Packers Savor Their Gift

The biggest cheer at Lambeau Field came for a play more than a 1,000 miles away that got the Green Bay Packers into the playoffs.

On the field, Ahman Green reeled off a 98-yard touchdown run and Brett Favre completed an emotional week in which he buried his father in Mississippi to lead Green Bay to a 31-3 rout of the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

But it was at the two-minute warning when the Arizona Cardinals completed an amazing last-second comeback to beat Minnesota and give Green Bay an improbable NFC North title that the place went wild, elated at the final-play touchdown.

Instead of having their season end, the Packers (10-6) will play host to the Seattle Seahawks (10-6) and former coach Mike Holmgren on Sunday. Green Bay won the first meeting, 35-13, on Oct. 5.

Green set a franchise record with 218 yards rushing and ran for two touchdowns, giving him 20 and breaking Jim Taylor’s record of 19 set in 1962. Green ran for a team record 1,883 yards this season.

Favre had the most touchdown passes (32) in the league for a record-tying fourth time.

The turnabout that produced Arizona’s victory over Minnesota was so extraordinary that Favre suggested something spiritual was taking place.

“I’ve been around people who have lost a family member or have lost someone close to them and they say that person’s there watching or angels, whatever,” Favre said.

“I would say two weeks ago I really didn’t believe in that, but I think we’d better start believing in something. Because the odds were against us, and they were really against us at the end of the Arizona game.”

The Broncos (10-6) sat seven starters, including quarterback Jake Plummer and injured running back Clinton Portis, after clinching an AFC wild-card berth last week, but it was no cakewalk until late in the game.

With the Packers clinging to a 10-3 lead, Green ran 47 yards to set up his two-yard touchdown run. Then Denver’s Adrian Madise returned the kickoff 83 yards to the Green Bay 12.

After a goal-line stand, Green broke free for a franchise record 98-yard touchdown run, the longest by the Packers and the longest against the Broncos.

On the ensuing kickoff, Madise was stripped at the goal line by James Whitley and Marcus Wilkins recovered in the end zone for a 31-3 lead.

“It could have been 100-0, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Bronco defensive end Trevor Pryce said. “They were not the Colts, so who cares?”