Packers defense pitches second half shutout in win over Atlanta
Down 21-10 to Atlanta at halftime, things did not look good for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Fortunately, the defense held the Falcons scoreless in the second half and the Pack came away with a 22-21 win.
With the win on Sunday, the Packers are now 54-1 since 1990 in games when they hold their opponents scoreless in the second half. The last time the Pack lost a game where they held their opponents to zero points in the second half was September 25, 2005. The Tampa Bay Bucs won that game 17-16. Since that contest, Green Bay has won 18 straight games when they pitch a shutout in the second half.
If we look at the numbers of all NFL teams when they hold opponents scoreless in the second half since 2000, teams are 681-100 (a .872 winning percentage). The Minnesota Vikings have played in only six of those games, but they have won all of them, giving them a 1.000 winning percentage. The Packers are 31-1 (.969 winning percentage) in games when they hold opponents scoreless in the second half since 2000, the second best winning percentage in the league. Going back to 1966, the start of the Super Bowl era, the Packers are 88-14-3 in such games (a .852 winning percentage).
Let’s take it a step further… the Packers surrendered 21 points to the Falcons in the first half of last Sunday’s game. It was only the sixth time since 1966 that the Packers have won a game where they gave up 20 or more points in the first half and then allowed zero in the second half. Their other win was in 1982 against the Rams. The Rams on September 12, 1982 were leading 23-0 at halftime of that contest; the Packers scored 35 unanswered points in the second half in route to a 35-23 win.
Here’s a look at the six games (since 1966) where the Pack allowed 20-plus points in the first half and allowed zero in the second half.
December 8, 2013 vs. Atlanta: Pack losing 21-10 at halftime; they won the game 22-21.
December 10, 1989 vs. Kansas City: Pack losing 21-3 at halftime; they lost the game 21-3.
September 18, 1988 vs. Miami: Pack losing 24-14 at halftime; they lost game 24-17.
September 14, 1986 vs. New Orleans: Pack losing 24-3 at halftime; they lost game 24-10.
September 12, 1984 vs. Los Angeles Rams: Pack losing 23-0 at halftime; they won game 35-23.
December 7, 1975 vs. Minnesota: Pack losing 24-3 at halftime; they lost game 24-3.
Note: The two games above that they won were both played in Green bay; the other four games were played on the road.
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The Mike McCarthy playoff era: 10 stats you probably didn’t know!
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy took over head coaching duties for the team in 2006 and has compiled an impressive 74-38 regular season record. In addition, McCarthy has led the Packers to the playoffs in five of his seven seasons where the team has won six playoff games and lost three (through January 5, 2013).
Let’s take a look at the Mike McCarthy playoff era; those nine playoff games the Packers have currently played (they play playoff game number 10 in the McCarthy era tonight against the San Francisco 49ers).
1. With McCarthy as head coach, the Packers are 5-0 in playoff games played in an odd-numbered year. The team is 1-3 in playoff games played in an even-numbered year
2. The Packers are 2-2 in home playoff games in the McCarthy era and 1-0 at neutral sites (Super Bowl). McCarthy’s teams have a 3-1 record in road playoff games.
3. During McCarthy’s tenure, the Pack has won each of the three Saturday playoff games they played; they are 3-3 in Sunday playoff contests.
4. The Packers have scored 20 or more points in each of the nine playoff games under McCarthy’s leadership. The team is 6-1 in games when they scored 21 or more points in a playoff game since 2006 (the only loss was the 51-45 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals).
5. When Green Bay allowed 21 or fewer points in a playoff game under McCarthy, the team is a perfect 5-0.
6. The Packers had the lead at halftime in each of the last six playoff games they won.
7. Green Bay has scored first in only three of the nine playoff games under McCarthy.
8. The Pack averaged 119 yards per game on the ground in their six McCarthy era playoff wins, only 88 yards rushing per game in the three losses.
9. The Packers had nine turnovers in their three playoff losses since 2006. In their six playoff wins since 2006, they had only seven turnovers. The defense had 15 takeaways in those six wins; they had only three takeaways in the three losses.
10. The Green Bay defense had 16 sacks in their six playoff wins under McCarthy; in the three losses they had only four sacks. The Packers QB was sacked nine times in their three defeats; they allowed 12 sacks in the six wins.
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SIX STATS you might not know about… the Packers-Bears rivalry
“SIX STATS…” is a bonus feature of Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ and is published every Friday.
1. The Packers and Bears have played 182 games (regular-season and playoff games). The rivalry began in 1921 and is the league’s longest rivalry… it is not, however, the longest continuous rivalry because the two teams did not play in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season.
2. The Bears lead the series with 92 wins, 84 losses and six ties. If you go back to just games since 2000, the Packers lead the series with a 14-9 record. Go back to the 1992 season and the Packers have won 27 of the last 39 games.
3. The Packers have made 26 playoff appearances, the Bears 25. Each team played in ten NFL title games from 1933-69; the Packers won eight, the Bears six.
4. Eighty-one of the 182 games in the series (44.5%) have been decided by seven points or less. The last six games have all been decided by a touchdown or less.
5. The two teams have made the playoffs in the same season four times (1941, 1994, 2001 and 2010). They played against each other in the playoffs in ’41 and last season.
6. Here’s a win-loss breakdown (team with the most wins in the decade is listed) by decade of the series:
1920’s: Chicago 7-6-3
1930’s: Chicago 12-11-1
1940’s: Chicago 16-4-1
1950’s: Chicago 14-5-1
1960’s: Green Bay 15-5
1970’s: Chicago 11-9
1980’s: Chicago 11-7
1990’s: Green Bay 13-7
2000’s: Green Bay 12-8
2010’s: Green Bay 2-1
Did you know? On Christmas Day this year the Packers and Bears will play their 184th game in this series. To fly from Lambeau Field to Soldier Field is 184 miles!