries, penalties and heartbreaking losses. Despite this, the Packers came together as a team and fought adversity to make it to the playoffs, and eventually the Super Bowl. Substitutes stepped up, team leaders took control and coaches called brilliant games as the Packers fought their way to Dallas, Texas for Super Bowl XLV.
Week 1: Green Bay at Philadelphia
The Packers opened the 2010 NFL season on the road at Philadelphia. The Eagles were coming into the game without Donovan McNabb for the first time in 10 years. Instead, Kevin Kolb led Philadelphia, if only for the first half.
After the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Packers responded with 13 straight points to end the first half: a 49 yard Mason Crosby field goal, a six yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver, and 56 yard field goal to end the half from Crosby, which was the longest field goal in Packer history.
The Eagles struggled on offense throughout the first half, thanks largely to the pass-rush presence of Clay Matthews. Matthews was able to sack Kolb twice, with one sack resulting in a game-ending concussion for Kolb.
Michael Vick opened the second half for the Eagles. On the second play of the third quarter, Eagles' wide receiver Eldra Buckley fumbled and Charles Woodson made the recovery. After a short drive John Kuhn scored from three yards out.
The Packers added another touchdown, a 32 yard pass to Greg Jennings. Vick led the Eagles to 17 points in the second half, making the score 27-20 with five minutes left in the game.
The Packer defense was able to hold the Eagles on fourth down in the closing moments of the game to escape with a win.
Ryan Grant, the Packers' starting running back, left the game with an ankle injury. He would later be placed on injured reserve, ending his season.
Week 2: Buffalo at Green Bay
After a close game at Philadelphia, Green Bay rolled over the Buffalo Bills easily in the Packers' home opener at Lambeau Field.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns on his way to a passer rating of 116.3.
Clay Matthews had his second straight three sack performance, and helped the Packer defense hold the Bills to just 7 points and 186 yards of total offense.
Said Rodgers of Matthews' performance, "Just glad he's on our team."
Week 3: Green Bay at Chicago
The Packers saw their first loss of the season come by the hands of the Chicago Bears in a Monday Night Football game at Soldier Field.
The Packers set a team record by having 18 penalties for 152 yards. They turned the ball over twice, and gave up a Devin Hester punt return touchdown.
Even though the Packers played poorly throughout the game, the Bears barely managed a 3 point victory on a last second Robbie Gould field goal.
Week 4: Detroit at Green Bay
The 2-1 Packers returned home hoping to rebound from the loss to the Bears. The Detroit Lions entered the game 0-3, and hungry for their first victory.
The Pack jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 29 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Driver. The Lions tied the game with a Calvin Johnson touchdown reception.
Green Bay would add two more touchdowns, receptions by Jermichael Finley and Jennings, and Calvin Johnson rounded out the first half with his second touchdown of the day for the Lions.
Early in the second half, reigning defensive player-of-the-year Charles Woodson once again made his presence felt. Woodson picked off Shaun Hill, returned the ball 48 yards, and dove into the endzone for an emphatic touchdown, making the score 28-14.
The Packers then played bend-but-don't-break defense for the rest of the half, allowing 4 field goals but no touchdowns.
Despite struggling most of the second half, the Packer offense was able to get it together and mount one final drive to run out the clock. Fullback John Kuhn, recently promoted to part-time running back in the wake of Grant's injury, was able to bull his way for several first downs as the Packers ran out the clock to seal the victory, 28-26.
Rookie safety Morgan Burnett became the Packers' second opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Detroit game.
Week 5: Green Bay at Washington
Green Bay headed to our nation's Capital to take on the Washington Redskins. After poor offensive performances against the Bears and the Lions, the Packers were looking for a spark in their offense.
They wouldn't find it in Washington.
As in the Chicago game, the Packers turned the ball over and committed numerous penalties, yet still managed to play into overtime.
In overtime, however, Aaron Rodgers was intercepted on a play in which he was driven into the ground and concussed. Washington was able to kick a field goal to win the game.
