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Green Bay vs. Arizona
09/24/00 - Packers Win 29-3
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| S Darren Sharper grabs two INTs in the Packers win over Arizona. |
The Packers continued their winning ways by beating the Cardinals 29-3
Sunday in front of 71,801 fans at Arizona's Sun Devil Stadium.
For the second straight week, the opposing offense was unable to score a
touchdown against the swarming defense of the Packers, who also held their
previous opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, to just 3 points. Arizona's
lone points came on a second-quarter, 31-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard.
The defense featured four interceptions and limited the Arizona rushing
attack to just 28 yards while the Packers thrived on the ground, gaining 176
yards on the strength of Ahman Green's season-high 93 yards.
Quarterback Brett Favre was equally efficient, completing 17-of-31 passes to
9 different Packer receivers.
"I thought Brett Favre threw with tremendous velocity today - typical Brett
Favre," said Head Coach Mike Sherman. "A lot of his throws were right on
the money. Maybe one or two throws were off target, but I thought he had an
outstanding football game - typical Brett Favre. A tremendous leader, he
gets right back up when he gets knocked on the ground, runs for yardage; he
does it all."
"I am still not 100%," Favre added. "But playing in the heat like this has
its advantages and it was easier to get loose and throw the ball around. I
missed some throws today that I would normally make, but I made some that on
my good days are hard to make. I am pleased with the way I played."
Favre's 277-passing yards were a season-best, in large part due to the
protection given by the offensive line, which allowed just 1 sack.
The offensive line's dominance was further evidenced in the Packers' time of
possession. Strong blocking allowed the Packers to grind out yards on the
ground and keep the Arizona offense off the field. Green Bay maintained
control of the ball for 36:28 and especially dominated the third quarter,
holding the ball for 12:14.
"The line played a lot better today than they did last week," said Favre.
"I think they handled the heat, because there was no heat on them."
The Packer offense began clicking on its second drive of the game. After
hitting Antonio Freeman and Tyrone Davis with first down passes, Favre
completed a screen pass to Dorsey Levens, who galloped 19 yards to the
Arizona 25.
Two plays later, Green went 19 yards for the game's first touchdown
and the Packers' first rushing touchdown of the season.
Given the early lead, the defense set the tone for the remainder of the game
by stuffing the run and continually rushing Arizona quarterback Jake
Plummer. Though he was sacked only once, Plummer was routinely hurried and
found few open targets.
Arizona's most threatening drive ended in appropriate fashion. Midway
through the fourth quarter, Arizona drove the ball 68 yards to set up a
second-and-goal and the 2-yard line. Plummer rolled right and threw into the
end zone, where safety Darren Sharper tipped the pass and made a leaping,
juggling grab of the ball.
The interception was Sharper's second of the game and fourth of the season.
LeRoy Butler and Tyrone Williams also recorded interceptions against
Plummer.
In the second quarter, the Packers struck quickly, going 85 yards in just 2
minutes. After Favre found Bill Schroeder on an 18-yard pass at the Green
Bay 45, Schroeder's number was called again on the very next play. On a
play action pass, Schroeder made a diving grab at the goal line to give the
Packers a 14-3 advantage.
Kicker Ryan Longwell provided the remainder of the scoring for Green Bay,
kicking field goals of 38 yards in the first half and 47, 48, 37 and 22
yards in the second half, equaling the team record of 5 field goals kicked
in one game.
Longwell, who was named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week for
kicking the game-winning field goal against the Eagles, is in position to be
considered for the award for the second-consecutive week.
Many expected the Arizona heat to be a factor working against the Packers on
Sunday, but few players complained about the relatively cool 87-degree,
game-time temperature.
"We prepared for the heat with liquids, but I did think we got a break in
the weather," said defensive end Vonnie Holliday. "The weather wasn't a
factor in this game. It comes down to blocking, tackling, throwing and
catching."
What may have been a factor in the game was the number of Packer fans in
attendance. At times, Cardinal red was lost in a sea of vocal supporters
dressed in green and gold.
Cardinal center Mike Gruttadauria was amazed at the faction of Packer fans.
"It bothers me, because it's like the Green Bay Packers had a home game in
Arizona...The fans have to understand that their presence really helps the
outcome of the ball game."
The psychological advantage was not lost on Packer players and coaches.
"I don't know if the fans influenced us as much as it influenced the
Cardinals," Sherman said. "You have half the stadium filled with Packer
fans. It was definitely exciting."
"It was a home game for us, wasn't it?" Favre joked.
"As I was warming up out there the Cardinals ran out and they got booed in
their own stadium," he continued. "I have said this all along, there are no
fans like the Packers and today was a direct indication of that. Everyone
that was here today probably felt the same way. There were a lot more
cheers for the Packers than the Cardinals."
The Packers will now turn their attention to division rival Chicago, who
they will face Sunday at 3:15 CDT. After a 21-14 loss to the Lions, the
Bears will enter Lambeau Field looking for their first win of the season.
Sherman and the Packers believe they can build on their performance against
Arizona and be ready for their first divisional opponent.
"I told the guys before the game that you don't have must wins until you
must win a game to stay in the playoffs," said Sherman. "But I told them
that this was as significant of a game as we were going to play all year."
"We started off 0-2," wide receiver Antonio Freeman said, "but it's a long
season. It's like a boxing match. We lost the first two rounds, but now we
just have to come back to win all the rest of them. It's just a
week-to-week process right now. Hopefully we gained confidence from it and
continue to grow as a football team."
Injury Notes
The Packers did not have any major injuries against the Cardinals, though
Sherman said that Holliday suffered a minor hamstring injury in the fourth
quarter. Holliday, who did not return to the game, is expected to return to
practice on Thursday.
Schroeder suffered a bruised shoulder in the first half, but returned to the
game. He is not likely to miss any time.
Game Highlights (Real Audio)
Packers-Cardinals archived complete game broadcast (Real Audio)
Post-Game Audio Clips
GM Ron Wolf (Real Audio)
S LeRoy Butler (Real Audio)
QB Brett Favre (Real Audio)
C Mike Flanagan (Real Audio)
WR Antonio Freeman (Real Audio)
RB Ahman Green (Real Audio)
RB Dorsey Levens (Real Audio)
K Ryan Longwell (Real Audio)
WR Bill Schroeder (Real Audio)
S Darren Sharper (Real Audio)
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter Scoring: GB 7, ARI 0 Total: GB 7, ARI 0
GBP: 04:43 A.Green rushed for a 19 yard TD. R.Longwell extra point.
2nd Quarter Scoring: GB 10, ARI 3 Total: GB 17, ARI 3
GBP: 14:14 B.Favre pass to B.Schroeder for a 55 yard TD. R.Longwell extra point.
ARI: 08:52 C.Blanchard 31 yard field goal is good.
GBP: 02:08 R.Longwell 38 yard field goal is good.
3rd Quarter Scoring: GB 6, ARI 0 Total: GB 23, ARI 3
GBP: 08:49 R.Longwell 47 yard field goal is good.
GBP: 00:54 R.Longwell 48 yard field goal is good.
4th Quarter Scoring: GB 6, ARI 0 Total: GB 29, ARI 3
GBP: 09:38 R.Longwell 37 yard field goal is good.
GBP: 09:00 R.Longwell 22 yard field goal is good.
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