Packers Super Bowl History: Top 10 Plays

5. Favre’s Audible

Brett Favre’s audible that led to an Andre Rison touchdown reception on the Packers’ second offensive play of Super Bowl XXXI was one of the more memorable plays of Brett’s career. Of course the real memory of that play was #4 running and jumping his way to the end zone as he looked to celebrate. The iconic picture of him running down the field, helmet in hand, will live on in Super Bowl history until the end of days. That play got the jitters out of the way for Green Bay and showed New England that this Packers’ team, ranked No. 1 in offense and defense in the regular season, was there to play.

4. Starr’s Super Bowl Magic Continues

Bart Starr, the MVP of Super Bowl I, picked up right where he left off in Super Bowl II. His 62-yard touchdown pass to Boyd Dowler broke the game open for the Packers, giving them a 13-0 lead. It also set the stage for Starr to win his second-consecutive Super Bowl MVP award. Take a second to stop and think about that; at that moment he had won back-to-back Super Bowl MVP awards in the only two Super Bowls ever played. That is quite impressive, but Starr’s pass that perfectly hit a streaking Dowler in stride was the play of the game.

3. Howard’s Game Changer

There has only been one special teams player to ever win Super Bowl MVP and it was Desmond Howard in Super Bowl XXXI. He definitely deserved it as he had multiple kickoffs and punt returns that gave the Packers momentum. However Howard’s back-breaking kick return for a touchdown single-handedly ended the Patriots’ third quarter comeback bid in Super Bowl XXXI. Howard earned the SB MVP on that play alone, which took Green Bay’s lead from six to fourteen (after a two-point conversion) and it capped an unbelievable post season performance by the Packers returner.

2. Collins Finds the End Zone

The Packers were up 7-0 in Super Bowl XLV after a Rodgers touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, but the bigger play of the first quarter came on defense. Nick Collins, a perennial Pro Bowler, took advantage of a wild Roethlisberger throw caused by defensive tackle Howard Green. Collins used his ballhawk skills to break into the frame and intercept the ball. Howard’s pressure was important, but Collins’ determination to get the ball into the end zone was the truly impressive part of the play. Through ample traffic he wedged his way around Steelers’ players until diving between three opponents, stretching the ball into the end zone. That play set the tone for the game and obviously the Pack went on to win.

1. The First Points in Super Bowl History

At first glance, this might not seem like the biggest play in Packers’ Super Bowl history, but we have to understand the incredible context. This was the first ever matchup of the NFL and the AFL and millions upon millions of people were watching. The Packers were expected to win and represent the entire NFL favorably and those nerves were apparent as they couldn’t move the ball with efficiency early on.

That was until Starr hit Max McGee, a backup in for an injured Dowler, for the first points ever scored in a Super Bowl. His one-handed catch and run gave Green Bay the lead and gave the team a chance to calm down. The Packers were heavy favorites so scoring first was important to keep the underdogs in their place.

Had McGee dropped the ball and Green Bay not scored first, who knows how the game could have gone. Would Starr have led the team to the championship? Would he have been named MVP? Would the Lombardi Trophy even be named the Lombardi Trophy today? The first points in Super Bowl history will never be scored again and the Packers got them. That play will be on Super Bowl highlight reels forever and its impact is unmeasurable.

Now that we got our Super Bowl fix of the most legendary plays in Packers’ history we can all go on and enjoy watching Denver and Carolina face off in Super Bowl 50. What plays would you have put into the top-10 plays in franchise history in the Big Game?

We would like to add that, although it wasn’t a play, Lombardi getting carried off the field as a two-time Super Bowl champion coach should be mentioned in this article. His fifth championship in a seven year span culminated with him leaving the field for the final time with the Packers. The Super Bowl trophy is named after him and the image of him looking down at Jerry Kramer, although not a play, is perhaps the most iconic moment from a Super Bowl in team history.