Nick Barnett became the third opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Washington game.
Week 6: Miami at Green Bay
Aaron Rodgers was able to recover from his concussion in week 5 to make the start against the Dolphins. After going down 7-3 early, Rodgers found Jennings for an 86 yard catch-and-run touchdown connection.
Miami would strike back, and leave the Packers down 20-13 with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
Rodgers led the Packers on a 12 play, 69 yard drive capped off by a quarterback sneak touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the game.
Once again, however, the Packers fell by a field goal in overtime.
Jermichael Finley became the fourth opening day starter to be placed on injured reserve after the Miami game.
Week 7: Minnesota at Green Bay
Brett Favre and the 2-3 Minnesota Vikings entered Lambeau Field looking to take a victory and bragging rights from the Packers.
The Packers struck first on a 1 yard Brandon Jackson touchdown run. Percy Harvin equalized the game for the Vikings with a 17 yard touchdown run.
A 9 yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Jermichael Finley's replacement, Andrew Quarless, put the Packers up 7. Once again, the Vikings answered, this time with an Adrian Peterson touchdown run. The Vikings added a field goal to go up 17-14 at halftime.
The Packers opened the scoring in the second half with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. On the ensuing possession, Brett Favre was intercepted by Desmond Bishop (replacing Nick Barnett in the lineup) who returned the ball 32 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 28-17.
Late in the third quarter Favre found Randy Moss on a four yard touchdown reception. Both defenses would stiffen and prevent any scoring in the fourth quarter, with the game ending on a Brett Favre incomplete pass on 4th down as the clock expired.
The win helped pull the Packers out of their downward spiral, and winning over Brett Favre and the rival Vikings gave the Packers an emotional boost.
"Our biggest rival and the close score, the way it ended, it was definitely a special night for us," said Aaron Rodgers.
Week 8: Green Bay at New York Jets
The 4-3 Packers headed to New York to face the 5-1 Jets, one of the hottest teams in football.
The game would end with neither team scoring a touchdown, as neither offense ever put a complete drive together. The big difference maker would prove to be turnovers.
The Packers forced the Jets into three turnovers, and hung onto the ball themselves. Mason Crosby's three field goals were all the scoring that took place in the Packers' 9-0 victory.
The win did not come without price, however, as several impact players on defense were left out for the season with injuries: linebackers Brady Poppinga and Brad Jones, and defensive end Michael Neal.
Week 9: Dallas at Green Bay
Green Bay returned to Lambeau to face the struggling Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers got off to a huge start, scoring 28 unanswered points in the second quarter: Brandon Jackson scored on a nine yard reception and a two yard run, Greg Jennings caught an eight yard touchdown and Nick Collins returned a fumble 26 yards for a score.
Dallas was able to score a touchdown in the final seconds of the half, making the game 28-7.
Green Bay added 17 more points in the second half, a touchdown pass to James Jones, a Crosby field goal and a Clay Matthews 63 yard interception return.
The 45-7 victory was the second worst loss in Dallas history, and the Cowboy's 1-7 start was their worst start since 1989.
The Packers lost starting offensive tackle Mark Tauscher to injured reserve in the victory over the Cowboys.
Week 11: Green Bay at Minnesota
The Packers had a bye week to prepare for the Vikings after the rout of the Cowboys. The Packers headed to Minnesota for the 100th meeting between the rivals.
A Ryan Longwell field goal in the first quarter would be the only points scored by Minnesota.
The Pack scored 17 in the second quarter on a Crosby field goal and touchdown receptions by both James Jones and Greg Jennings. Rodgers found Jennings for two more scores in the second half and the Packers rolled past the Vikings, 31-3.
Rodgers finished the game completing 22 of 31 passes for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns, with a passer rating of 141.3. It was Rodgers' first career 4 touchdown game. Jennings caught seven passes for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Week 12: Green Bay at Atlanta
The Packers were now faced with the toughest game of their season to that point. The 8-2 Atlanta Falcon had been nearly perfect at home for the past two seasons.
