(continued from Part 1)
Up to that point, the Lions had gained just seven yards in their first three second half possessions. They started their next drive at their own 34, but things quickly fell apart. Greg Hill was bear hugged by Gilbert Brown on first down and Frerotte threw incomplete on second down. On third down, when the Packers’ rookie first round draft pick, Antuan Edwards blitzed Frerotte, he was forced to throw early and to Packer rookie second round pick Fred Vinson.
Longwell kicked his fourth and final field goal of the day, a 31 yarder, that put Green Bay up by nine points with 13 minutes left.
After two first downs, the Packers again stopped the Lions, forcing another change of possession.
Their final drive may not have produced a score, but it had more entertaining value than any other Packer offensive series all season. Of course, it involved the ever-loveable Favre.
With just over eight minutes left in the game, Favre led that one last series, starting it at their own five yard line. On first down, Levens lost four yards.
On second down Favre hit Bradford on a slant for six yards and then again hit Bradford for an apparent first down on the next play, but a questionable Tyrone Davis interference call negated the first down, forcing a third down and 10 for Green Bay.
Like the Favre of old, he threw a bullet to Schroeder for 35 yards, ending any speculation that his injured thumb was getting worse. The first down was one of the turning points of this game.
Favre followed that with a 30 yarder to Bradford. Two plays later, Favre rolled out right, had no open receivers, and started running to the sidelines. There he met cornerback Robert Bailey, the defense man who had knocked away a fourth down pass in their first meeting to win that first game.
The passion for the game that seemed to have been missing from Favre all season, had resurfaced, especially at this point when he went head to head with not only Bailey, but linebacker Stephen Boyd.
While his behavior three plays later was considered taunting by league rules, it was done in typical Favre fashion, with a smile. On a fourth and four play, Favre threw deep again and the Lions were flagged again for pass interference.
However, when Favre was caught giving the slashing throat gesture to the electrified Lambeau throng, the officials thought it had gone too far.
Instead of a first down deep inside Lion territory, Green Bay was pushed out of field goal range and Longwell, asked to punt for the injured Aguilar, did so with 2:44 left in the game.
But the damage had been done. Green Bay had used six minutes off the clock and Favre, Levens, and Bradford had left their mark. The game was over.
The Lions gave one last attempt to close the gap, but it was garbage time and everyone in the stadium knew it
Frerotte drove the Lions to the Packer six yard line with 24 seconds left in the game, had a first down and goal, but ended throwing three straight incompletions, the final one coming with nine seconds left on the clock.
That gave Favre a chance to do some-thing he has not done in awhile - kneel on the ball to end the game.