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Snow Globe Game

Snow Globe Game
DateJanuary 12, 2008
StadiumLambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
RefereeMike Carey
Attendance72,168
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersKenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa

The Snow Globe Game was a National Football League (NFL) Divisional playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers on January 12, 2008. The game, which was contested at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ended in a Packers victory, sending them to the 2007 NFC Championship Game. The Packers mounted their largest comeback in playoff franchise history, overcoming a 14–0 deficit in the first quarter after running back Ryan Grant fumbled in two straight possessions, leading to two Seahawks touchdowns. The Packers scored touchdowns on six straight drives, while also holding the Seahawks to just six more points the rest of the game. Grant would go on to set a franchise record for rushing yards (201) in a playoff game, while also scoring three touchdowns. Brett Favre also threw three touchdown passes, while the Packers defense held the Seahawks to just 28 yards rushing as a team. During the game, a snowstorm caused poor visibility and difficult playing conditions for the players, leading to its nickname. The Packers would go on to lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in overtime in the NFC Championship Game, which ended up being the last game of Favre's career with the Packers.

Background

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Further information: 2007 Seattle Seahawks season and 2007 Green Bay Packers season

The Seattle Seahawks began the 2007 season as the defending NFC West champions, three times running; they lost to the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round of the 2006 playoffs. In the 2007 season, the Seahawks went 10–6, good enough for their fourth straight division crown and the third seed of the playoffs.[1] After starting the season 4–4, the Seahawks won 5 straight games before losing 2 of their last 3.[2] As the NFC West champion and the fifth seed in the playoffs, the Seahawks played host to the Washington Redskins (now called the Washington Commanders) in the Wild Card round, where they won 35–14.[3][4]

The Green Bay Packers came off a disappointing 2006 season, missing the playoffs with an 8–8 record.[5] It was head coach Mike McCarthy's first season after Mike Sherman had been fired.[6] The Packers greatly improved their record in 2007, going 13–3, although two of their losses were to the Chicago Bears.[7] The Packers secured the NFC North and the second seed in the playoffs (they lost a head-to-head tiebreaker for the first seed to the 13–3 Dallas Cowboys, who they lost to in Week 13).[8][7] With the second seed, the Packers had a first round bye during the Wild Card round.[8] With the Seahawks victory against the Redskins, the Packers would host the Seahawks at Lambeau Field for the Divisional Round game; the Packers were favored by eight points.[9]

Game summary

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View of the outside of Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field, shown here in 2011, was the site of the game.

First half

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The Packers began the game with possession of the ball. On the first play of the game Ryan Grant, fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Seahawks and returned to the one-yard line. Shaun Alexander scored a touchdown on the next play, putting the Seahawks up 7–0. On the next drive, Grant fumbled a second time, which was recovered by the Seahawks at mid-field. The Seahawks drove down the field in six plays and scored a second touchdown, this time on an 11-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Bobby Engram. In just a few minutes, the Seahawks took a 14–0 lead. The Packers regained possession and drove down the field, covering 69 yards in 6 plays capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings. After a three-and-out, the Seahawks punted the ball back to the Packers, who tied the game 14–14 on a 9-play, 63-yard drive; Grant scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing Seahawks drive, Hasselbeck completed a short pass to Marcus Pollard, who fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Packers. Three plays later, Favre completed a two-yard pass to Jennings for their second touchdown completion, putting the Packers up 21–14. After an 11-play drive that covered 47 yards, the Seahawks settled for a field goal to lower the deficit to 21–17. The Packers responded though with a long touchdown drive, going 70 yards ending with a 3-yard touchdown run by Grant, his second of the game. With under 30 seconds left in the half, the Seahawks ran one play and let time expire. The Packers took a 28–17 lead into halftime.[10]

Second half

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The Seahawks started the second half with a three-and-out, punting he ball to the Packers. Favre's third touchdown pass of the game, this time to Brandon Jackson, capped a six-play, 66-yard drive and put the Packers up 35–17. The Seahawks next drive was long, going 70 yards, but ended in a field goal after a third down stop by the Packers. The short field goal brought the score to 35–20. The Packers next possession ended with their sixth straight touchdown drive, with Grant scoring his third on a one-yard rush. With a 42–20 lead, each team had three more possessions, with the Packers all ending in punts and the Seahawks ending in two punts and a turnover-on-downs. The game ended with a final score of 42–20.[10]

Box score

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Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 14 3 3020
Packers 14 14 7742

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Analysis

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Grant in uniform rushing the ball during a game
Ryan Grant, shown here in 2008, was lauded for his performance and adversity overcoming two early fumbles.

Post-game analysis focused on the individual performances by Favre, Grant and Jennings, as well as the performance by the Packers defense. Specifically, Grant set a team playoff record with 201 yards rushing (the previous record was 156 yards by Ahman Green), while also scoring 3 touchdowns. This performance was even more impressive considering Grant's two early fumbles that put the Packers in an early 14–0 deficit (Grant had only fumbled the ball once during the regular season).[13][14] Favre was efficient with his passing, completing 18 of 23 passes, including 3 touchdown passes, for a quarterback passer rating of 137.6. His passer rating was the highest of his career in the playoffs up to that point.[15] Jennings hauled in two of the touchdowns and led the Packers with six total receptions and 71 yards receiving.[16] The Packers set a team playoff record with six consecutive touchdown drives, all of which occurred after the Packers were down 14–0; the previous record was four straight in 1983.[17] The six total touchdowns and the Packers 25 first downs were also playoff team records.[18] After giving up the two early touchdowns, the Packers defense held the Seahawks to just six points the rest of the game.[10] They held Alexander to just 20 yards rushing and the entire Seahawks offense to 28 yards rushing. The defense kept Hasselbeck in check, sacking him twice and forcing 14 incompletions.[11] The Packers performance was highly regarded considering the weather during the game, with heavy snow limiting visibility and making playing conditions difficult.[19][20]