Both teams traded field goals, then touchdowns to make the score 10-10 at halftime.
The Falcons went up 17-10 on a Michael Turner touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Late in the game, the Packers answered, tying the game at 17-17 on a Rodgers to Jordy Nelson touchdown pass with one minute remaining.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Packers committed a pivotal 15 yard facemask penalty. The penalty put the Falcons in Green Bay territory, and they were able to get into field goal range and win the game as time expired.
Week 13: San Francisco at Green Bay
Green Bay returned home to face the struggling 49ers. The Packers, sporting their 1929 throwback jerseys, were obviously disappointed in the previous week's loss, and made San Francisco pay for it.
Rodgers was stellar, completing 21 of 30 passes for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns, accumulating a passer rating of 135.1. Donald Driver made the 49er defense look silly on a 61 yard touchdown reception.
Most importantly, Packer fans got their first look at rookie running back James Starks, who saw his first major time after coming off the physically unable to perform list several weeks earlier. Starks carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards, and gave Packer nation a glimpse of the spark he would provide in the playoffs.
Week 14: Detroit at Green Bay
Green Bay followed up the win over the 49ers with a poor performance against Detroit. Aaron Rodgers went down with his second concussion of the season and backup Matt Flynn was unable to pull out a victory for the Packers.
Detroit's sole touchdown proved to be enough to beat the Packers 7-3.
Week 15: Green Bay at New England
With Aaron Rodgers still out with a concussion, the Packers were set to face the Patriots with second-string quarterback Matt Flynn controlling the offense.
Flynn performed well for the Pack, and threw two touchdown passes in the first half to help the Packers to a 17-14 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, Flynn's inexperience showed through as he threw a poor interception that was returned for a touchdown. Flynn bounced back, however, and led the Packers on a scoring drive capped off by a Jon Kuhn 6 yard touchdown reception.
In the fourth quarter the Patriots took the lead and were able to hold off the Packers for the 31-27 win.
Week 16: New York Giants at Green Bay
Now 8-6, the Packers were in a desperate situation. In order to make the playoffs, the Packers needed to win out the season. They would have to beat both the 9-5 Giants and the 10-4 Bears if they wanted a shot at the playoffs.
The Packers didn't disappoint in the win-or-go-home situation. Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in the first half (Jones and Nelson) and John Kuhn ran in a third. The Packers led 21-14 at halftime.
The second half was all Packers. Rodgers threw two more touchdown passes (Donald Lee and Kuhn) and Kuhn ran in another. The Giants managed a field goal, and the Packers kept their playoff hopes alive, winning 45-17.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns, John Kuhn boosted his cult-like following by scoring three touchdowns. The Packer defense forced six turnovers, including four interceptions thrown by Eli Manning.
Week 17: Chicago at Green Bay
The Packers' playoff hopes rested in one final game: a rematch of the sloppy, penalty-filled Monday night matchup with the rival Chicago Bears. The Bears, at 11-4, had already won the NFC North division and clinched a playoff birth, first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Packers simply needed to win to make the playoffs.
The game was classic Green Bay vs. Chicago. Both defenses played lights out and neither team was willing to give an inch. Rodgers was finally able to string together a drive early in the fourth quarter. He found Donald Lee on a 1 yard touchdown pass to put the Packers ahead 10-3.
With the game winding down, Nick Collins intercepted Jay Cutler to end the game and send the Packers into the playoffs.
Regular Season Notes:
The Packers made the postseason despite sending 16 players to injured reserve throughout the season, including six opening day starters.
All six of the Packers' losses were by four points or less, with two of those losses coming in overtime.
The Packers finished 4th in the league in total offense, and 3rd in the league in passing offense. They also finished 3rd in total defense and 3rd in rush defense.
The Packers had six players selected to the Pro Bowl: Chad Clifton, Greg Jennings, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Nick Collins.
