Brett Favre started his consecutive games started streak with the Green Bay Packers in 1992. A decade later, that historic record nearly came to an end in a game between the Packers and the Washington Redskins. But Ahman Green ran for three touchdowns as the team soundly beat Washington 30-9. The Packers overcame a third quarter injury to Favre that forced him out of the game. The Packers defense also stepped up, shutting down the Washington attack. This is the story of a big 2002 win for the Packers that saw them overcome some tough obstacles to defeat Washington at Lambeau Field. It was also the game Packers quarterback Brett Favre nearly saw his games started streak ended.
The Game That Nearly Ended the Games Started Streak for Packers QB Brett Favre: The Buildup
The Packers entered this late afternoon game on a four-game winning streak. The previous week, the Packers defeated the Patriots in New England 28-10 to take control of the NFC North. Favre was off to a great start on the season and was considered a top candidate to win another NFL MVP award. Green was leading a strong running game as well.
Meanwhile, the Redskins came into the game with a 2-3 mark under Steve Spurrier. They were struggling behind rookie quarterback Patrick Ramsey who they selected in the first round of that year’s draft. They were coming off a disappointing loss to the Saints in DC.
Green Bay needed a win to cement their status as one of the top contending teams in the NFC. The Packers had their bye week after this game.
A Back and Forth First Half
Washington won the toss and elected to receive. They wasted little time moving the ball downfield for a score. A 26-yard run by Derrius Thompson and a 13-yard pass from Ramsey to Rod Gardner were the key plays. The drive stalled at the Green Bay six, so James Tuthill kicked a 25-yard field goal to give Washington the early 3-0 lead.
The Packers answered immediately when they got the ensuing kickoff. Green carried four times on the drive for 39 yards including a 24-yard dash to the end zone that put the Packers ahead 7-3 with 4:28 left in the first quarter.
Washington pulled closer on their first drive of the second quarter. They struggled to move the ball, gaining 40 yards on 12 plays, but it got them close enough for a 53-yard field goal that Tuthill made to cut the Green Bay lead to 7-6.
Favre and the Packers responded immediately. The quarterback found Donald Driver for 11 yards and William Henderson for six more, but the key play was a 36-yard pass interference penalty against Champ Bailey who impeded Driver downfield. Green finished the drive with a two-yard run and the Packers pulled ahead 14-6.
The Packers defense came up with a big stop on the next Washington possession. The Redskins reached the Green Bay 45 but on 4th-and-1, Gilbert Brown and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila combined to stop Ramsey on a quarterback sneak and the Packers took over on downs. That set up a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell that gave the Packers a 17-6 lead at the half.
The Game That Nearly Ended the Games Started Streak for Packers QB Brett Favre: Favre Goes Down
The game changed dramatically on the Packers second possession of the third quarter. Favre went back to pass and was sandwiched between LaVar Arrington and Jeremiah Trotter. He injured his knee on the play and had to come out of the game. His 164 games started streak appeared to be in serious jeopardy.
“My stomach dropped,” admitted Packers head coach Mike Sherman after the game. “I asked somebody if they had the classified ads because it’s a lot harder to work around here without our quarterback.”
“I take it personal when he gets hurt or sacked,” Green added. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he doesn’t get touched the rest of the season.”
Backup quarterback Doug Pederson came in to replace Favre.
“I wanted to go back in,” Favre explained. “But [the doctor] told me there was possibly a tear in the LCL and the ramifications of going back out with that tear, you basically leave the ACL wide open for injury. And obviously you tear that you’re done. So, as much as I wanted to play, that information there was enough to not fight it. I’ve played for so long and avoided serious injury for so long to have to come out of any game, whether or not you play the next week, is upsetting.”
Washington seemed inspired when Favre left the game. They added another field goal by Tuthill to pull to within 17-9, making it a one score game.
Pederson and the Defense Step Up
With Favre out, the Green Bay defense felt they needed to step up and make some plays. Late in the third quarter, they forced a turnover when Nate Wayne and Hardy Nickerson combined to sack Ramsey. Wayne punched the ball out and fell on it, ending a Washington drive near midfield.
On the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Green Bay defense forced another fumble. Ramsey found Kevin Lockett for a nine-yard gain, but Packers defensive back Tod McBride knocked the ball out and Todd Franz recovered for Green Bay at the Washington 39.
Two plays later, Pederson connected with Javon Walker for 20 yards on a 3rd-and-10 to pick up a crucial first down. That led to a 41-yard field goal by Longwell and the Packers were up 20-9.
The next time the Redskins got the ball, Gbaja-Biamila sacked Ramsey and stripped the ball loose. Rod Walker recovered at the Washington 23. Three plays later, Green scored again, this time from eight yards out and the Packers were up 27-9.
“They applied great pressure,” Sherman said when asked about his defense. The Packers finished the game with six sacks including two by KGB. “It’s sort of ironic when you consider that Joe Johnson and Vonnie Holliday aren’t in there. We have a bunch of young guys in there just battling, scratching and crawling for everything they can get. They’re working well together.”
A late field goal by Longwell ended the scoring as the Pack cruised to a 30-9 victory.
The Game That Nearly Ended the Games Started Streak for Packers QB Brett Favre: The Aftermath
Green finished the day with 88 yards rushing and 100 total yards to go with three touchdowns. Pederson was effective in relief, completing 9-of-15 passes for 78 yards.
“Doug came in, even though we had the lead, in a really tough spot,” Favre said after the game. “To have to come in that situation, with the game still in question, to play the way he did, that’s what’s expected of Doug.”
“Brett hasn’t missed a game in a long time, but we knew what we had to do,” Green added. “We still had to put points on the board. With the injuries we’ve had all season, this was just another bump in the road for us. We had to continue to play our style of football.”
“We are talking about number four here, so of course everybody was concerned,” explained right guard Marco Rivera. “But we didn’t panic. It was like, OK, number four is down, but we’ve got to keep working here. OK, our leader is out, now we’ve got to pick it up. And that’s what we did.”
Favre and the Packers were fortunate. They had their bye week right after the game. That gave Favre enough time to recover and start their next game, a 24-10 win over the Dolphins at Lambeau Field on a Monday night.
The Packers finished the season 12-4 and won the NFC North title. Washington struggled to a 7-9. Favre kept his consecutive games started streak alive until it reached 297 games. It ended in 2010. This game nearly ended the streak, but the Packers stepped up, won the game and Favre was able to keep his streak alive the following game.
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