The Packers last got the chance to opt out of the Wildcard Round in 2021; since then, all three of their playoff appearances have involved getting some work in during the opening round of the NFL’s playoff bracket.
Who owns the best performances during those games? I’m glad you asked. Here are the best of the best from the Wildcard Round in Packers history.
(Note: All of the years referenced are referring to the year of the season in which these games took place, not the year in which the games took place.
For example, Aaron Rodgers’ big passing performance against the Cardinals technically happened in 2010, but it was a part of the 2009 season)
Most passing yards – 423 (Aaron Rodgers, 2009)
There’s really only one juggernaut passing performance from the Wildcard Round in Packers history: Aaron Rodgers’ 423-yard outing against the Cardinals at the end of the 2009 season. In a 51-45 overtime shootout, Rodgers led the Packers back from 31-10 deficit only to narrowly miss Greg Jennings on what likely would have been an 80-yard game-winning pass on the first play of overtime. A few plays later, Rodgers was strip-sacked (and facemasked) and the Cardinals returned the fumble for a game-winning score of their own, sending Rodgers home empty-handed after what was otherwise a great game.
Rushing yards – 123 (James Starks, 2010)
A little-used sixth round pick in 2010, James Starks burst onto the scene in the Packers’ 2010 Wildcard Round win over the Philadelphia Eagles. On 23 carries, Starks piled up 123 yards but didn’t find the end zone, allowing Tom Crabtree to score his only career postseason touchdown instead. Starks never crossed the 100-yard mark in the rest of his playoff career.
Receiving yards – 159 (Jermichael Finley, 2009)
Jermichael Finely and Greg Jennigs both broke the 130-yard mark during the aforementioned shootout with the Cardinals in 2009, but Finley got top honors with his 159-yard effort. It was, to that point, just the second 100-yard receiving game of Finley’s career.
Romeo Doubs should get an honorable mention here, too. In the Packers’ 48-32 romp over the Cowboys at the end of the 2023 season, he piled up 151 yards on six catches and scored a touchdown, becoming just the second player in Packers history to cross the 150-yard threshold in the Wildcard Round. Personally, I’d love to see him do that again this weekend.
Points – 18 (three players)
Points are a more obscure metric in modern football, but you’ll like the payoff here. Three players have scored 18 points in a Wildcard Round game: Aaron Jones with three touchdowns against the Cowboys in the Romeo Doubs game mentioned above, Randall Cobb with three touchdowns against the Giants in the 2016 playoffs (including a half-ending Hail Mary), and Sterling Sharpe with three touchdowns against the Lions in the 1993 playoffs.
Sharpe takes the top spot here, in my opinion, not because of anything spectacular he did, but because of the throw that led to the last of his three touchdowns. Just sit back and watch Brett Favre rip this ball across the field. That’s the positive version of the Brett Favre experience in a nutshell: the audacity to try something insane, and the talent to pull it off.
(Spoiler alert: this is not the last time we’ll talk about this game, and it might not even be the most spectacular play from it.)
Sacks – 2.5 (Nick Perry, 2015)
It’s a toss-up as to whether or not Nick Perry or the next player on this list is the most unexpected name, but Perry is the only player in Packers history to record more than two sacks in a game on Wildcard weekend. Working primarily against future Hall of Famer Trent Williams (then with Washington), Perry earned his 2.5 sacks, bagged a huge contract extension in the offseason, and played a grand total of 36 more professional football games before he ended up out of the league.
Tackles – 10 (Matt Bowen, 2002)
The less said about the Packers’ 2002 playoff loss to Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field, the better, but Matt Bowen collected 10 solo tackles that day. Moving on!
Interceptions – 1 (multiple players)
Okay, I mentioned that we’d be returning to the Packers’ 1993 playoff win over the Detroit Lions. Here we are.
Many, many players have recorded an interception in the Wildcard Round for the Packers (though nobody’s had more than one, another thing the Packers should try to fix this weekend). However, nobody has nabbed one as impactful as George Teague did in that Lions’ playoff game.
Leading 17-14, the Lions found themselves deep in Packers territory in the waning minutes of the third quarter with a chance to all but put the game away. A touchdown would dig the Packers quite a hole, but on 2nd and goal from the Packers’ five-yard line, the whole game flipped.
On that play, George Teague stepped up on an out-breaking route in the end zone, grabbed Erik Kramer’s pass, then cruised 101 yards for a score that gave the Packers the lead and made Brett Favre’s megathrow to Sterling Sharpe possible. And it was 101 yards of remarkably clear sailing for Teague. After stepping over Kramer’s tackle attempt at the 15-yard line, Teague never faced another serious threat during his long jaunt. Here’s the video. Enjoy!
