Most football fans will tell you that preseason games don’t mean much. It’s really not important if you win or lose. In the modern NFL, most teams don’t play their starters at all. If they do play, it’s usually for a series or two at most. But nearly 30 years ago, the Green Bay Packers played a preseason game that changed the history of the Packers and may have helped them win a Super Bowl.
The Preseason Game that Changed the History of the Packers: The Buildup
While the Green Bay Packers did win the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, things weren’t all going smoothly when the team opened training camp. Yes, the team reached the NFC Championship Game last season, but quarterback Brett Favre had just returned from treatment for addiction to prescription painkillers. Nobody was sure what to expect from Favre right away. This preseason game would be his first action since returning from rehab.
The league was also investigating allegations that some teammates may have helped supply the young Packers quarterback with extra pills and that was hanging over the team.
Then there was former Heisman Trophy winner, Desmond Howard. The former Michigan star signed with the Packers as a free agent prior to the season, but injuries and the team’s deep and talented receiving corps kept him off the field. Howard suffered a hip pointer on the first day of training camp and missed about 20 practices. His chances of making the team seemed slim.
But Howard was going to get one last chance. Ted Thompson, who was then working in the Packers front office under GM Ron Wolf, recalled the situation. “Desmond Howard wasn’t going to make our team,” Thompson said. “He hadn’t had very good games. I think he’d been hurt in a couple preseason games and didn’t play very well at receiver in the other one. Mike [Holmgren] and Ron [Wolf] decided, ‘Well, we’ll just put him out there on return the whole game and see how he does.’
The Packers Answer Some Questions Early
The Packers got on the board first with Favre providing the team with some relief about his return. He found tight end Keith Jackson on a 36-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead.
The touchdown was set up by an interception by cornerback Craig Newsome who stepped in front of Yancey Thigpen and stole the pass by Kordell Stewart. Newsome returned it to the Pittsburgh 45. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-1, Favre found Jackson who had beaten Rod Woodson over the middle.
Jackson actually fumbled the football as he got near the end zone, but he recovered it for the score.
“I didn’t even realize he had fumbled until right now,” Favre said after the game as he watched the replay.
Favre completed 5-of-9 passes and looked rusty, but the touchdown pass was encouraging for the coaching staff.
The Preseason Game that Changed the History of the Packers: A Wild 2nd Quarter
After a Norm Johnson field goal early in the second quarter made the score 7-3, the Packers extended their lead. With one minute left in the half, backup quarterback Doug Pederson connected with wide receiver Antonio Freeman on a 64-yard touchdown pass. The Packers led 14-3. That score was set up by an interception by cornerback Doug Evans.
But the Steelers got back into the game on the final play of the half. Stewart threw up a Hail Mary that Corey Holliday came down with in the end zone. The play covered 53 yards, and Holliday outjumped the Packers defenders to make the catch. Stewart ran for the two-point conversion and the Packers lead was cut to 14-11.
The Magic Moment for Desmond Howard
The Steelers added a field goal midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14.
With 42 seconds left in the third quarter, the Steelers were set to punt. “Just before I went out there, Brett Favre asked me who’s return it was,” Howard said. “And I said it was mine. Then he asked me if I could take one to the house. And I said, ‘Yeah.’”
Howard fielded the punt at the Green Bay 23 and headed down the right sideline. After fielding the punt, Howard sidestepped an initial defender. Punter Shayne Edge was the only Steelers player with a real chance to catch him after that. He avoided Edge and outran the last two defenders to the end zone.
“It’s like a blur,” Howard said. “You can see guys out of the corner of your eye. But then I tried to do a Michael Johnson and hit it on all cylinders.”
The Packers led 21-14. Howard realized the importance of the moment and started to celebrate. According to head coach Mike Holmgren, maybe he celebrated a little too much.
“The guy was excited,” wide receiver Robert Brooks said. “That was a big play. He should be excited. If he did get a penalty, Coach Mike wouldn’t be happy. But it’s just a pre-season game. I think he would have understood.”
“It’s indescribable,” Howard said. “It’s been a tough camp thus far with the hip injury. You want to go out there and show not only the fans, but your teammates and coaches, what you can do. “I think they have to believe that I can do those things, but until they really see them, it doesn’t carry much weight. With the score tied like it was and to make a play like that to put us ahead, it’s not only good for myself but also for the coaches and teammates to see that.”
The Preseason Game that Changed the History of the Packers: The Finish and Aftermath
The two teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter and the Packers won the game 24-17 despite recording just nine first downs to the Steelers 20 and holding on to the ball for just 22:05 compared to 37:55 for the visitors.
“I wasn’t particularly satisfied,” Holmgren admitted after the game. “We won the game, which is good. But we’re not very disciplined yet. We have a long way to go.”
But for Howard, the touchdown secured a roster spot for him. He went on to return three punts for touchdowns during the regular season and one more in the playoff win over the 49ers. Howard led the league in punt return average and yards that season. His 99-yard kick return in Super Bowl XXXI helped the Packers clinch a 35-21 win over the Patriots. To this day, Howard remains the only special teams player to be named Super Bowl MVP.
“It was such a special season because of the ups and downs,” Howard said, years later. “I think the trials and tribulations you have to go through make things that much sweeter at the end. So, it was a great season from the Monday night victories we had, even going back to the preseason games. That game I had against Pittsburgh, with a punt return for a touchdown, it pretty much started everything up there for me. It’s just a lot of great, great memories for a special season.”
The Packers were a dominant team in 1996, and they won the Super Bowl. But they probably don’t win it without Howard’s contributions. And Howard wouldn’t have made the team without his outstanding performance in the preseason game against the Steelers. So, sometimes, even preseason games can have a big impact on the future of a team.
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