Interceptions are often game-changing plays. They shift the momentum of football games and often lead to victory. Here are the five longest interception returns in the more than 100-year history of the Green Bay Packers. This list includes regular season games only. One of the players on this list is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while others are less well remembered. But all of these moments were big plays that are part of the Packers record books.
Longest Interceptions in Packers History, Number Five: Mike McKenzie, 90 Yards 2003
The Packers were 6-6 entering this game in 2003 while the Bears were 5-7. The Bears jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Packers took a 19-14 lead on four Ryan Longwell field goals and a touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Javon Walker.
Cornerback Mike McKenzie intercepted Kordell Stewart early in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown to put the Packers head 27-14 after Favre connected with Bubba Franks on the two-point conversion. The interception helped the Packers pull away in what ended up being a 34-21 win at Lambeau Field.
McKenzie had two interceptions in the game.
Number Five (tied): LeRoy Butler, 90 yards, 1996
The Packers crushed the San Diego Chargers in Week 3 of their Super Bowl-winning season in 1996, 42-10. LeRoy Butler was a big part of the win, intercepting two passes. He returned one in the fourth quarter 90 yards for a touchdown which put the Packers up 35-10 at the time. A 65-yard punt return by Desmond Howard closed out the scoring.
Butler intercepted Stan Humpries twice in the game while both Reggie White and Sean Jones recorded two sacks each. Robert Brooks caught eight passes for 108 yards in the game.
Longest Interceptions in Packers History, Number Four: Rebel Steiner 94 yards, 1950
The Packers were 1-1 and hosting the 2-0 Bears in Week 3 of the 1950 season. Green Bay trailed 7-3 at the half but interceptions turned the game around in the third quarter.
First, Wally Dreyer intercepted Chicago’s Johnny Lujack and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to put the Packers ahead. Then, later in the third quarter, Rebel Steiner picked off Lujack and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown to set a new Packers record.
A 68-yard punt return by Billy Grimes helped the Packers beat the Bears 31-21 despite Green Bay being outgained 402-223 and being held to only eight first downs.
Steiner intercepted seven passes in 12 games for the Packers that season and returned them for an impressive 190 yards. He played just one more season of pro football in 1951 before a knee injury ended his career.
Number Three: Nick Barnett 95 yards, 2005
Linebacker Nick Barnett closed out the scoring in the Packers 52-3 domination of the New Orleans Saints by intercepting a Todd Bouman pass intended for Az-Zahir Hakim and running it back 95 yards for a touchdown.
Favre threw three touchdown passes in the game while cornerback Al Harris also had a pick six earlier in the game.
In addition to the long pick six, Barnett made eight tackles in the game and broke up a pass.
The win was the Packers first of the season after a disappointing 0-4 start.
Longest Interceptions in Packers History, Number One (tied): Aaron Rouse, 99 yards, 2008
Aaron Rouse tied the Packers record with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Packers 34-14 win over the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field in 2008.
Rouse’s pick came in the fourth quarter and helped put the game away for the Packers. It came off of future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning. Earlier in the game, Nick Collins had a 62-yard pick six for the Packers who improved to 4-3 on the season with the win.
Rouse played that day due to an injury to starter Atari Bigby. The Packers defensive strategy was to keep dangerous receivers like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in front of them. It worked like a charm.
“It doesn’t get any better than that, maybe if it was against Tom Brady,” Rouse told reporters after the game. “But it doesn’t get any better than that. It does wonders for my confidence level. It does wonders for our defense to go out there and shut a team down like the Colts and their passing game.”
Number One (Tied): Tim Lewis, 99 yards, 1984
The Packers selected Tim Lewis with the 11th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The former University of Pittsburgh star was on his way to being a Pro Bowl cornerback when a neck injury prematurely ended his career early in the 1986 season.
One of Lewis’ career highlights came Week 12 of the 1984 season when he picked off a pass by Jeff Kemp and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. That closed out the scoring in the Packers 31-6 win.
Eddie Lee Ivery scored three touchdowns in his first game back from a knee injury while James Lofton caught six passes for 129 yards.
Lewis went on to have a long coaching career and is presently the defensive coordinator at Boston College.
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