The victory over the Chicago Bears in week 13 of the 2022/23 NFL season meant the Green Bay Packers became the winningest franchise in the league. It was the 787th success and it meant they moved ahead from the Bears, who they had been tied with.
Here is a look back through those 787 games at some of the franchise’s most important victories.
Super Bowl XLV – February 6, 2011
Green Bay’s fourth Super Bowl win came in 2011 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in a thrilling game. The Packers got off to a fast start in the opening quarter, jumping into a 14-0 lead. They then had to hold off a late comeback from Pittsburgh to win their 13th NFL Championship.
The victory at Super Bowl XLV was a big one as it came against a franchise with so much history of success in the league. It also arrived against the odds, as they were the number six seed in the NFC after a 10-6 regular season record.
That success in February 2011, will give the current Green Bay roster confidence that the season could still end with glory, despite an indifferent campaign so far. As of the 7th of December, Green Bay is +30000 in the online betting for the Super Bowl in February. If they can find a way of securing one of the wild card places for the playoffs, with Aaron Rodgers’ experience, not many teams will fancy playing them.
Super Bowl I – January 15, 1967
One record which will never be taken away from the Packers is that they were the first winners of the Super Bowl, as they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in January 1967.
Green Bay was the NFL representative, while Kansas City carried the AFL flag. It was the first time that the winners of the two rival leagues had met each other, so there was a lot at this stake in this contest.
The Packers proved far too good for the AFL team, scoring touchdowns in all four of the quarters. They did not concede a single point in the second half of the game. Quarterback Bart Starr was named the Super Bowl MVP, as he completed 16 of his 23 passes, threw for 250 yards, and had two touchdowns in a fine performance.
New City Stadium Opener – September 29, 1957
Lambeau Field is one of the most iconic sports grounds in the world. It was opened in 1957 as the New City Stadium but was later named after the Packers founder and head coach Curly Lambeau.
Green Bay played its first competitive game at its new stadium against divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears. They went into that game as the underdogs, but in front of a crowd of 32,132, they pulled off an upset, prevailing 21-17.
The new stadium has always been a fortress for the Packers and with interest in the franchise increasing, it has had numerous expansions and renovations since then, but at the same time, maintaining its original character. Their opening success at this venue was the birth of something special in Wisconsin.
Aaron Rodgers’ First Start – September 8, 2008
Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest players to ever play the quarterback position in the NFL. Given the success Brett Favre had in a Packers jersey, it was hard to imagine that a player would come along and better many of his achievements, but Rodgers has done just that.
Rodgers’ journey, arguably, began in week one of the 2008/09 season. He started his first game for Green Bay, leading them to a 24-19 success over the Minnesota Vikings. Few could have predicted what he would go on to achieve with the franchise.
At the age of 39, Rodgers remains one of the elite quarterbacks in the sport, as he showed in the second half against the Bills earlier this year, arguably one of his best halves of football in 2022.
Rodgers’ longevity and consistency are only really matched by Tom Brady. After signing a new contract earlier this year, he will be hoping to land at least one more Super Bowl ring before he ends his career. There are some big games left on the schedule for the season and he will be hoping to end the campaign strongly.
Hopefully, the Packers will continue adding to their record and there will be many more memorable results like the four above in the near future.