Here they are, the very best statistical seasons in the history of the Green Bay Packers.
Remember, a “+” following a player’s specific statistic signifies that they led the NFL in that statistical category that year. You’ll see a lot of that near the top of this illustrious list.
15. John Brockington, 1972: 8 Rush TDs, 1027 Rush Yards, 3.7 YPA, 73.4 YPA, 19 Rec, 243 Rec Yards, 1 Rec TD, 12.8 YPR, 1270 YFS, 9 Total TDs (14 games)
He ran possessed and tackling him was like tackling a bowling ball. He was splitting carries with MacArthur Lane, didn’t have a notable quarterback, and still put up fantastic numbers. He was the team’s entire offense in ’72 and the defense knew he’d get the ball, but still produced at a fantastic clip.
14. Bobby Dillon, 1953: 9 INTs, 1 INT Return TD+, 112 INT Return Yards, 1 Fumble Rec, (10 games); 1956 season was close
Dillon is a man many people, even big Packer fans, wouldn’t recognize. But he was one of the most dominant players of the decade for Green Bay in the 1950s. His ’53 season illustrates how skilled he was.
13. Paul Coffman, 1983: 11 TDs, 814 Rec Yards, 54 Rec, Long 74, 15.1 YPR, 50.9 YPG, 1 Fumble (16 games)
He was the first man to truly make the tight end position a weapon in Packers history. All these years later and still no tight end has come close to his production. Coffman’s impact, and statistical impact, cannot be understated.
12. Tim Harris, 1989: 19.5 Sacks, 3 Fumble Rec, 86 Tackles (16 games)
In a word, his 1989 season was unstoppable. Truly historic. A lot of fans wouldn’t even remember Harris’ name, but his best season will forever reverberate around Green Bay as an all-time statistical achievement.
11. Dorsey Levens, 1997: 7 Rush TDs, 1435 Rush Yards, 4.4 YPA, 89.7 YPG, Long 52 Yards, 5 Rec TDs, 53 Rec, 370 Rec Yards, 7.0 YPR, 1805 YFS, 12 Total TDs, 1 Two-Point Conversion (16 games)
Levens’ greatness was overshadowed by his Hall of Fame teammates, namely his quarterback. But his 1997 season was supreme. He was effortless when running with and catching the ball. He averaged 112.8 yards from scrimmage per game in this season; it nearly got him into the top 10 of this all-time list.
10. Reggie White, 1998: 16 sacks, 4 Forced-Fumbles, 46 tackles, 4 passes defended (16 games)
Even at the age of 37 he refused to slow down. He was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. His four forced-fumbles were the most of career. The Minister of Defense was never better in Green Bay than in his swan song season.
9. Sterling Sharpe, 1992: 13 Rec TDs+, 1461 Rec Yards+, 108 Rec+, Long 76, 13.5 YPR, 91.3 YPG+, 8 Rush Yards, 2 fumbles, 1 fumble recovery (16 games); 1994 season was close
Sharpe was one of the greatest receivers of all-time… and still is. This was the season when he asserted himself as a dominant force. Yes, he put up an 18 TD season in 1994, but winning the wide receiver “Triple Crown” in ’92 was an historic achievement. #SterlingDominated and no one will ever change our mind.
8. Paul Hornung, 1960: 13 Rush TDs+, 671 Rush Yards, 4.2 YPA, 55.9 YPG, 28 Rec, 257 Rec Yards, 2 Rec TDs, 928 Yards From Scrimmage, 15 Total TDs+, 15 FGM, 41 XPM, 2 Pass TDs, 0 INTs, 176 Total Points+ (12 games)
Oddly, Hornung was named AP MVP the following year, but 1960 was his top overall statistical season. Leading the league in total touchdowns and scoring 176 points in just 12 games is insane. From Notre Dame to Green Bay to Canton… The Golden Boy was a hell of a football player.
7. Bart Starr, 1966: 14 TDs, 3 INT, 2257 Yards, 62.2 Comp%+, 5.6 TD%, 1.2 INT%+, 9.0 YPA+, Long 83, Rating 105.0+, 1 GWD, 2 Rush TDs, 104 Rush Yards, 5.0 YPA (14 games); 1964 season was close
He was simply the best possible quarterback for his offense. Even Vince Lombardi said so. Although some people believe it was the simplicity of Green Bay’s offense in the 1960s that resulted in his and the team’s success. That’s not exactly true, actually it’s far from it. He led the NFL in many passing categories and was more of an overall athlete than many would admit.
Throwing just three interceptions in 14 competitive games is undeniable. He would be named League MVP for his efforts. Pound per pound, or throw for throw, this is one of the top statistical seasons in Packers history.
6. Ahman Green, 2003: 15 Rush TDs, 1883 Rush Yards, 5.3 YPA, 117.7 YPG, Long 98 Yards+, 5 Rec TDs, 50 Rec, 367 Rec Yards, 7.3 YPR, 2250 YFS, 20 Total TDs (16 games)
Green was a bruising runner with quick feet. He possessed a rare combination of vision, balance, speed and toughness. In 2003 he put together one of the most underrated seasons in Packers history — and league history.