Aftermath

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With their victory, the Packers moved on to the 2007 NFC Championship Game, where they hosted the New York Giants at Lambeau Field; it was their first NFC Championship Game in 10 seasons.[21][22] The game time temperature was −1 °F (−18 °C) with a wind chill of −23 °F (−31 °C).[21] In a back-and-forth affair, the game went into overtime with a score of 20–20. Giants' kicker Lawrence Tynes missed two, fourth quarter field goal attempts that would have given his team the lead. In overtime, Favre threw an interception to Corey Webster, setting up a game-winning field goal by Tynes to send the Giants to Super Bowl XLII.[23] The pass ended up being the last of Favre's career with the Packers after he retired, unretired and then was traded to the New York Jets.[24]

The next season, both the Packers and Seahawks failed to reach the playoffs, with both teams having losing records.[25] The 2008 season was the first for Aaron Rodgers as the Packers starting quarterback and they would go on to finish at 6–10, while the Seahawks went 4–12, which ended up being the last year under head coach and general manager Mike Holmgren.[26][27]

Legacy

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Due to the large amount of swirling snow, the game became known as the Snow Globe Game.[28][29][30] It is well-known as an early match-up in the growing Packers–Seahawks rivalry.[31][32] The victory ended up being the last of Favre's long career with the Packers and with the heavy snow produced iconic imagery reflecting Lambeau Field's nickname as "The Frozen Tundra".[14] The 14-point comeback was the Packers in the playoffs.[33][34] The game would become the second of four playoff match-up between the two teams from the 2003 to the 2019 season.[35] In 2014, Sports Illustrated called the game one of the top ten most memorable NFL games in the snow.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Seattle Seahawks Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "2007 Seattle Seahawks Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "Seahawks 35-14 Redskins (Jan 5, 2008) Final Score". ESPN.com. January 6, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Jones, Jonathan (September 10, 2023). "Name change for Washington Commanders not being seriously considered at this time". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Games Got Away During Slow Start In 2006". Packers.com. January 3, 2007. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Radcliffe, JR (December 3, 2018). "These are the guys Mike McCarthy beat out in the Green Bay Packers' 2006 coaching search". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "2007 Green Bay Packers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "2007 NFL Playoff Standings". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Kohn, Dan (January 11, 2008). "Insider: Green Bay vs. Seattle". The Sheboygan Press (clipping). p. C1. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Packers 42-20 Seahawks (Jan 12, 2008) Play-by-Play". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Packers 42-20 Seahawks (Jan 12, 2008) Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Divisional Round - Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers - January 12th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Demovsky, Rob (January 13, 2008). "Zero to hero: Grant rebounds, rushes to record". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 6. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Packers Celebrate In Winter Wonderland". Packers.com. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  15. ^ Vandermause, Mike (January 13, 2008). "Favre shows he still has postseason magic". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 2. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Vandermause, Mike (January 13, 2008). "Rising Jennings takes another step to stardom". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 7. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Goska, Eric (January 13, 2008). "Packers recover behind record touchdown assault". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Borzi, Pat (January 13, 2008). "In Swirling Snow, Packers Leave Mark". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Dougherty, Pete (January 13, 2008). "Near-flawless Favre leads match (Part 1)". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 3. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Dougherty, Pete (January 13, 2008). "Near-flawless Favre leads match (Part 2)". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b Baskin, Ben; Bishop, Greg (January 5, 2017). "'I was just numb': An oral history of the epic 2007 NFC Championship Game". SI.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Green Bay Packers Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  23. ^ "Giants Beat Packers 23-20 In Overtime". Packers.com. Associated Press. January 29, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Werner, Barry (January 7, 2017). "9 years ago, the Giants froze out Brett Favre in his last game as a Packer". FoxSports.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  25. ^ "2008 NFL Playoff Standings". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Smith, Corbin (October 30, 2021). "Mike Holmgren's Coaching Legacy Goes Full Circle Joining Seahawks Ring of Honor". SI.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Huber, Bill (January 1, 2024). "Comparing Jordan Love's First 16 Games to Aaron Rodgers in 2008". SI.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Walker, Ben (January 13, 2008). "Favre, Packers punish Seattle in snow". Foster's Daily Democrat. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Trowbridge, Matt (January 13, 2008). "Fans have snow much fun at Lambeau Field". The State Journal-Register. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Walker, Ben (January 12, 2008). "Packers pound Seattle". Telegram & Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Quinton, Sean (January 6, 2016). "Seahawks vs. Packers: Here are the most memorable moments between Seattle and Green Bay". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  32. ^ Rogers, Martin (January 10, 2020). "The Packers-Seahawks rivalry usually brings exquisite madness". FoxSports.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  33. ^ "Green Bay Packers Comebacks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "Packers Rout Seattle 42-20 In Snowy Lambeau". Packers.com. Associated Press. January 11, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks Results". The Football Database, LLC. 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  36. ^ "The 10 Most Memorable Snow Games in NFL History". SI.com. November 20, 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
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