The legendary Vince Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to five championships in seven years between 1961 and 1967 including an unprecedented three straight in 1965, 1966, and 1967. But few people remember his dramatic final regular season win as Packers coach. It was a 30-27, last second victory over the Vikings in Minnesota. Today, we look back at Lombardi’s last regular season win with the Packers.

Vince Lombardi’s Last Regular Season Win with the Packers: The Buildup

The Packers entered this game with an 8-2-1 record as they continued their quest for a third straight championship. Lombardi referred to it as “the big push.” His aging team had pulled together and overcome injuries to clinch another playoff berth. The Pack defeated the Bears 17-13 in Chicago the previous week to clinch the division title.

Their opponents would be the Minnesota Vikings coached by future Hall of Famer Bud Grant. The Vikings were 3-6-2, but fresh off a 41-27 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Minnesota forced six turnovers in the victory.

The Packers still had three games left to play and needed to stay sharp with the playoffs just a few weeks away.

The First Half

The Packers were concerned about a letdown after clinching the division and they did struggle early. In the first quarter, the teams traded field goals with Don Chandler giving the Packers a 3-0 lead before Fred Cox answered for the Vikings.

In the second quarter, the Vikings took a 10-3 lead on a 43-yard dash by running back Dave Osborn. The Packers had trouble stopping Osborn all game. He finished with 155 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. The yardage total was his single-game high in a 12-year NFL career that actually ended with the Packers in 1976.

Packers quarterback Bart Starr managed to rally the Packers back to the lead before halftime. He connected with Boyd Dowler on a 57-yard touchdown pass. Dowler made an incredible catch to tie the game at 10-10 late in the second quarter.

After the Packers recovered a late fumble, Chandler kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Green Bay a slim 13-10 lead at the half.

Vince Lombardi’s Last Regular Season Win with the Packers: A Seesaw Battle

The second half turned into a back-and-forth affair. The Vikings took the lead when Joe Kapp connected with John Beasley on a six-yard touchdown pass. The Packers trailed 17-13.

The Packers answered with the next two scores. First, Starr found Carroll Dale on a 34-yard touchdown pass. Then, fullback Ben Wilson scored on a one-yard plunge and the Packers led 27-17 after three quarters.

Then it was Minnesota’s turn to swing the momentum. Kapp hit Red Phillips on a seven-yard scoring pass. Then, Cox kicked a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 27-27 with five minutes left.

The Packers couldn’t move the ball, and the Vikings got the ball back and had a chance to win it in the closing minutes. But Lombardi’s defense came up with a big play. Tom Brown recovered a Kapp fumble, and the Packers took over at the Minnesota 28.

The Packers ran down the clock and called on Chandler to kick a 19-yard field goal. He made the kick with eight seconds left on the clock and the Packers had escaped with a 30-27 win.

The Aftermath

Starr finished the game going 10-of-15 for 191 yards and two touchdown passes. Dowler finished with 100 yards on three catches. Wilson led all Packers runners with 59 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Ray Nitschke intercepted Kapp for one of the Packers three turnovers.

Nobody knew it at the time, but it would be Lombardi’s final regular season win with the Packers. They lost to the Rams in Los Angeles 27-24 the following week before closing out the season with a 24-17 home loss to the Steelers.

The playoffs were a different story. The Pack upset the Rams in Milwaukee 28-7 and followed that up with a 21-17 victory over the Cowboys in “The Ice Bowl.”

Two weeks later, the Pack crushed the Oakland Raiders 33-14 to win their third straight championship. Lombardi stepped down as head coach shortly after that last win.

The Ice Bowl and the Super Bowl win made history, but none of that would have been possible without this win over the Vikings, Lombardi’s last regular season win as Packers head coach.

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

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