2013 Green Bay Packers season | |
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Owner | Green Bay Packers, Inc. (112,158 stockholders) |
General manager | Ted Thompson |
Head coach | Mike McCarthy |
Home field | Lambeau Field |
Local radio | WTMJ (620) Milwaukee WTAQ (1360/97.5) & WIXX (101.1) Green Bay |
Results | |
Record | 8–7–1 |
Division place | 1st NFC North |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. 49ers) 20–23 |
Pro Bowlers | Eddie Lacy, RB |
Uniform | |
The 2013 season was the Green Bay Packers' 95th season overall, 93rd in the National Football League (NFL) and eighth under head coach Mike McCarthy. This for first time since 1998 Donald Driver was not on the opening day roster and for first time since 2005 Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson was not on the opening day roster. The Packers came into the 2013 season looking to win the NFC North for the 3rd year in a row. They came off a 45–31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs the previous season. The Packers started the 2013 season in a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers, to whom they lost 34-28. After winning their home opener against the Redskins, Green Bay lost 34–30 in Cincinnati to the Cincinnati Bengals after holding a 30–14 lead in the 3rd quarter. Following the loss in Cincinnati, the Packers won 4 games in a row to sit at 5–2 before losing a Monday Night game at home to the Chicago Bears, 27–20. In that game, the Packers lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone in the 1st quarter. He would be replaced by backups Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn during recovery. In Week 12, the Packers tied the Minnesota Vikings 26–26; it was Green Bay's first tie since 1987.
The Packers would lose the next game 40–10 to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving to sit at 5–6–1, threatening to miss the postseason for the first time since 2008. The Packers then rallied to beat the Atlanta Falcons 22–21 to even their record at 6–6–1. The following week, the Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 37–36 in Dallas after they had trailed 26–3 at halftime. The comeback was the largest in franchise history. The Packers would then lose a shootout with the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–38 at home to sit at 7–7–1, the first meeting between the teams since Super Bowl XLV. The following week, the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 33–28 at Soldier Field to clinch the NFC North in a game in which the winner would clinch the division. The game is well known for a touchdown catch made by Randall Cobb from Aaron Rodgers with less than a minute remaining to seal the win. The play came on a 4th and 8 situation in which Cobb was wide open near the endzone. After the win the team finished the regular season with an 8–7–1 record. The Packers entered the playoffs as the 4th seed in the NFC. In the wild card game, they lost 23–20 in a rematch with the 49ers on a Phil Dawson field goal as time expired. The game was one of the coldest in NFL playoff history, with a temperature of 5 °F (−15 °C).