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Green Bay vs. Dallas
11/23/97 - Packers Win 45-17
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| Dorsey Levens rushed for a club record 190 yards against the Cowboys |
Seldom has a game seen a more startling turnabout than the one which transpired in the second half of the Packers' 45-17, Sunday
victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Lambeau Field, awash with gold "Title
Towels" and hunters' orange on a cold but sunny November afternoon which
saw the wind chill at kickoff register a minus-4 degrees.
At the intermission, it was a 10-10 standoff and there was no hint of the
Green Bay domination to come, especially after each team had possessed the
football for exactly 15 minutes during the first half of play.
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Packers Radio Network with the call!
Favre to Levens for the first TD |
The Packers came out for the third quarter with a mission, however, and
proceeded to take total control of the situation. Fashioning methodical
drives of 69, 73, 61 and 88 yards, they scored on all four of their second
half possessions in mounting a 38-17 lead with just under 2 minutes
remaining in the game.
Rookie Darren Sharper then completed the Packers' highest scoring day of the season by scooping up a Sherman Williams fumble and returning it 34 yards for Green Bay's final TD of the game with 1:33 showing on the clock.
(252KB) |
Packers Radio Network with the call!
Sharper gets his second TD of the year |
Quarterback Brett Favre triggered the Packers' first three second half touchdowns with 4- and 2-yard passes, respectively, to tight end Mark
Chmura and a 23-yard throws to flanker Antonio Freeman.
(285K) |
Packers Radio Network with the call!
Chmura's First TD Grab |
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Packers Radio Network with the call!
Favre to Freeman for the TD |
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Packers Radio Network with the call!
Levens caps a record day with a TD run |
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Dorsey Levens climaxed his record, 190-yard rushing day with a 5-yard run for the Green and Gold's fourth second half touchdown.
With the runaway Levens as the catalyst, the Packers gained more yards
rushing than passing (220 to 189) for the first time since their 1996
regular-season finale against the Vikings, also in Lambeau Field, when they
rolled up 233 net yards on the ground to 207 by air.
The comparative numbers eloquently underscore the magnitude of the Packers'
second half eruption, which saw them outscore the Pokes, 35-7 over the last
30 minutes:
--After settling for a 9-6 margin in the first half, they ran off 20 first
downs to the Cowboys' 5 in the second;
--After holding a modest 34-28 edge in offensive plays at halftime, they
ran off 44 to the Cowboys' 18 in the second half;
--After the 15:00-15:00 split in the first half, they possessed the
football for 22 minutes, 19 seconds, to the Cowboys' 7 minutes, 41 seconds
in the second half.
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| Troy Aikman had a rough time passing against the Packers Defense |
Individually, Levens rushed for 145 yards in 24 second half attempts, an
average of six yards per rush, after gaining 45 yards in 9 first half
carries.
As the result of the heavy emphasis on the run, Brett Favre closed out the
afternoon with the relatively modest total of 203 yards passing, based on
22 completions in 35 attempts, with one interception. The latter was
returned 50 yards for a touchdown by Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders,
giving the visitors a temporary, 10-7 lead with only 1:19 remaining in the
first half.
The Green Bay defense played a substantial role in the successful effort,
limiting quarterback Troy Aikman and the Cowboys to 213 net yards -- the
lowest total for a Packers opponent thus far this season. With Aikman
frequently under stifling pressure, the Pokes had to be content with 93
yards rushing and 120 passing.
Green Bay moved to 9-3 on the season and, thanks to losses by Tampa Bay and Minnesota, is now alone in first place atop the NFC Central Division. Dallas drops to 6-6. The Packers had lost seven straight times to the Cowboys under Mike Holmgren, all on the road.
Levens broke Jim Taylor's 36-year record for yards in one game, carrying 33 times for 190 and one touchdown. He also caught a seven-yard touchdown pass to open the game. Levens now has 1,129 yards on the season, second-best in the NFC. The Pack's running prowess enabled them to control the clock for 22:19 of the second half.
Scoring Summary
- 1st Quarter
- GBP: 7 yard TD pass; Favre to Levens (Longwell kick) (5:48)
- DAL: 29 yard Cunningham FG (:37)
- 2nd Quarter
- DAL: 50 yard Sanders INT (Cunningham kick) (1:19)
- GBP: 32 yard Longwell FG (:05)
- 3rd Quarter
- GBP: 4 yard TD pass; Favre to Chmura (Longwell kick) (10:26)
- GBP: 2 yard TD pass; Favre to Chmura (Longwell kick) (14:50)
- 4th Quarter
- DAL: 21 yard Smith TD run (Cunningham kick) (13:22)
- GBP: 23 yard TD pass; Favre to Freeman (Longwell kick) (8:18)
- GBP: 5 yard Levens TD run (Longwell kick) (1:55)
- GBP: 34 yard Sharper TD Fumble Recovery (Longwell kick)(1:33)
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