| Team: | Green Bay Packers |
| Year: | 2001 |
| Record: | 12–4 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC Central |
| President: | Bob Harlan |
| General Manager: | Mike Sherman |
| Coach: | Mike Sherman |
| Stadium: | Lambeau Field |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. 49ers) 25–15 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Rams) 17–45 |
| Shortnavlink: | Packers seasons |
The 2001 Green Bay Packers season was their 83rd season overall and their 81st season in the National Football League.
The Packers returned to the postseason for the first time since 1998 after two years of missing the playoffs in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. They finished with a 12–4 record. In the Wild Card Round the Packers easily beat the San Francisco 49ers 25–15. But Green Bay's season ended with a 45–17 loss to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game. That game saw quarterback Brett Favre threw a career high six interceptions.[1]
This remains the last season in which the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs as the Packers went on to lose 5 straight playoff games to them.[2]
| Additions | Subtractions | |
|---|---|---|
| TE Bobby Collins (Bills) | G Ross Verba (Browns) | |
| FS Scott Frost (Browns) | QB Danny Wuerffel (Bears) | |
| DT Jim Flanigan (Bears) | FS Scott McGarrahan (Dolphins) |
With their first round pick (10th overall) in the 2001 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected defensive end Jamal Reynolds.[3]
| DeVone Claybrooks | Defensive tackle | East Carolina | |
| Donté Curry | Linebacker | Morris Brown | |
| Damian Demps | Safety | Central Florida | |
| Jason Franklin | Wide receiver | Delta State | |
| Kevin Jordan | Tackle | Fresno State | |
| DeAngelo Lloyd | Defensive end | Tennessee | |
| Marques McFadden | Guard | Arizona | |
| Kevin Stemke | Punter | Wisconsin | |
| Brett Sterba | Kicker | William & Mary | |
| Jacob Waasdorp | Defensive tackle | California |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 11, 2001 | L 3–10 | 0–1 | 71,218 | |||
| August 20, 2001 | W 22–7 | 1–1 | 59,177 | |||
| August 25, 2001 | W 17–12 | Lambeau Field | 2–1 | 59,547 | ||
| August 31, 2001 | L 13–24 | 2–2 | 38,783 |
The second game in 2001 was the first time since 1988 that the Packers played the Washington Redskins.[5] because before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team’s division were influenced much more by table position during the previous season,[6] and there was no rotation of opponents in other divisions of a team’s own conference. The Packers finished 12–4 overall, placing 2nd in the NFC Central Division (behind the Chicago Bears), and qualifying for a wild card playoff spot.[7]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Detroit Lions | W 28–6 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 59,523 | |
| 2 | Washington Redskins | W 37–0 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | 59,771 | ||
| 3 | September 30 | at Carolina Panthers | W 28–7 | 3–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 73,120 | |
| 4 | October 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–14 | 3–1 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,510 | |
| 5 | October 14 | Baltimore Ravens | W 31–23 | 4–1 | Lambeau Field | 59,866 | |
| 6 | October 21 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–35 | 4–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,165 | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | November 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21–20 | 5–2 | Lambeau Field | 59,861 | |
| 9 | November 11 | at Chicago Bears | W 20–12 | 6–2 | Soldier Field | 66,944 | |
| 10 | November 18 | Atlanta Falcons | L 20–23 | 6–3 | Lambeau Field | 59,849 | |
| 11 | November 22 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–27 | 7–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,730 | |
| 12 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–21 | 8–3 | Alltel Stadium | 66,908 | ||
| 13 | December 9 | Chicago Bears | W 17–7 | 9–3 | Lambeau Field | 59,869 | |
| 14 | December 16 | at Tennessee Titans | L 20–26 | 9–4 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,804 | |
| 15 | December 23 | Cleveland Browns | W 30–7 | 10–4 | Lambeau Field | 59,824 | |
| 16 | December 30 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–13 | 11–4 | Lambeau Field | 59,870 | |
| 17 | January 6 | at New York Giants | W 34–25 | 12–4 | Giants Stadium | 78,601 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV Time | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | January 13, 2002 | W 25–15 | Lambeau Field | FOX 12:00 pm | 59,825 | ||
| Divisional | January 20, 2002 | L 17–45 | FOX 3:15 pm | 66,368 |