The Green Bay Packers got big plays from their star players to defeat the Miami Dolphins 34-24 in Miami. Charles Woodson, Ahman Green and Donald Driver were among those making big plays for the Pack in the 86-degree heat. Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes to lead the Green Bay offense in this game. It was the first Packers win in Miami since Super Bowl II roughly 38 years earlier.

Big Plays By Star Players Lead the Packers Past the Dolphins: The Buildup

Both teams were struggling entering this game. The Packers were 1-4 while Miami was 1-5. The Packers also received more bad news before the game. Starting left tackle Chad Clifton woke up the night before the game with an illness and was not able to play. The Pack had to insert rookie Daryn Colledge in at left tackle to protect Favre’s blind side.

Head coach Mike McCarthy hoped his team could play better despite the injuries and get their season back on track.

A Mistake-Filled First Half

The banged up offensive line cost the Packers early. Midway through the first quarter, Favre was sacked by Miami’s Jason Taylor, and he fumbled. David Bowens recovered for the Dolphins and returned the ball to the Green Bay eight.

It took just one play for the Dolphins to cash in as quarterback Joey Harrington passed to a wide-open Marty Booker in the middle of the end zone for the touchdown. The Packers trailed 7-0 after one quarter.

An interception by Brady Poppinga got the Packers on the board early in the second quarter. The pick by the Green Bay linebacker set up a 42-yard field goal by kicker Dave Rayner.

On Miami’s next possession, linebacker Nick Barnett picked off Harrington and returned it to the Dolphins 30. The Packers couldn’t move the ball and settled for another field goal to pull to within 7-6.

The Dolphins extended their lead in the final two minutes of the half. The Dolphins got a 32-yard kick from Olindo Mare with 1:07 left before the break. A 40-yard pass from Harrington to Booker set it up. A third down sack by A.J. Hawk forced Miami to settle for three points and a 10-6 lead.

The Packers nearly answered in the closing seconds of the half. Rayner hit a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter, but Mike Montgomery was called for a face mask. Because time expired and the Packers were on offense, the half was declared over, and the Packers didn’t get another chance to try the kick. They trailed at the half 10-6.

Big Plays By Star Players Lead the Packers Past the Dolphins: Big Plays Begin

The Packers started making big plays in the second half. On the second play of the third quarter, Woodson stepped in front of a Harrington pass intended for tight end Randy McMichael. The future Hall of Famer ran it back 23 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. The Packers led 13-10.

“If you are a defensive back, it is what you live for, to get the ball in your hands and turn it into points,” Woodson said.

On the Packers next drive, Favre found Driver on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The gunslinger threw it into double coverage and initially, the pass was ruled incomplete. But the Packers challenged, and the replay showed Driver did make the catch. The Packers lead was 20-10.

“I knew before I got up that I had caught the ball,” Driver explained. “I told Mike [McCarthy] to challenge it. They played me man-to-man a lot, and I like that.”

Favre didn’t expect the call to be changed. “I said that there was no way that they were going to overturn it,” Favre admitted. “I didn’t know if he caught it or not. The receivers all swear that they caught the ball. It’s hard for them to overturn their initial call. It is difficult enough to throw touchdowns right now, and very difficult to win. On top of that, we try to get a call overturned. I thought that it was nothing more than a miracle that they overturned it.”

Miami kicked a field goal late in the third quarter and another early in the fourth to pull to within 20-16.

The Packers Close it Out

The Packers responded immediately to the second Miami field goal. Green ran 70 yards for a touchdown off the left end. When he got 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, he had just one man to beat in safety Renaldo Hill. When he dove and missed Green, he was off to the races.

“It was perfect blocking,” Green said. [Fullback] Brandon Miree got his guy, and I just had to deal with the safety. That guy took a bad angle, and it was just a foot race from there. And I’ll bet on myself when it comes to a foot race.”

The Dolphins didn’t quit. Down 27-16, Harrington completed a 44-yard pass to Sammy Morris to set up a 13-yard touchdown pass to Derek Hagan. The two-point conversion made the score 27-24 and there was still 12:02 left in the game.

But here, Favre orchestrated an 11-play, 80-yard drive that took 5:45 off the clock. Key plays included a 19-yard pass to Ruvell Martin and a 12-yard third down pass to Chris Francies. The drive culminated with a 13-yard touchdown pass to David Martin and the Packers led 34-24, which was the final score.

Big Plays By Star Players Lead the Packers Past the Dolphins: The Aftermath

“We hung in there and found a way to win,” Favre told reporters. “I know both teams were struggling coming into this game today. I still say both teams are struggling coming out of it. We won the game, but we have a long way to go.”

“That’s a lot of times how it works in the NFL because the margin is so small in terms of who wins and loses,” Poppinga explained. “It comes down to who’s more sound and who executes versus who makes more mistakes. Today, we executed and played sound football.”

The Packers got the job done on that day and gave McCarthy his second ever win as Packers coach. They won their last four games of the season to finish 8-8. One year later, they reached the NFC Championship Game in Favre’s final season in Green Bay.

This win helped a struggling Packers team get on their feet. It was also the Pack’s first ever win over the Dolphins in Miami.

 

 

 

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