Top 10 Green Bay Packers teams since 1992: No. 8-2007 Packers

Continuing on with our series of the top Green Bay Packers teams since 1992, at number eight we have the 2007 Green Bay Packers.

The 2007 Green Bay Packers entered the year in an odd spot as their division rival the Chicago Bears were just coming off a Super Bowl season. That meant the Packers were not division favorites. In addition, they were not expected to be in the cellar as they had been in recent years because they had a strong finish to their 2006 season.

Their expectations continued to become clear as the season progressed. A fast start caught the attention of everyone in the league and it’s something they would not let up on as they would lose only three games all season long.

They won close games. They won in blowouts. They won with their offense lighting up the scoreboard. They won with their defense being stingy. They were one of the most well-rounded teams in all of football that season. A team that led many to wonder if they could get legendary quarterback Brett Favre back to the Super Bowl and give the undefeated New England Patriots a run for their money.

Key players

“Fab Five” WR’s: This group nicknamed the “fab five” would consist of Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, and Koren Robinson. Using these receivers we would see the Packers employ multiple wide receiver sets to cause matchup problems for opposing defenses. Jennings and Driver did the majority of the dirty work, but James Jones provided reliability, while Martin and Robinson both had intriguing skill sets.

They provided Favre with the ability to get the ball out of his hands quick and make plays after the catch. Jennings really showed his ability to grow into a star during his second season, and Driver was a great player and steady presence. His highlight of the year was a 90-yard touchdown reception in the NFC Title game against the Giants.

Ryan Grant: A bit of an unknown when former GM Ted Thompson traded a 6th round pick to acquire Grant at the end of camp but even with the addition, the Packers really did not have a running game for the early portion of the season.

Brandon Jackson struggled, while rookie Deshawn Wynn provided some punch early, but was injured for the second half of the season. That left the door open for Grant who ran for more than 100 yards in their game against the Denver Broncos and really took hold of the starting running back job.

Then against the Seattle Seahawks, Grant would hit the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs all in the same game. When two early fumbles in the Divisional playoffs put the Packers in a 14-0 hole, many would have nailed Grant to the bench, but instead, Mike McCarthy stuck with him and Grant rewarded his loyalty as he finished the day with 201 yards rushing on 27 carries.

Charles Woodson: Woodson’s first season as a big free agent acquisition was relatively non-descript. He was an impact player, but it came on an 8-8 team. But it was during the 2007 season that he began to assert himself as one of the leaders in the locker room.

Woodson’s highlight of the year came against Washington when he returned a fumble 57-yards for a touchdown that gave the Green Bay Packers the lead for good. He formed a great cornerback duo with Al Harris that played physical press-man at the line of scrimmage.

Cullen Jenkins: Jenkins represented a shift in the mentality for the defense. Jenkins would play defensive end opposite of Aaron Kampman on early downs, then he would then kick inside next to Corey Williams on passing downs to allow Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (KGB) to enter the game and rush the passer. Jenkins’ presence made the entire defensive line better and it allowed KGB to be more effective as well as a situational pass rusher.

Atari Bigby: Ultimately his season was not one that he lit the world on fire, but his performance against the Seahawks in the playoffs is one of the best games I have ever seen. He legitimately made people afraid of going over the middle. He also forced a fumble that gave Green Bay the possession in which they took the lead. He makes the list solely for this game alone.

Highlights

The 2007 season was filled with fun moments. Some individual and some as a team. Brett Favre broke the all-time touchdown record held by Dan Marino that season. And in typical Favre fashion, he would tie that record dramatically as he threw a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings late in a game that the Packers were trailing in to give them a lead they would not relinquish.

Then a road game later in the season in Denver had Favre turn back the clock a little bit after two previous games that the Packers had won, but Favre had struggled in. As a result, some critics opined that Favre had lost some of his arm strength and just wasn’t the same player.

However, Favre silenced his critics early in the Denver game with a long touchdown to rookie wide receiver James Jones. The game would go to overtime, and Favre went for it all on the first play as he hit Jennings deep down the left sideline and the Packers won.

The next week in Kansas City, Favre led a dramatic comeback win that was capped by a pick-six from Charles Woodson. Followed by a 34-0 drubbing of the Vikings at Lambeau Field had the team getting the look of complete dominance.

The following week against Carolina, Tramon Williams returned a missed field goal for a touchdown.

A loss in Dallas was not too far behind. It was a reminder of Brett Favre’s kryptonite, but it was also a glimpse into the future. Favre exited the game with an injured shoulder and in came Aaron Rodgers. While this has never been confirmed, many believe Rodgers’ performance against Dallas was a big reason the Packers decided to move on from Favre at the end of the season.

Finally, Ryan Grant running all over the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round will forever remain one of the great playoff wins in the history of the Green Bay Packers. Little did everyone know at the time, it would be the final win for Brett Favre as the quarterback of the Packers at home.

Lowlights

Losing both games against the Chicago Bears is never a fun thing. The first game early in the year at Lambeau was more annoying than anything else because the Packers felt like the better team, but they gave the game away. The second game in Chicago was one of the more depressing games in the history of the Packers. It was very cold at Soldier Field with freezing rain that some reporters have described as “ice daggers.” Favre looked cold and completely disinterested as the Packers were blown out.

The biggest lowlight, however, came against the New York Giants. The Green Bay Packers were the better team. Many thought the cold would be a decided advantage for the Packers, but it turned out to be an equalizer for a Giants team that would ride the wave all the way to the Super Bowl. Al Harris was tortured by Plaxico Burress, while Charles Woodson was run over early by Brandon Jacobs, and it set a physical tone for the rest of the game.

Ultimately the Packers had the ball in overtime with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. However, Favre, as he did far too often, threw an interception directly into the hands of Corey Webster. Looking at the play from behind, it almost felt as if he was the intended receiver on the play. The game ranks as one of the most heartbreaking in the history of the team.

Why didn’t they win a championship?

Sometimes the best team in the NFC does not win the conference. The Packers are a glaring case here. Oftentimes I wonder if the game was played at a normal temperature against the Giants how they would have fared. Alas, this is not a hypothetical world, it’s one in reality.

The Giants were just more physical than the Packers, and Favre made one killer mistake that sent a team home that deserved a better fate. Other than the game against Chicago just before Christmas, this was by far the Green Bay Packers’ worst performance of the season. It just happened to come at the worst possible time.