Sunday, Jan. 26 at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
| New England Patriots (13-5) | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0— | 21 |
| Green Bay Packers (15-3) | 10 | 17 | 8 | 0— | 35 |
1st: GB—Andre Rison 54-yd pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 3:32. Drive: 55 yards in 2 plays. Key play: Desmond Howard 32–yd punt return. GB—Jacke 37–yd FG, 6:18. Drive: 9 yards in 4 plays. Key play: Doug Evans interception at NE 28. NE—Keith Byars 1-yd pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 8:25. Drive: 79 yards in 6 plays. Key play: 26-yd pass interference penalty on Craig Newsome on 3rd-and-10 to GB 1. NE—Ben Coates 4-yd pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick), 12:27. Drive: 57 yards in 4 plays. Key play: Bledsoe 44-yd pass to Terry Glenn to GB 4.
2nd: GB—Antonio Freeman 81-yd pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 0:56. Drive: 81 yards in 1 play. GB—Jacke 31-yd FG, 6:45. Drive: 33 yards in 8 plays. Key play: Howard 33-yd punt return to NE 47. GB—Favre 2-yd run (Jacke kick), 13:49. Drive: 74 yards in 9 plays. Key play: Mike Prior 5-yd interception return to GB 26.
3rd: NE—Curtis Martin 18-yd run (Vinatieri kick), 11:33. Drive: 53 yards in 7 plays. Key play: Bledsoe 13-yd pass to Coates on 3rd-and-5 to GB 35. GB—Howard 99-yd kickoff return (Favre pass to Mark Chmura for 2-pt conversion), 11:50.
| Favorite: Packers by 14 | Attendance: 72,301 |
| Field: Artificial Turf | Time: 3:21 |
| Start time: 5:25 CST | TV Rating: 43.3/65 share (Fox) |
MVP—Desmond Howard, Green Bay, (4 kickoff returns for 154 yards and 1 TD.)
Officials: Gerald Austin (referee); Ron Botchan (umpire); Jeff Bergman (LJ); Tom Fincken (SJ); Earnie Frantz (HL); Scott Steenson (BJ); Phil Luckett (FJ).
Team Statistics
| | Patriots | Packers |
|---|
| Touchdowns | 3 | 4 |
| Rushing | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | 2 | 2 |
| Returns | 0 | 1 |
| Field Goals made/attempted | 0/0 | 2/3 |
| Time of possession | 25:45 | 34:15 |
| First downs | 16 | 16 |
| Rushing | 3 | 8 |
| Passing | 12 | 6 |
| Penalties | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4/14 | 3/15 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0/2 | 0/1 |
| Total offense (net yards) | 257 | 323 |
| Plays | 66 | 68 |
| Average gain | 3.9 | 4.8 |
| Carries/yards | 13/43 | 36/115 |
| Yards per carry | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| Passing yards | 214 | 208 |
| Completions/attempts | 25/48 | 14/27 |
| Yards per pass | 4.0 | 6.5 |
| Times intercepted | 4 | 0 |
| Times sacked/yards lost | 5/39 | 5/38 |
| Return yardage | 165 | 268 |
| Punt returns/yards | 5/30 | 7/90 |
| Kickoff returns/yards | 7/135 | 4/154 |
| Interceptions/yards | 0/0 | 4/24 |
| Fumbles/lost | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Penalties/yards | 2/22 | 3/41 |
| Punts/average | 8/45.1 | 7/42.7 |
| Punts blocked | 0 | 0 |
New England Patriots
| Passing | Att | Cmp | Pct. | Yds | TD | Int |
|---|
| Drew Bledsoe | 48 | 25 | 52.1 | 253 | 2 | 4 |
| Receiving | No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|
| Ben Coates | 6 | 67 | 11.2 | 19 | 1 |
| Terry Glenn | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 44 | 0 |
| Keith Byars | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 32 | 1 |
| Shawn Jefferson | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 14 | 0 |
| Curtis Martin | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 20 | 0 |
| Dave Meggett | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 5 | 0 |
| Vincent Brisby | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 7 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 25 | 253 | 10.1 | 44 | 2 |
| Rushing | Car | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|
| Curtis Martin | 11 | 42 | 3.8 | 18 | 1 |
| Drew Bledsoe | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Meggett | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 13 | 43 | 3.3 | 18 | 1 |
| Field Goals | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | Total |
|---|
| none | | | | | |
| Punting | No | Yds | Long | Avg | In 20 | TB |
|---|
| Tom Tupa | 8 | 361 | 53 | 45.1 | 3 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | FC | Ret | Yds | Long | Avg | TD |
|---|
| Dave Meggett | 2 | 2 | 30 | 20 | 15.0 | 0 |
| Kickoff Returns | No | Yds | Long | Avg | TD |
|---|
| Dave Meggett | 5 | 117 | 26 | 23.4 | 0 |
| Hason Graham | 1 | 18 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 6 | 135 | 26 | 22.5 | 0 |
| Interceptions | No | Yds | Long | Avg | TD |
|---|
| none | | | | | |
| Sacks |
|---|
| Tedy Bruschi | 2 |
| Ferric Collons | 1 |
| Willie McGinest | 1 |
| Otis Smith | 1 |
| Most Tackles |
|---|
| Chris Slade | 11 |
| Ted Johnson | 10 |
| Lawyer Milloy | 8 |
Green Bay Packers
| Passing | Att | Cmp | Pct. | Yds | TD | Int |
|---|
| Brett Favre | 27 | 14 | 51.9 | 246 | 2 | 0 |
| Receiving | No | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|
| Antonio Freeman | 3 | 105 | 35.0 | 81 | 1 |
| Dorsey Levens | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 14 | 0 |
| Andre Rison | 2 | 77 | 38.5 | 54 | 1 |
| William Henderson | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 8 | 0 |
| Mark Chmura | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 8 | 0 |
| Keith Jackson | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 |
| Edgar Bennett | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 14 | 246 | 17.6 | 81 | 2 |
| Rushing | Car | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|
| Dorsey Levens | 14 | 61 | 4.4 | 12 | 0 |
| Edgar Bennett | 17 | 40 | 2.4 | 10 | 0 |
| Brett Favre | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 12 | 1 |
| William Henderson | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 36 | 115 | 3.2 | 12 | 1 |
| Field Goals | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | Total |
|---|
| Chris Jacke | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2-3 |
| Punting | No | Yds | Long | Avg | In 20 | TB |
|---|
| Craig Hentrich | 7 | 299 | 58 | 42.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | FC | Ret | Yds | Long | Avg | TD |
|---|
| Desmond Howard | 1 | 6 | 90 | 34 | 15.0 | 0 |
| Kickoff Returns | No | Yds | Long | Avg | TD |
|---|
| Desmond Howard | 4 | 154 | 99-TD | 38.5 | 1 |
| Sacks |
|---|
| Reggie White | 3 |
| LeRoy Butler | 1 |
| Santana Dotson | 1 |
| Most Tackles |
|---|
| Eugene Robinson | 9 |
| LeRoy Butler | 7 |
| Craig Newsome | 6 |
Playoff Game Summaries
1996-97 Football Season
Super Bowl Finalists' Playoff Statistics
