Packers Win as Dickey Makes a Big Comeback

It has been a crazy season for Green Bay Packer quarterback Lynn Dickey.

He has contemplated retirement, nursed injuries, begged out of the lineup, been replaced as a starter, and has been called on to relieve.

But things were up much more than they were down Sunday as Dickey came off the bench to spark the Packers to a 27-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

“He’s a good quarterback with a good arm and has good presence of mind,” said Packer Coach Forrest Gregg, who summoned Dickey in relief of starter Jim Zorn with 2:22 left in the first half. “I never questioned his ability as a quarterback.”

Dickey completed 9 of 11 passes for 135 yards, including a 63-yarder to Phillip Epps that set up Dickey’s go-ahead one-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Lee Ivery with 5:29 to play, as the Packers rallied for three touchdowns in a 3:37 span late in the game to overcome an 11-point deficit.

“He’s good,” Minnesota Coach Bud Grant said after the Vikings lost for the fifth straight time to Green Bay. “That’s why he’s being paid $800,000 a year. He’s not being paid that much to sit on the bench.”

With 2:22 left in the first half, Dickey replaced starter Jim Zorn, who completed only 5 of 13 passes for 75 yards before being pulled. Dickey, a 36-year-old, 13-year veteran, finally got things going in the fourth quarter.

“If things were totally in chaos, leaving the game wouldn’t be that bad. But I was disappointed to be taken out because we were moving the ball, playing pretty well,” said Zorn, who was making his second start for the Packers.

With the Packers (4-6) trailing, 17-6, with 12:39 remaining, Dickey connected on 18- and 24-yard passes to help set up Gerry Ellis’ one-yard run with 7:27 left to bring Green Bay within 17-13.

One play after Minnesota (5-5) was forced to punt, Dickey hooked up with Epps--who caught 6 passes for 118 yards--to move the ball to Minnesota five. Two plays later, Dickey hit Ivery to put the Packers ahead for good, 20-17.

Mark Murphy intercepted a Tommy Kramer pass and returned it 50 yards for the clinching touchdown with 3:56 to go. Late in the game, Tim Lewis also intercepted a pass from Kramer, who ended up with 12 completions in 26 attempts for 141 yards.

“We didn’t make it any easier on ourselves,” Kramer said of the team’s chances for a playoff berth. “We’ve put ourselves in a must-win situation every week. Maybe that’s good for this team.”

Darrin Nelson ran 21 times for a career-high 146 yards to become the first Minnesota player in 10 years to rush for consecutive 100 yard games. He had 122 yards last week against Detroit.

The last Viking to total 100 yards rushing in consecutive games was Chuck Foreman, doing so in three straight games in 1975.

Nelson, who scored on a 4-yard run in the third quarter, also ran 35 yards--the longest run by a Viking this season--to set up a 1-yard touchdown by Ted Brown in the first quarter.

Ivery rushed for 111 yards in 15 carries for the Packers.