After making the playoffs for six-straight seasons, the Packers missed the postseason in 1999, and during 2000, the first year of the Mike Sherman coaching era in Green Bay, the Packers started the season winning only three of their first eight games.
Green Bay needed a boost, especially facing a Vikings squad that had won its first seven games of the season. Leave it to receiver Antonio Freeman, making the freakiest of catches from Brett Favre in overtime, to touch off one of the craziest plays that has ever concluded a Monday Night Football game.
The Vikings and the Packers renew their rivalry this week on Thursday Night Football. Until then, bask in the magic produced by Favre and Freeman (Wink of the Eye to The Big Lead).
And make sure you stay with that video until ABC starts showing the replay. It's like the football is a parrot on Freeman's shoulder.
My favorite part of that clip: Dennis Miller's analysis of it.
Anyway, here's how the ending looked in the next day's paper.
Either way, the Vikings went on to win the NFC North with an 11-5 record, while the Packers won their final four games of the season, including an overtime victory vs. the Dolphins in the finale, to finish 9-7. They still missed the playoffs.
