History of The Green Bay Packers - 1998-2005: Near Misses

1998-2005: Near Misses

Still playing strong football, the Packers compiled an 11-5 record in 1998, but suffered several key injuries. They made the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, but this time as a wild card. Once again, Green Bay faced its perennial foe the San Francisco 49ers, but luck would not be on their side this time, as they lost a close game, the score being 30-27. Afterwards, Mike Holmgren stepped down as head coach and was succeeded by Ray Rhodes. The Packers only managed an 8-8 showing in 1999 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1992, despite a high-scoring season-ending performance against Arizona in an attempt to win a potential points-scored tiebreaker. Rhodes was quickly dumped and replaced by Mike Sherman. In 2000, the Packers finished 9-7, but again did not make the playoffs.

Green Bay rebounded nicely in 2001, going 12-4 and returning to the playoffs as a wild card. Per established practice, they challenged the 49ers and beat them 25-15, avenging their playoff loss three years earlier. There would be no Super Bowl appearance though, as Green Bay was crushed by the St. Louis Rams in the divisional round 45-17. Favre threw a record six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The following year began strongly, with the Packers starting 8-1. Divisional realignment had placed them along with Minnesota, Chicago, and Detroit in the new NFC North. Being the only team in their division to achieve a record above .500 in 2002, the Packers seemed a virtual shoo-in for the first-round bye. However, the final game of the season was lost at home to the Jets, which gave Green Bay the #3 NFC seed and forced them to go through the wild card round. The playoffs would have a humiliating end as the Packers were routed 27-7 by the Atlanta Falcons on a snow-covered Lambeau Field for the franchise's first-ever home playoff loss.

2003 began rather badly. Lambeau Field had been renovated that year, but in the season opener, the Packers lost to the Vikings 30-25. Brett Favre suffered several injuries during the season as well as the death of his father on the eve of a Monday Night trip to Oakland which he won in impressive fashion, trouncing the Oakland Raiders 41-7. The Packers went into the final week needing to win and for the Vikings to lose to win the NFC North and to get the last playoff spot. The Packers beat the Denver Broncos while the Arizona Cardinals rallied in the final seconds to beat the Vikings, giving the Packers the NFC North championship with an 11-5 record. The wild card round saw a fierce struggle with the Seattle Seahawks, which tied 27-27 and went into overtime. Defensive back Al Harris caught a pass from Seattle and ran for a 52-yard touchdown, giving the Packers the win. In the divisional round however, the Packers lost to Philadelphia. The game was tied 17-17 at the end of the 4th quarter and went into overtime, where Favre threw a pass up into the air that was intercepted by Eagles FS Brian Dawkins. Several plays later, the Eagles kicked a field goal and won 20-17.

In 2004, Green Bay compiled a 10-6 season and reached the playoffs as a wildcard, but lost to the Vikings 31-17 in the first-ever playoff meeting between the two rivals.

During the 2005 off-season, the team drafted QB Aaron Rodgers from California. Rodgers was intended to be the eventual successor to Brett Favre, by now 36 and showing his age by turning in a poor performance that year. Despite a devastating 52-3 win over New Orleans in Week 5, Favre threw a NFL-record 29 interceptions. Injuries caused the team further problems, and the season ended with a 4-12 record, the worst since 1991. This season was notable for two bizarre incidents. The first was during the Week 8 game in Cincinnati where a fan ran out onto the field and grabbed the ball from Favre, and during Week 12 in Philadelphia where another fan ran out and scattered the ashes of his dead mother into the air.

Head Coach Mike Sherman was fired at the end of the 2005 season.