8. 2014 DENVER BRONCOS at 1. 1962 NFL CHAMPION GREEN BAY PACKERS
1. 1962 NFL CHAMPION GREEN BAY PACKERS
Pythag: 13-1
Off: 1st
Def: 1st
d. Giants NFL Title 16-7
d. '72 Raiders 20-17 (PotG-Jim Taylor)
HC Vince Lombardi, DC Phil Bengston
Lambeau Field: 50 degrees
Ray Scott/Tony Canadeo
Offense
QB Bart Starr (28 Alabama ) 12td/9 int 62.5% 8.6 y/a 174.1 y/g 90.7 td rush
RB Paul Hornung (27 N Dame) 219 yds 3.8 y/a 9 ctches, 168 yds 7td
FB Jim Taylor (27 LSU) All Pro 1474 yds 5.4 y/a 22 ctch 106 yds 19 td
WR Boyd Dowler (25 Colorado) 49 ctch 724 yds 14.8 y/c 2 td
WR Max McGee (30 Tulane) 49 ctch 820 yds 16.7 y/c 3 td
TE Ron Kramer (27 Mich) All Pro 37 ctch 555 yds 15 y/c 7 td
LT Bob Skoronski (28 Indiana)
LG Fuzzy Thurston (29 Valpo)
C Jim Ringo (31 Syracuse ) All Pro
RG Jerry Kramer (26 Mich) All Pro
RT Forrest Gregg (29 SMU) All Pro
Defense
LDE Willie Davis (28 Grambling) All Pro 13 scks td
LDT Dave Hanner (32 Ark) int 3 scks
RDT Henry Jordan (27 UVA) All Pro int 8.5 scks
RDE Bill Quinlan (30 Mich St) int 4 scks
LLB Dan Currie (27 Mich St)
MLB Ray Nitschke (28 Illinois) 4 int 2 scks
RLB Bill Forester (30 SMU) All Pro 7 scks
LCB Herb Adderley (23 Mich St) All Pro 7 int td
RCB Jesse Whittenton (28 UTEP) 3 int
LS Hank Gremminger (29 Baylor) 5 int
RS Willie Wood (26 USC) 9 int
K Jerry Kramer (26 Mich )
P Boyd Dowler (25 Colo)
KR Herb Adderley (23 Mich St) td
PR Willie Wood (26 USC)
The 5th overall seed in the tournament is our first Lombardi team; the '62 Pack was 1st in offense and defense. Bart Starr is 28, 13 scores and 9 picks. There are 5 All Pros on the offense - 27 year old Jim Taylor who rushed for over 1400 yards and scores 19 times; 27 year old Ron Kramer with 7 scores and 3 OLinemen, 31 year old Jim Ringo, 26 year old Jerry Kramer, 29 year old Forrest Gregg. And then 5 more on defense - 28 year old Willie Davis/27 year old Henry Jordan on the DLine. 27 year old Dan Currie and 30 year old Bill Forester in the LB corps and 23 year old corner Herb Adderley, with 7 picks. In the regular season, they had a game where they outgained the Eagles by 574 yds. The Packers are ready to smash some mouths. Tight round 1 win over the '72 Raiders paced by a 158 yard Jim Taylor rushing game.
8. 2014 DENVER BRONCOS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 11-5
Off: 2nd
Def: 16th
Lost Div Rnd Colts 24-13
d. '75 Rams 24-10 (PotG-Peyton Manning)
HC: John Fox, OC Adam Gase, DC Jack del Rio
Sports Authority Field: 60 degrees
Dave Logan/Ed McCaffrey
Offense
QB Peyton Manning (38 Tennessee) 39td/15 int 66.2 7.9 y/a 295.4 y/g 101.5
RB CJ Anderson (23 Cal) 849 yds 4.7 y/c 34 ctc 324 yds 9.5 y/c 10 td
WR Demaryius Thomas (27 G Tech) 111 ctch 1619 yds 14.6 y/c 11 td
WR Emmanuel Sanders (27 SMU) 101 ctch 1404 yds 13.9 y/c 9 td
WR Wes Welker (33 TTech) 49 ctch 464 yds 9.5 y/c 2 td
TE Julius Thomas (26 Port St) 43 ctch 489 yds 11.4 y/c 12 td
LT Ryan Clady (28 Boise)
LG Orlando Franklin (27 Miami)
C Manuel Ramirez (31 T Tech)
RG Louis Vasquez (27 T Tech)
RT Chris Clark (29 So Miss)
Defense
DE Sylvester Williams (26 UNC)
NT Terrance Knighton (28 Temple) 2 scks
DE Derek Wolfe (24 Cincinnati) 1.5 sck
LB Von Miller (25 Tex A&M) 14 scks
LB Brandon Marshall (25 Nevada) int 2 scks
LB Nate Irving (26 NC St) sck
LB DeMarcus Ware (32 Troy) int 10 scks
CB Chris Harris (25 Kansas) 3 int sck
CB Aqib Talib (28 Kansas) 4 int 2 td sck
SS TJ Ward (28 Oregon) 2 int 2scks
FS Rahim Moore (24 UCLA) 4 int
K Brandon McManus (23 Temple)
P Britton Colquitt (29 Tenn)
KR Omar Bolden (26 Ariz St)
PR Isaiah Burse (23 Fresno St)
Second best offense in football, it's 38 year old Peyton Manning's last year being Peyton Manning. 39 scores. 15 picks. Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas are both 27, both with over a hundred catches. Mediocre defense. Von Miller's 25, DeMarcus Ware is 32 and they combined for 26 sacks. John Fox was replaced after the season, so whenever Denver loses, that ends his run with the Broncos. Manning ripped up the '75 Rams for 312 yds.
