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Draft:2007 NFC Championship Game

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2007 NFC Championship Game
DateJanuary 20, 2008
StadiumLambeau Field
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
FavoritePackers by 7.5
RefereeTerry McAulay
Attendance72,740
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersJoe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, and Chris Myers

The 2007 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was an American football game played between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers on January 20, 2008, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers finished the season 13–3, winning the NFC North, while securing the second seed in the playoffs. The Giants entered the playoffs as a Wild Card team, with a record if 10–6. They did not win the NFC East, which was won by the Dallas Cowboys, who secured the first seed in the playoffs via a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Packers. The Giants beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cowboys in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds, respectively. The Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round. By virtue of their higher seeding, the Packers were given home field advantage for the Championship Game. The game was a continuation of the the two teams' rivalry, which included five NFL Championship Games from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The game was marked by cold weather, with the wind chill factor bringing the temperature down to −23 °F (−31 °C), making it the second coldest game in Lambeau Field history. The teams went back-and-forth, with the Packers capitalizing on a 90-yard touchdown pass in the first half. The Giants leaned on their running attack, outgaining the Packers in rushing yards 114 to 28. Each team had mistakes: the Giants missed two field goals, including a possible game-winner at the end of the fourth quarter that led to overtime. The Packers had three turnovers, with Favre throwing an interception on the first play of overtime. The Giants won the game on a walk-off field goal by Lawrence Tynes four plays after Favre's interception, sending them to Super Bowl XLII, where they would beat the New England Patriots. The NFC Championship Game, which became part of the Giants–Packers rivalry, was notable for its competitiveness, cold weather, and impact on each team. The game helped establish Eli Manning's career, while for Favre, it became the last he would play for the Packers. He was traded during the offseason to the New York Jets, with Aaron Rodgers being named starting quarterback for the Packers.

Background

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Main articles: 2007 New York Giants season and 2007 Green Bay Packers season

The New York Giants were coming off of a Wild playoff berth in 2006 with a record of 8–8. The Giants began the season with two consecutive losses, including a 35–13 blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. The Giants then won six straight games going into their bye week to bring their record to 6–2. After their bye week, they split their remaining eight games to finish with a record of 10–6. The Giants were led by a strong rushing attack behind Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Reuben Droughns, who combined for almost 2,000 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Although the Giants did not win their division, as the Dallas Cowboys went 13–3, their record was good enough to secure the fifth seed and a Wild Card playoff berth. The Giants beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round by a score of 24–8, earning a match-up with the Cowboys, their division rival. The Giants beat the Cowboys 21-17 in the Divisional round to proceed to the NFC Championship Game.

The Packers missed the playoffs in 2006 with a record of 8–8, after losing out the playoff tiebreaker to the Giants. They finished the season with a record with of 13–3, the same as the Cowboys, which included two losses to the Chicago Bears. Their other loss was to the Cowboys, which ended up being the tiebreaker for the first seed in the playoffs. The won the NFC North division. With their head-to-head match-up loss, the Packers were given the second seed. Brett Favre, the team's starting quarterback, completed his 18th season with the Packers and finished in the top 10 of most season passing statistics. He was complemented by a defense that gave up the sixth least amount of points during the season. The Packers received a bye week in the Wild Card round before hosting the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round. The Packers blew-out the Seahawks 42–20 in what became known as the Snow Globe Game. With their higher seeding, the Packers were scheduled to host the Giants at Lambeau Field on January 20, 2008, for the NFC Championship Game. The Green Bay Press-Gazette predicted cold weather for the game, with the wind chill factor bringing the daily low down to −22 °F (−30 °C); the National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory prior to the start of the game.[1]</ref> The Packers were 7.5 point favorites.[2]

Game summary

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The facade of Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field, shown here in 2011, was the site of the NFC Championship Game.

First half

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The Packers started the game with possession, although they were forced to punt after reaching mid-field. The Giants then proceeded to drive the length of the field, going 71 yards in 14 plays, before the Packers stopped them on the 11-yard line. The Giants attempted a field goal, which was converted by Lawrence Tynes for a 3–0 lead. The next three drives, two by the Packers and one by the Giants, ended in punts. The Giants gained possession at mid-field after the last Packers punt and again drove into field goal range. The Packers again stopped the Giants on third down, forcing another field goal attempt. Tynes made a 37-yard field goal to increase the Giants' lead to 6–0. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Brett Favre completed a 90-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver, giving the Packers a 7–6 lead. The next three drives ended in punts, with the Packers regaining possession at mid-field. After a short drive, Mason Crosby converted a 36-yard field goal, bringing the score to 10–6. With just over a minute left in the half, the Giants drove 40 yards but a sack on fourth down forced a turnover on downs. The Packers ran one play before halftime.[3]