Eric Dickerson, O.J. Simpson, Terrell Davis and Le’Veon Bell, among others, have never put up 2250 yards from scrimmage (YFS) in a single season. Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen, Earl Campbell and Jim Brown never put up 20 total TDs in a season. But Green did both in that jaw-dropping 2003 season. The hilarious part of that statistic is that he wasn’t even named All-Pro in ’03. Underrated indeed.
5. Charles Woodson, 2009: 9 INTs+, 3 INT Ret TDs+, 179 Return Yards, 18 Passes Defended, 4 Forced-Fumbles, 1 Fumble Rec, 2 Sacks, 74 Tackles, 9 TFL, 2 Kick Returns, 30 Return Yards (16 games played); 2008 season was close
Woodson put up one of the most legendary seasons in football history for all defensive backs. He played in every part of the field for the defense that year and he, literally, did it all. Look at the statistics again.
He was named AP Defensive Player of the Year, but people still don’t understand how great of a player he was in Green Bay as an overall defensive player. Part corner, part safety, part linebacker. He changed the way teams played against the Packers in a way few defenders ever have.
4. Jim Taylor, 1962: 19 Rush TDs+, 1474 Rush Yards+, 5.4 YPA, 105.3 Rush YPG+, 22 Rec, 106 Rec Yards, 1580 Yards From Scrimmage, 114 Points+ (14 games)
Rest in Peace, Jim. He passed away a day before this piece was fundamentally put together. He was the best player on the best team in Packers history. Is there anything else to say? His 19 Rush touchdowns are still a single-season team record… and we don’t see that record falling anytime soon.
Taylor was named AP MVP of league in 1962, which was the only season in which Jim Brown played in the NFL when he didn’t lead league in rushing. What an honor. This season was his top career accomplishment, according to us.
3. Don Hutson, 1942: 17 Rec TDs+, 1211 Rec Yards+, 74 Rec+, Long 73+, 16.4 YPR, 110 YPG+, 0 fumbles 1 FGM, 33 XPM, 7 INT (11 games)
These stats are ridiculous if you think of the era that Hutson played in. To say he was ahead of his time was an understatement. But we truly believe he’d be even better in today’s NFL (an NFL that protects quarterbacks and receivers unlike in his day).
17 touchdowns in just 11 games. Read that again. He was, obviously, MVP of the league and averaged 110 receiver yards per game. No Packers receiver may ever boast that again. Oh, and he intercepted seven passes as a defensive back and kicked 33 successful extra points. Hutson’s 1942 season is easily one of the best seasons in NFL history.
2. Brett Favre, 1995: 38 TDs+, 13 INT, 4413 Yards+, 63.0 Comp%, 6.7 TD%+, 2.3 INT%, 7.7 YPA, Long 99+, Rating 99.5, 1 GWD, 3 Rush TDs, 181 Rush Yards, 4.6 YPA (16 games); 1996 season was close
This season launched Brett Favre from being a young star quarterback into being an icon. He led the league in touchdown passes, touchdown yards, threw a 99 yard touchdown and had his highest rating as a Packer.
But Brett wasn’t just a passer, he ran for three touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry, too. He would be named AP MVP for the first time (first of three straight such honors) and many Packer fans would think back to this season as the one that let them know he was a truly special talent. The Gun Slinger had never done it better.
1. Aaron Rodgers, 2011: 45 TDs, 6 INT, 4643 Yards, 68.3 Comp%, 9.0 TD%+, 1.2 INT%, 9.2 YPA+, Long 93 yards, Rating 122.5+, 1 GWD, 3 Rush TDs, 257 Rush Yards, 4.3 YPA (15 games); 2016 season was close
There are no words that can really capture what Rodgers did in 2011. He was unstoppable. His 122.5 rating was an all-time NFL record and still is. Few understand how dominant recording 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions is.
We can’t really articulate it either, besides putting him in the No. 1 on this all-time Packers list of great statistical seasons.
He was awarded his first AP MVP Award for this season, but more than that, it established him as an all-time talent in league history. His three rushing touchdowns and 257 rush yards were no joke, either. But really, 48 total touchdowns is a mark I’m not sure we’ll ever see topped for a single season in Green Bay and he didn’t even play the final game of the season.
We hope this doesn’t stay the No. 1 statistical season in franchise history forever, but we wouldn’t exactly bet against that either. Unless it’s Rodgers himself that outdoes himself.
Lets hope a few players are added to this list over the next couple season… sure great statistical seasons don’t equal championships, but, as this list emphasizes, it certainly helps. Many of these top statistical performers also have held the Lombardi Trophy.
We could see Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson, Blake Martinez, Kenny Clark, Jimmy Graham or, perhaps, even Rodgers put up a season worthy of consideration for this list in the near future.
Thanks for diving into this statistical rabbit-hole with us, Packer Nation!
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