We've skipped Region 4, holding it off to see if we can incorporate some 2022 teams into the tournament, there's a plan in place. So - we start with this first region 5 round 2 game - the Pack are 7 pt favorites and we are headed to GBay for the kick.
1st Qtr
Denver to start at the 21.
1/10 - Peyton Manning throwing the ball - 14 yards to Emmanuel Sanders, can Manning move the ball against this Packer defense?
1/10 - Botched snap - Manning recovers.
2/11 - Manning downfield -- hits Demaryius Thomas for a 25 yard pickup - Denver is quickly at the Packer 38.
1/10 - CJ Anderson for 3.
2/7 - Incomplete
3/7 - Manning finds Wes Welker, 9 yards and a first down at the 26.
1/10 - Manning in trouble -- dumps it to Sanders, 1 yard.
2/9 - Ronnie Hillman 5 yard gain.
3/4 - Manning hits a wide open Sanders - Sanders running free - he's knocked out of bounds at the 1 yard line.
1/goal - Incomplete
2/goal - Anderson is --- Into The End Zone --- TOUCHDOWN BRONCOS thats a 79 yard scoring drive for Manning and the Broncos - great drive for Denver, 6 minutes and 79 yards.
Packers at the 17.
1/10 - Jim Taylor 1 yard.
2/9 - Bart Starr finds Max McGee, 10 yard gain.
1/10 - Jim Taylor just Barrels Through the Line -- Jim Taylor rumbling, rumbling, rumbling all the way to the Denver 8 yard line ---- it is a 64 yard Jim Taylor run, Taylor dragged down at the 8 yard line - the Pack has a first and goal at the 8.
1/goal - Give to Paul Hornung...the Golden Boy is Into The End Zone --- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS - Green Bay comes Right Back -- that Huge Taylor run leads to the Hornung score, the Pack come right back and this game is tied at 7.
Broncos at the 33.
1/10 - Manning finds Hillman out of the backfield, 16 yard pickup.
1/10 - Nothing for Hillman
2/10 - Nothing for Anderson
3/12 - Manning finds Cody Latimer, Denver's 5th receiver - the Pack is not ready for a team to spread them out with 5 receivers - Denver to the Packer 27 yard line.
1/10 - 1 for Anderson
2/9 - 3 for Anderson
3/6 - Manning finds Welker, 10 yards to the Packer 13 yard line!
The drive ends here - Denver kicks the FG and it is 10-7.
Pack will open at the 30 as the qtr begins.
2nd Qtr: Broncos 10 Packers 7
Offense in the first quarter - scores on each possession. Pack at the 30, first and ten.
1/10 - Taylor for 2.
2/8 - Starr to Boyd Dowler, 8 yards to the 40.
The drive ends - GB punts - Denver starts at the 22.
1/10 - Manning keeps hitting his receivers, 14 to Sanders.
1/10 - Manning again, 14 to Thomas and the Broncos are again across midfield.
The drive ends here - Willie Davis sacks Manning on third down - Denver punts, Pack at the 12.
1/10 - Taylor for 2.
2/8 - Starr to McGee, 8 yards to the 24.
1/10 - Starr finds his third receiver, Gary Barnes, 8 yards.
2/2 - Starr to Dowler, big play - GB opening it up here, 24 to the Bronco 44.
1/10 - Taylor for 3.
2/7 - Hornung for 1.
3/6 - Starr to Taylor and Jim Taylor breaks tackles -- 13 yards to the Denver 25.
The drive ends - with 3 minutes left in the half, the GB FG ties this game at 10.
Denver at the 37.
1/10 - Hillman gets 2.
2/8 - Anderson for 1 and it is the 2 minute warning.
3/7 - Manning to Hillman out of the backfield - breaks a tackle and flies down the sideline for 20 yards to the Packer 40.
