*In the interest of re-living some of the great moments from a memorable 2007 season, Packers.com has compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from the regular season and playoffs.
Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.
After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2007.*
The second installment is the Top 5 pass plays in home games. In chronological order, they are:
Greg Jennings, 57-yard TD, vs. San Diego (Sept. 23)
Trailing 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, one series after a goal-to-go possession came up empty, the Packers hit a big play. Jennings, making his season debut after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, took a short slant pass from Brett Favre and split the deep Chargers' defenders, weaving his way for a 57-yard touchdown to take a 24-21 lead with 2:03 left. The TD pass for Favre tied Marino's NFL record of 420, and the Packers ultimately won 31-24.
Ruvell Martin, 17-yard TD, vs. Minnesota (Nov. 11)
In the first two-touchdown game of his career, Martin got a lucky bounce. With Favre's pass headed for the corner of the end zone, Minnesota defenders Cedric Griffin and Darren Sharper both had a chance to intercept it but ran into each other. The ball deflected straight up into the air, and Martin snagged it for the score to cap a 34-0 rout and second straight season sweep over the NFC North rivals.
Jennings, 80-yard TD, vs. Oakland (Dec. 9)
Any chance the Raiders had of overcoming a 17-7 deficit in the third quarter vanished with this play. Jennings was one-on-one with Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt along the right sideline, timed his jump perfectly, and used his body to shield Routt from making a play on the ball. When Jennings came down, Routt was on the ground and the second-year receiver waltzed the final 40 yards to the end zone for yet another long TD pass. The Packers eventually won 38-7.
Donald Lee, 11-yard catch from a stumbling Favre, vs. Seattle in NFC Divisional playoff (Jan. 12)
A classic Favre improvisation, and a throwback to the three-time MVP's younger days. Running the two-minute drill at the end of the first half and facing third-and-8 at the Seattle 14-yard line, Favre spun out of a sack attempt by Brandon Mebane but stumbled as he slipped out to the right. Looking as though he would fall flat on his face any second, Favre flipped the ball underhanded to Lee, who had found an opening near the sideline. Lee made the catch, picked up a few extra yards for the first down, and the Lambeau Field crowd went crazy. Ryan Grant ran it in for the touchdown on the next play, putting the Packers ahead 28-17 at the half on their way to a 42-20 playoff win.
Donald Driver, 90-yard TD, vs. New York Giants in NFC Championship (Jan. 20)
The offense had done little through three possessions when Driver brought the record Lambeau crowd of 72,740 to life. Getting jammed hard at the line of scrimmage by New York cornerback Corey Webster, Driver chucked him aside like a rag doll and sprinted downfield, wide open. Favre hit him in stride, and then Driver outran safety Gibril Wilson, who appeared to have the angle on him, as well as the chasing Webster for the longest postseason play from scrimmage in Green Bay history. The TD gave the Packers a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter.
So there you have it, another "Favorite Five," with more to come. Don't forget to watch the video of all five plays, and to vote in the fan poll on the left side of the page.
Last week's results
In the voting for Top Run Plays At Home, Grant's 43-yard run in the snow vs. Seattle in the playoffs received 53 percent of more than 50,000 votes. Favre's scramble vs. Detroit was next at 24 percent, followed by Grant's 30-yard touchdown vs. Minnesota (14 percent), Brandon Jackson's 46-yard run vs. Detroit (4 percent) and DeShawn Wynn's 44-yard run vs. Chicago (3 percent).
