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Green Bay vs. Denver Broncos
08/13/00 - Packers lose 26-20
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| WR Charles Lee continued his impressive preseason, hauling in 2 catches for 47 yards, including a 34-yarder to the Broncos one-yard line. |
The Denver Broncos, behind the play of starting quarterback Brian Griese,
back-up running back Olandis Gary and kicker Jason Elam, defeated the Green
Bay Packers 26-20 this afternoon at Mile High Stadium.
A crowd of 75,367, endured temperatures near 90, to witness the Bronco
victory that ended the Packers' five game winning streak during the
preseason and improved Denver's all-time preseason record to 6-1 against
Green Bay.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck received the starting nod for today's game, as
Brett Favre was held out of the contest to rest his elbow. Favre went
through the pre-game warm-ups, but made the decision to sit out, in
conjunction with Coach Mike Sherman, after he experienced more soreness.
"It's not worth it to set yourself back three or four weeks, " said Favre
following the game. "He (Coach Mike Sherman) left it up to me and I thank
him for trusting my opinion. It's probably the first time in the last 13 or
14 years, going back to college, that I didn't dress for the game. It was
different, but I don't have anything to prove."
The Packers offense got the scoring started on the first series of the game.
Hasselbeck completed two passes to wide receiver Antonio Freeman and Dorsey
Levens gained a couple of short yardage runs to get within field goal
distance. Ryan Longwell did the rest by kicking a 41- yard field goal for
the 3-0 lead. Longwell would finish the game going 2-for-3 on field goal
attempts.
But the Broncos didn't take long to respond to the Packers' score or to
figure out the Packers' defense.
On the first play of the game for the Broncos, starting quarterback Brian
Griese found Ed McCaffery wide-open, over the middle for a 61-yard
completion. Cornerback Tyrone Williams made the touchdown saving tackle.
Despite the big play, the Broncos only managed to tie the score on a 20-yard
field goal by Jason Elam. Elam would finish the game with four field goals
on four attempts.
The two teams would head into the locker room at halftime with the score
tied at 13.
Denver jumped out first in the second half by scoring 10 unanswered points
in the third quarter to grab a lead they would never relinquish.
The Packers pulled to within three at the start of the fourth quarter, when
rookie Herbert Goodman rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. But that is the
closest they would get.
Down by six with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Packers gained
possession of the ball with one last attempt at victory.
Following a sack by defensive end Harald Hasselbach, quarterback Danny
Wuerffel fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Lester Archambeau at the
goal line. The fumble closed out any hopes of a fourth quarter comeback.
Until the last minute fumble, the Packer offense had gone through both
preseason games without a turnover.
Head Coach Mike Sherman expressed his thoughts about the loss following the
game.
"Obviously losing the football game, whether preseason or regular season, is
disappointing," started Sherman. "Offensively, I challenged the offense to
come out and get a quick start. We scored 10 points in the first quarter,
which was encouraging and ended up with a 13-13 tie at half. I was very
disappointed in our second half. We didn't come out and execute very well,
either offensively or defensively."
One area of the game that Sherman was pleased about was the reduction in the
number of penalties. The Packers finished the day with only four penalties
after committing eight last week against the Jets.
"We ended up this game with less penalties," said Sherman. "I told the team
if we give up a big play, don't worry, and go on to the next play. Last week
it was different and it cost us a touchdown."
The Broncos would finish the game with 454 yards of total offense to the
Packers 344 yards. Denver held the time of possession advantage, by
controlling the ball for 36:22 to Green Bay's 23:28.
Bronco starting quarterback Brian Griese completed 10 of 16 passes for 156
yards while rushing for a 5-yard touchdown. Back-up running back Olandis
Gary played the majority of the game and finished with 22 carries for 94
yards (4.3 avg.), including a touchdown.
Bronco wide receiver Rod Smith hauled in 6 receptions for 73 yards (12.2
avg.) and second-year pro Travis McGriff made five receptions for 62 yards
(12.4 avg.).
Packer quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, solidified his hold at the top of the
preseason quarterback ratings, by finishing the game with 10 completions on
15 attempts for 140 yards. Hasselbeck also scored the Packers first
touchdown of the day with a 7-yard run during the second series.
Running back Dorsey Levens, who was questionable for today's game, did get
the start and finished the day with 5 carries for 68 yards (13.6 average),
including a 43-yard run up the middle to set up the Matt Hasselbeck
touchdown. After the game, Levens did experience soreness in his knee.
Wide receiver Antonio Freeman continued his tremendous training camp and
pr-season by finishing the game with five receptions for 68 yards (13.6
average), while rookie tight end Bubba Franks made use of his short day by
bringing in three catches for 54 yards (18.0 avg.).
Franks started off a little slow in the game, but was able to rebound and
show why the Packers selected him 14th overall in the 2000 NFL draft.
"I just want to improve every game to get better and better," said Franks. "
I don't want to stay the same throughout the season. I just try to take the
performance in preseason games and make each one better."
Defensively, the Packers were led by Mike Morton, who finished the day with
eight unassisted tackles and two assisted for a total of 10. Tod McBride and
Scott McGarrahan each finished with five solo tackles.
For the second straight week, the Packers endured some injuries. Wide
receiver Corey Bradford fractured his fibula on kickoff coverage and is
expected to miss eight weeks. Running back Ahman Green suffered a
second-degree MCL sprain and should be out three to four weeks. Linebacker
Anthony Harris, suffered a neck sprain with severe pain and was taken to the
local hospital for precautionary measures. The initial evaluation on Harris
indicated that he appears to be okay.
The Packers have an off-day tomorrow before returning to two-a-day practices
on Tuesday. Practice times are set for 8:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Both workouts
are for the entire squad.
Game Broadcast
Packers-Broncos archived complete game broadcast (Real Audio)
Post-Game Locker Room Audio Clips
Head Coach Mike Sherman (Real Audio)
Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell (Real Audio)
Offensive Coordinator Tom Rossley (Real Audio)
DT Santana Dotson (Real Audio)
QB Brett Favre (Real Audio)
WR Antonio Freeman (Real Audio)
WR Charles Lee (Real Audio)
DE John Thierry (Real Audio)
 Game Highlights in Real Audio
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
GBP: R.Longwell kicks 41yd field goal (11 plays, 52yds, 6:04)
Keyplay: A.Freeman: 19yd catch
DNB: J.Elam kicks 20yd field goal (8 plays, 78yds, 3:54)
GBP: M.Hasselbeck 7yd TD run (R.Longwell Extra point is good) (4 plays, 77 yds, 2:17)
Keyplay: D.Levens: 33yd run
2nd Quarter
DNB: J.Elam kicks 23yd field goal (12 plays, 68yds, 6:11)
DNB: B.Griese runs 5yds for TD (J.Elam Extra point is good) (10 plays, 62yds, 4:36)
GBP: R.Longwell kicks 24yd field goal (9 plays, 58yds, 1:07)
Keyplay: M.Hasselbeck pass to B.Franks for 24yds
3rd Quarter
DNB: J.Elam kicks 29yd field goal (12 plays, 56yds, 4:49)
DNB: O.Gary runs 5yds for TD (J.Elam Extra point is good) (9 plays, 70yds, 5:44)
4th Quarter
GBP: H.Goodman run for 1 yd TD (R.Longwell Extra point is good) (7 plays, 90yds, 4:21)
Keyplays: B.Franks: 12, 16 yd catches, B.Mitchell 18 yd run, C.Lee 34 yd catch
DNB: J.Elam kicks 27yd field goal (11 plays, 75yds, 5:52)
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