1/10 - Manning to Thomas - he takes the huge shot but holds on - 18 yards.
1/10 - Hillman for 4.
2/6 - Hillman for 1, Denver stops the clock here with a minute left.
3/5 - Manning to Hillman -- Hillman makes his way for a 12 yard gain, out of bounds and it is a first and goal to go for the Broncos with 47 seconds left in the half.
The drive ends here - Henry Jordan sacks Manning, Denver uses its last time out with 3 seconds left - McManus breaks the tie and we go to the locker room at 13-10.
3rd Qtr: Broncos 13 Packers 10
Top seeded Packers in a fight, they've struggled with the Bronco passing attack - the weather conditions are deteriorating, GB will get the ball at the 21.
3 and out - Von Miller gets home and sacks Starr.
Denver will take over at the Packer 49.
1/10 - 5 for Hillman
2/5 - Manning to Anderson, he gains 6.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Give to Anderson and he busts a big gainer, Anderson to the 14 yard line!
But that's it - Denver is forced to kick, McManus with his 3rd FG and it is 16-10.
Pack at the 26.
1/10 - 1 for Taylor.
2/9 - Nothing for Hornung
3/9 - Starr finds Dowler, 16 to the 43.
And that's all -the Pack has to punt, Denver at the 13, 5 left in the third, up 6 pts in this rnd 2 matchup.
1/10 - Manning to Thomas, 13 yards to the 27.
1/10 - 2 for Hillman
2/8 - 7 for Hillman
3/1- Manning to Anderson, he has the first down, Denver at the 38 with 2 left in the third.
1/10 - Hillman 7 yard gain
2/3 - Manning to Welker at the sticks, Denver is at midfield - the Broncos, seeded 8th in the region, are up and driving as the qtr nears an end.
1/10 - 3 for Hillman
2/7 - Anderson for 5 and the qtr ends
4th Broncos 16 Packers 10
The 5th overall seeded Pack is in danger now, down 16-10, Denver with a pivotal, a pivotal 3rd and 2 at the Packer 42.
They don't pick it up - Fox decides to punt - Packers take over at the 10.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Jim Taylor with a 15 yard gain
The drive ends here - GB forced to punt, with 12 minutes left in the game, the Broncos regain possession, they are at their own 32. 16-10.
1/10 - 1 for Hillman
2/9 - Hillman loses 2
3/11 - Oh man, a huge play for Manning - he just floats a ball right into the arms of Thomas, it's 31 yards, the Broncos are at the 38.
The drive ends there - Denver punts, the Packers have 9 minutes to play, they are at the 17, they trail by 6. This crowd trying to will their Pack down the field.
1/10 - 1 for Taylor.
2/9 - Nothing for Taylor,
3/9 - Starr to Taylor, Taylor dragging defenders to the sticks - first down.
1/10 - Nothing for Hornung
2/10 - Incomplete
3/10 - Starr to Lew Carpenter -- great play call - Carpenter wide open and the Pack are at their own 46 yard line, little more than 5 minutes left in the game.
But --- that's it. And with 4 minutes to play, the Packers have to punt, Denver ball at their own 20. Still 16-10. Man oh man.
1/10 - CJ Anderson bursts a 21 yard run! Denver at the 41!
The drive ends - Ray Nitschke with a third down sack. The Pack uses 2 timeouts, we are just before the 2 mintue mark and after the punt, the Packers are at their own 20.
So - here we are. Denver 16 GBay 10. 2:04 left in the game. First down for GB at their own 20. 80 yards to go. Someone is going home.
1/10 - Taylor gets 1. 2 minutes.
2/9 - Incomplete
3/9 - Starr picks it up - he finds McGee for a 20 yard gain --- but it is coming back. Holding.
Oof. Such a huge call there. Lombardi is apoplectic.
3rd and 19. Pack way back at their own 11. 1:49 left.
3/19: Incomplete
So - now it's here, 4th and 19 - Packers have just one time out left, they can't really give the ball back.
4/19 - Starr is in trouble -- Miller all over him - he throws ----
Incomplete
Incomplete.
The Broncos take over on downs - There's 1:36 left, the Pack can only stop the clock once - they do -- but that's not enough and Denver is able to run out the clock and this game is over.
Final: Broncos 16 Packers 10
Denver had the 16th ranked defense in 2014 - but that's why they play the games; they hold the Pack to 12 first downs and send the top seeds in the region home in rnd 2.
Manning: 18 for 24 240 yds
Starr: 10 for 22 128 yds
Anderson: 14 carries 62 yds TD
Taylor: 16 carries, 109 yds
Thomas: 5 catches, 104 yds
Dowler: 3 catches, 48 yds
Player of the Game: Von Miller
