The 1958 season was the worst in Green Bay Packers history. The team struggled under new head coach Ray McLean and stumbled to a franchise worst 1-10-1 record. Amazingly, the team had talent. Eight members of this team were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after their careers ended. McLean was considered too easy on the team, and they just couldn’t put anything together. Today, we look back at the Packers best game from their worst ever season, a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at New City Stadium, which was later to renamed Lambeau Field.
Remembering the Packers Best Game from Their Worst Season: The Buildup
The Packers entered this Week 5 contest with an 0-3-1 record. Their only tie came in Week 2 against the Lions. Their opponent, the Eagles, were 1-3. Both teams needed to win to keep whatever slim hopes they had of remaining competitive in their respective divisions alive.
A week earlier, Packers starting quarterback Bart Starr left the game with an injury. Backup quarterback Babe Parilli replaced Starr and played well late in the game, throwing two touchdowns. The Packers still lost 37-21 despite gaining more than 400 yards of offense. Starr was still unavailable and Parilli would start against the Eagles.
This home game was considered a good opportunity for the Packers to get their first win of the season. A crowd of 31,043 was on hand to see the Packers who were actually 2.5-point favorites.
A High Scoring First Half
The Packers got on the board first. Defensive tackle Dave “Hawg” Hanner recovered a fumble by Philadelphia’s Bill Barnes at the Eagles 21. The Packers couldn’t get much going after the turnover and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Paul Hornung. Green Bay led 3-0 after one quarter.
Green Bay extended their lead in the second quarter. Parilli connected with Max McGee for the first of four touchdown passes he’d throw in this game. This one went for 34 yards and gave the Pack a 10-0 lead.
A big play got the Eagles back into the game. Barnes ran past several potential tacklers at the line of scrimmage and burst into the Packers secondary. He ran 70 yards for a touchdown to cut the Packers lead to 10-7.
Then, the two teams traded touchdowns before halftime. Running back Howie Ferguson scored on a two-yard run for the Packers to make the score 17-7. McLean praised Ferguson after the game for “fighting for every yard he got.”
Then, the Eagles answered when quarterback Norm Van Brocklin found Tommy McDonald for an eight-yard touchdown pass. The two teams went into the locker room at halftime with the score Green Bay 17, Philadelphia 14.
Remembering the Packers Best Game from Their Worst Season: The Packers Extend Their Lead
Parilli got hot in the third quarter. He threw three touchdown passes in the quarter and finished the game 14-of-25 for 199 yards and four scores. Two of those touchdowns were set up by turnovers created by the Green Bay defense. Bobby Dillon intercepted Van Brocklin to set up one score. Another came after a fumble recovery by Tom Bettis.
Parilli found Al Carmichael for a 14-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 10-yard scoring pass to tight end Gary Knafelc, and a 25-yard touchdown toss to McGee. The Packers held a commanding 38-14 lead. It was McGee’s second touchdown of the game. He finished with six catches for 100 yards and two scores. This was the third time he reached the 100-yard mark in a game in his career.
Watching the Lead Slip Away
The Packers led by 24 points as the fourth quarter began. But with this Packers team, that finished last that season in points scored and last in points allowed, no lead was safe. The offense stopped attacking. They didn’t pick up any first downs in the fourth quarter and advanced beyond their own 33.
Meanwhile, Van Brocklin and the Eagles started to pull closer. Billy Wells scored on a three-yard run to make it 38-21. Then, Van Brocklin threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gene Mitcham. With less than a minute to go in the game, he found McDonald on a 19-yard scoring pass. The Packers lead was now reduced to 38-35.
The Eagles lined up for an onside kick with a chance to at least tie the game. But rookie linebacker Ray Nitschke fell on the loose ball, and the Packers were able to run out the clock and preserve a 38-35 win. It would be their only victory of the season.
Remembering the Packers Best Game from Their Worst Season: The Aftermath
While the Packers were happy with the win, they were not pleased with how they almost let this game get away. “Sure, it feels good to win, but it was by no means our best game,” McLean told reporters. “We can’t have any foolishness out there, or we’ll get killed.” He then added, “We had done a pretty good job of containing him for three quarters, but then our defense started laying back, forgetting all about rushing him. It was just a case of not going all out all the way.”
The Packers had seven games left that season and lost all seven. The team wasn’t very competitive in any of them. A 10-point loss to the Lions in Detroit was the closest of the seven. Famous sportswriter Red Smith, a Green Bay native, famously described the 1958 Packers by saying, “They overwhelmed one opponent, underwhelmed 10, and whelmed one.”
McLean resigned after the 1958 season and the Packers hired New York Giants offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi to take over as head coach the following year. In 1959, with many of the same players, Lombardi led the Packers to a 7-5 record. He would go on to win five championships in seven years between 1961 and 1967.
The 1958 Packers had a forgettable season. But this game was the best game during the worst season in franchise history.
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