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Green Bay vs. Tennessee
12/20/98 - Packers win 30-22
By Chris Hollenback
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Wide receiver Antonio Freeman had 7 catches for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns
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Brett Favre hit Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Freeman for three touchdowns
in the first half and the Packers won the turnover battle 1-0 and posted
30 points without two of their best receivers en route to a 30-22
victory over the Tennessee Oilers.
The Packers entered the game already in the playoffs, and will host a
first-round wild card game against the San Francisco 49ers if the
Packers win in Chicago and San Francisco loses at home to the St. Louis
Rams. If the 49ers win or the Packers lose, the Packers will travel to
San Francisco instead.
The Packers played without five key players, including end Vonnie
Holliday, receiver Robert Brooks, running back Darick Holmes, cornerback Craig Newsome and Pro Bowl tight end Mark Chmura, who left after
straining his calf on the second play. Head Coach Mike Holmgren said
they all could play next week, but he hasn't decided if he'll risk it.
"If I can play the game next week without playing those guys," Holmgren
said, "I'm going to try and do it. But we have to talk about it,
because of San Francisco losing (today to New England)."
The Packers beat a team gunning for a playoff berth without them and
executed well.
Even in the cold. Favre is now 24-0 when the game time temperature at
Lambeau Field is below 35 degrees. Today it was 29 degrees and the wind
chill was at a reported minus-one at kickoff.
Favre completed 22 passes for 253 yards. He became the first player in
NFL history to throw for 30 or more scores in a season five times.
Favre has done it in consecutive years. Only Miami's Dan Marino has
thrown for 30 or more touchdowns four times, and he didn't do it in
consecutive years.
By the time 2:59 remained in the first quarter, Freeman had hauled in
three passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. On the third play from
scrimmage, the Packers split three receivers wide with running back
Dorsey Levens and Freeman in the backfield. Freeman went in motion, flew down the field uncovered as the Oilers blitzed, and easily outran the secondary, sauntering in for the 57-yard touchdown.
(312k) |
Packers Radio Network with the call!
Freeman rumbles for a 57 yard TD |
"We knew they liked to blitz, and I think they didn't expect me to line
up in the backfield and go in motion," Freeman said. "When I caught the
ball, I dropped down to catch it, and I looked around and thought, 'Oh,
my goodness.' It was just wide open."
Then, with just over three minutes left in the quarter, Freeman split
double-coverage on a broken play, went deep while Favre bought time and
the safety help fell down, and Favre lobbed it over the top as Freeman
pranced in for a 68-yard score.
(293k) |
Packers Radio Network with the call!
Freeman goes 68 yards for another TD |
After the touchdown Favre lifted his star receiver off the ground to
celebrate, and Freeman promptly handed the touchdown ball to Reggie White, who
accepted it with a hug.
That gave Freeman 1,302 yards on the season, a career high.
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Keith McKenzie beats teammate Reggie White to Oilers QB Steve McNair
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"It was supposed to go in the flat to either Jeff Thomason or a slant on
either side," Favre said. "If you noticed, I peeked at Free to kinda
get the coverage to go one way, and went back the other way and they
covered it. We did some things to offset the two tight ends not being
in there."
The Packers were down to just Thomason at tight end because Tyrone Davis
entered the game inactive and Chmura left the game so early.
On the Oilers' first drive, the crowd, already pumped up for defensive
end Reggie White's last regular season game at Lambeau Field, rose to
their feet when Scott McGarrahan drilled Pro Bowl running back Eddie George as he attempted to catch a pass in the flat on third down. George looked timid catching the ball the rest of the game.
"This is a disappointing loss," Oilers Coach Jeff Fisher said. "We
thought we could play with them. Unfortunately, we didn't."
Tennessee came alive in the second quarter. Quarterback Steve McNair,
forced to scramble all game due to tight coverage by the Packers
secondary, found receiver Derrick Mason with rookie Kerry Cooks in
single-coverage, and hit him for a 25-yard touchdown. Cooks stumbled at
the last second and couldn't quite knock the ball down. The drive
lasted 8 plays, 71 yards, 4:17, and the Oilers pulled to within 14-7.
But Favre answered. He hit Levens with a 17-yard screen pass, then a
17-yarder to receiver Derrick Mayes. Favre passed the 4,000-yard mark
on the drive, becoming only the fifth player in NFL history to notch
multiple 4,000-yard seasons.
Then Favre hit Freeman for his third touchdown of the game.
(244k) |
Packers Radio Network with the call!
Freeman grabs a 32 yard TD from Favre |
"The third (touchdown) was a short-yardage play that I said, 'What the
heck? Let's try one,'" Holmgren said. "We made the play-fake, got him
singled up and it was a beautiful throw and catch. Freeman had a great
game. He made a few plays where you saw he had forgotten about the
(broken) jaw."
"I forgot about the jaw last week," Freeman said. "Whenever I step out
on that football field, anything goes. And I knew that when I came back
last week. So when I get out there, I just play with reckless abandon,
and that's what I did today."
It is Freeman's second three-score game. The other was on December 8,
1996 against Denver.
That is perhaps even more impressive since fellow-starter Robert Brooks
didn't play.
The Oilers made it close in the fourth quarter when Yancey Thigpen
caught a slant pattern on the right side underneath cornerback Rod Smith's single-coverage and ran to the post for the 30-yard touchdown.
The Packers led, 24-14.
Favre then left the game with a cut on his hand, but is fine and will
start his 109th straight game, second-longest in NFL history, barring
any other developments. Doug Pederson replaced him and led his team on an 8 play, 23-yard drive behind the running of Dorsey Levens, who ended the game with 70 yards and a 2.7-yard average. Longwell connected from 40 yards out, and the lead was 27-14.
Despite a torn-up field, Longwell nailed kicks from 38, 40 and 40 yards
out. Punter Sean Landeta set a Packers record with 29 kicks inside the
20 in a season. Oilers punter Craig Hentrich held the previous record.
Scoring Summary
- 1st Quarter
- GBP: 57 yard TD pass; Favre to Freeman (Longwell kick) (13:22)
- GBP: 68 yard TD pass; Favre to Freeman (Longwell kick) (2:59)
- 2nd Quarter
- TEN: 25 yard TD pass; McNair to Mason (Del Greco kick) (2:55)
- GBP: 32 yard TD pass; Favre to Freeman (Longwell kick) (1:11)
- 3rd Quarter
- GBP:38 yard Longwell FG (13:49)
Key plays:
35 yard run by Favre;
- TEN: 30 yard TD pass; McNair to Thigpen (Del Greco kick) (1:36)
- 4th Quarter
- GBP: 40 yard Longwell FG (7:27)
- GBP: 40 yard Longwell FG (3:36)
- TEN: 3 yard TD pass; McNair to Mason (2pt:George run) (:53)
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