Packers/Colts games worth mention

[ChrisBabcock]

and we reached the conclusion that it had to be the 1961 Packers Lions games with a total of 20 Future HOFers who were on the rosters.

I'm only counting 4 Lions HOFers from that year. Are you sure it wouldn't be '61 Colts/Packers?

[Rupert Patrick]

and we reached the conclusion that it had to be the 1961 Packers Lions games with a total of 20 Future HOFers who were on the rosters.

I'm only counting 4 Lions HOFers from that year. Are you sure it wouldn't be '61 Colts/Packers?

I meant 1961 Packers Colts. My bad.

[conace21]

That 1997 Packers Colts game was shocking. The biggest upset I can recall in my lifetime. The Colts were the worst team in the regular season. The Packers were widely considered to be the best. There was talk in the preseason that they may go undefeated. (Alas, Ryan Longwell slipped in the rain and pushed a late chip shot FG wide right in a 10-9 loss to the Eagles in Week 2.) The Colts couldn't score an offensive touchdown for the first three weeks, and when they did, they blew a 26 point lead. Jim Harbaugh was out for the Packers game with an injury. Marshall Faulk had been injured and ineffective for 2 calendar years. (His 100 yard game the week before the Packers game had been just his second 100 yard performance in 25 months.)

What happens? The Colts offense is nearly unstoppable, at least untIL they get near the red zone. They punt once and lose one fumble. Every other possession ends in a FG attempt or touchdown. They score back to back defensive touchdowns. And they kneel at the 1 as time runs down to make sure Brett Favre doesn't get the ball back. For the third year in a row, Cary Blanchard knocks off the defending champions with a late FG. Colts 41, Packers 38.

The Packers were 13 point-favorites (for the record, in 1982 they were 7 point favorites, and couldn't win either game). By the way, Paul Justin started at quarterback for the Colts (even that they were a bad team they had future Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison, and both had a good game).

Justin made a number of appearances in 1996 and 1997 for the battered Harbaugh. He performed very efficiently against Green Bay. The Colts had as many HOF players on the field as Green Bay (unless Leroy Butler is inducted.) But few would have guessed in 1997 that Harrison or Faulk would be headed to the HOF. Harrison was an average performer in his first three seasons. Before his breakout 1999 season, he was overlooked among the other receivers on the draft class of 1996. Keyshawn, Moulds, Glenn, and TO were all more highly regarded. As I said in my original post, Faulk had been injured and ineffective for two years. I thought he was going to be another Reggie Brooks, who had a nice rookie year and then faded. Faulk started strong in 1995, but tailed off near the end of the year. 1996 was a disaster. He had one 100 yard effort (which was also the only time he averaged 4.0 YPC.) He wasn't as bad in 1997, but I still remember games like the 8 carries for 11 yards against San Diego. He finally broke out of it with back to back 100 yard games against Cincinnati and Green Bay. He rallied to finish with over 1,000 yards in 1997 and begin a brilliant four year run from 1998-2001.

[Citizen]

Green Bay-Baltimore was one of the great rivalries of the '60s, but it pretty much dissolved with the decline of the Packers and the Colts' move to the AFC.

Apart from the games mentioned:

1964: Paul Hornung misses all five of his field goal tries, the last an ill-advised 47-yard attempt late in the game with the Packers leading 21-17. The kick was blocked and the return set up the Colts' winning TD.

1965: Hornung, by then the forgotten man in the Packers' offense, scores five touchdowns in the Baltimore fog to put the Packers in first place.

1966: Willie Davis forces the "million dollar fumble," knocking the ball out of Johnny Unitas's hand and allowing Green Bay to clinch the Western Conference.

[Todd Pence]

Just mentioned this on another thread, but I'll repeat it here. The 1960 Packer win over the Colts in week 3 (35-21) is worthy of mention because it was Vince Lombardi's first signature win as Green Bay's coach (coming against the two-time defending NFL champs) and it launched the Packers into their own dynasty.