9 years ago, the Giants froze out Brett Favre in his last game as a Packer
Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers play host to the New York Giants in an NFC wild-card game Sunday (4 p.m. ET, FOX), has been the scene of many chilling and thrilling moments. However, one frozen face stands out from the crowd:
The high is expected to be 15 when the Packers and Giants play -- with a low of 7 later in the evening -- conditions that are dowright balmy compared to Jan. 20, 2008, the date of the NFC Championship Game between the same two teams that became most famous for the color of Giants coach Tom Coughlin's frozen cheeks and nose.
"Tom's face almost fell off, if I remember right," former Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson said a few years later.
At kickoff, the thermometer read minus-1 with a wind chill of minus-23 -- enough to make it the third-coldest game in NFL history. With retirement talk swirling around Packers quarterback Brett Favre, 14-3 Green Bay was heavily favored and primed to help him cap a career as the game's best-ever cold-weather quarterback.
And the future Hall of Famer did his part. Favre and Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for a combined 487 yards. The stars at the other end of the passes were Plaxico Burress (11 receptions, 151 yards) and Donald Driver (5 receptions, 141 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown).
But the Giants' true edge was on the ground --- Big Blue rushed for 134 yards while the Packers were inefficient, gaining 29 yards on 14 carries.
"We had a lot of opportunities, because the game was close we didn't have to get away from our game plan," said Ryan Grant, who had 28 of the Packers' rushing yards, to reporters. "They shut down the run pretty well, so we had to try some different things passing the ball."
So, it should come as no surprise that the big play -- the biggest -- was a pass.
Neither team had built a lead bigger than six points when Mason Crosby kicked a 37-yard field goal with 11:51 left the fourth quarter to tie the score at 20. The Giants had two chances to win the game in regulation, but Lawrence Tynes missed from 43 yards and 36 yards, the latter kick with four seconds to go in regulation.
Tynes did not seem set up to be a hero.
"I screwed it up twice," Tynes said after the game. "Thank God we got another opportunity."
The Packers took the ball as overtime started. On the second play, Favre was picked off by Corey Webster, who brought the ball to the Green Bay 34. The pass wound up being Favre's last as a Packer.
"It's disappointing my last pass was an interception," said Favre, who retired, unretired and was traded to the Jets the following offseason. "It gave them a chance to win."
The Giants were in position to do just that, and Tynes' previous misses did not create fear in the frozen Coughlin.
"I looked right at him, and when I saw him out there, it made a very strong impression," Coughlin said. "I knew he was feeling very confident. I was looking for a sign, and that was it."
So, the coach sent Tynes out for a 47-yard attempt despite the fact no one had made a field goal of longer than 40 yards at Green Bay in the postseason.
Tynes rewarded his coach's faith, and the Giants were moving on to face the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Favre proved prescient in his postgame comments.
"Heck, they could win two weeks from now," Favre said. "I wouldn't put it past them."
If you want to enjoy all the thrills, the game is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aOffogdd4Y