Second half

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The Giants started the second half with the ball and engineered a 12-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard rushing touchdown by Brandon Jacobs; the touchdown gave the Giants the lead again, 13–10. After a long return on the kick-off by Tramon Williams, the Packers started with a short field. The Packers scored six play slater on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Donald Lee. With the extra point, the Packers took the lead back, 17–13. On the next drive, the Giants started near mid-field and drove for a touchdown, another rushing score by Bradshaw, to bring the score to 20–17. The Packers tied the game on the next drive with a 37-yard field goal by Crosby. The Packers had two more drives before the end of the game, both of which ended in three-and-outs. The Giants remaining three possessions ended in a punt and two missed field goals, including a 35-yard attempt as time expired in the fourth quarter.[3]

Overtime

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The Packers won the coin toss before overtime and chose to receive the ball first. On the second play of the drive, after a short rush, Favre threw a pass intended for Driver but was intercepted by Corey Webster. On the ensuing drive, the Giants only gained five yards, setting up a 47-yard field goal attempt. Tynes converted the attempt to give the Giants the victory, 23–20.

Box score

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NFC Championship Game – New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Giants 3 3 140323
Packers 0 10 73020

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Analysis

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Post-game analysis focused on the competitive nature of the game, the impacts of the weather, individual performances, and the question of Favre's future. The game's back-and-forth nature, dramatic overtime finish, and punishing weather led many sports commentators to

  • Impact of weather
    • Coughlin's face
    • Missed field goals
  • Possibility of Favre's last game
  • Packers missing out on an opportunity
  • Emergence of Eli Manning
  • Packers poor rushing, Giants good rushing
  • Giants were more physical and better prepared

Aftermath

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After their victory, the Giants moved on to Super Bowl XLII, where they faced the New England Patriots. The Patriots, under Tom Brady, had completed a perfect 16–0, the first time an NFL team had a perfect regular season record under a 16-game season. The Patriots also won two playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl, meaning that they were attempting to become the first NFL team to win every regular and postseason game in a season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The teams played a competitive game; after the Patriots took the lead late in the game, the Giants drove down the field and scored. Their drive was aided by the famous Helmet Catch, which helped the Giants secure a 17–14 victory and the NFL Championship.

After the season, Favre announced his retirement. Just a few months later, Favre rescinded his retirement and publicly stated his desire to return to the Packers for the 2008 NFL season. The Packers publicly committed to Aaron Rodgers as Favre's successor. After much discussion, Favre agreed to a trade to the New York Jets and Rodgers was reaffirmed as the starter for the Packers in 2008. Rodgers led the Packers to the playoffs in the 2009 season and then won Super Bowl XLV in the 2010 season.

Legacy

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The game has been characterized by multiple sports commentators as one of the greatest championship games in league history.[5][6] In 2019, the league identified the game as the 54th greatest game from the first 100 years of the history of the NFL.[7] The game also became an important part of the Giants–Packers rivalry, which had included five championship games before this one. The game has also been remember for its cold weather, with Giants' coach Tom Coughlin's red face becoming an indelible image from the game.[8] The weather also impacted the play on the field and made Tynes' game-winning field goal even more improbable and memorable. With Favre's retirement and then trade to the Jets after the season, the NFC Championship became the last game Favre would play in his 18 year career with the Packers and ensured that his last pass as a Packer was an interception. The game was representative of Favre's playoff failures in the 2000s and hastened the transition to Rodgers. For Eli Manning, the victory against the Packers and then the Patriots in the Super Bowl helped establish his quarterback credentials.

References

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  1. ^ "Title Game at a Glance". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). January 20, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "NFC Championship Game Preview". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). Associated Press. January 20, 2008. p. 7. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Giants 23-20 Packers (Jan 20, 2008) - Play-by-Play". ESPN.com. January 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  4. ^ "NFC Championship - New York Giants at Green Bay Packers - January 20th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  5. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (January 25, 2024). "Ranking 20 greatest AFC, NFC championship games: Jim Harbaugh's almost-completed 'Hail Mary' pass makes cut". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  6. ^ Schwab, Frank (January 16, 2018). "Ranking the 10 greatest NFC championship games". Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  7. ^ "2007 - Giants vs. Packers - NFC Championship - "The Chilling Championship"". NFL.com. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Gartland, Dan (January 5, 2017). "Tom Coughlin's face was so red in the 2008 Packers game that it distracted his players". SI.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.

See also

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NFC Championship Game NFC Championship Game Category:Green Bay Packers playoff games NFC Championship Game Category:NFC Championship Games Category:New York Giants postseason Brett Favre

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