Conference Championships: Carolina Panthers travel to face Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 12, 1997 at 12:30pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers in the Conference Championships, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Green Bay Packers, the home crowd at Lambeau Field is asked to be a player; for Carolina Panthers, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Lambeau Field with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Carolina Panthers versus Green Bay Packers in the Conference Championships. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Carolina Panthers-Green Bay Packers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-6 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-7 | W5 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 1-15 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 12-4 | W7 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-13 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-7 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-9 | -- |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L2 |
NFL 1996 NFC Championship Game
1996 NFC Championship Game
The CRAZIEST ENDING in NFC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY | 1996 NFC Championship
1996 NFC Championship Game
NFL Primetime 1996 Championship Playoff Sunday (ESPN January 12th, 1997)
1996 NFC Championship Intro
1996 NFC Championship Game - Return to TitletownCarolina Panthers None, Green Bay Packers None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 710131313 |
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 017273030 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Howard Griffith 3 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Dorsey Levens 29 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Chris Jacke kick) | 7-7 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 22 yard field goal | 10-7 |
| Packers | Antonio Freeman 6 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Chris Jacke kick) | 10-14 |
| Packers | Chris Jacke 31 yard field goal | 10-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Chris Jacke 32 yard field goal | 10-20 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 23 yard field goal | 13-20 |
| Packers | Edgar Bennett 4 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick) | 13-27 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Chris Jacke 28 yard field goal | 13-30 |
Green Bay Packers defeated Carolina Panthers 30-13 at Lambeau Field in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Packers: Chris Jacke 28 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Brett Favre: 292 pass yards on 19-of-29, 2 TD, 1 INT. Green Bay Packers advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
Green Bay Packers walked out of Lambeau Field as the team that survived a Conference Championships Carolina Panthers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 30-13. The final scoring play came from Packers: Chris Jacke 28 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Green Bay Packers are bound for the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13. Round: Conference Championships. Attendance: 60126. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers:
- Brett Favre: 292 pass yards on 19-of-29, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Edgar Bennett: 99 rush yards on 25 carries
- Dorsey Levens: 5 catches for 117 yards
Conference Championships, played at Lambeau Field. Final: Carolina Panthers 13, Green Bay Packers 30, with Green Bay Packers taking the result by 17. **First quarter**
- Panthers: Howard Griffith 3 yard pass from Kerry Collins ( John Kasay kick)
Second quarter
- Packers: Dorsey Levens 29 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Chris Jacke kick)
- Panthers: John Kasay 22 yard field goal
- Packers: Antonio Freeman 6 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Chris Jacke kick)
- Packers: Chris Jacke 31 yard field goal
Third quarter
- Packers: Chris Jacke 32 yard field goal
- Panthers: John Kasay 23 yard field goal
- Packers: Edgar Bennett 4 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick)
Fourth quarter
- Packers: Chris Jacke 28 yard field goal
Top performers
- Brett Favre: 292 pass yards on 19-of-29, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Edgar Bennett: 99 rush yards on 25 carries
- Dorsey Levens: 5 catches for 117 yards
| Panthers | Packers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 12 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 251 | 479 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 19/37 | 19/29 |
| Pass yards | 215 | 292 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 9 | 14 |
| Net pass yards | 206 | 278 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 14 | 45 |
| Rush yards | 45 | 201 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 4 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 25 | 45 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | |||||
| Kerry Collins | 19/37 | 215 | 1 | 2 | |
| GNB | |||||
| Brett Favre | 19/29 | 292 | 2 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| Anthony Johnson | 11 | 31 | 0 | 7 |
| Winslow Oliver | 2 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| Kerry Collins | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| GNB | ||||
| Edgar Bennett | 25 | 99 | 1 | 13 |
| Dorsey Levens | 10 | 88 | 0 | 35 |
| Brett Favre | 5 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| William Henderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim McMahon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| Mark Carrier | 4 | 65 | 0 | 27 |
| Willie Green | 5 | 51 | 0 | 19 |
| Wesley Walls | 3 | 33 | 0 | 20 |
| Rocket Ismail | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Howard Griffith | 4 | 23 | 1 | 9 |
| Anthony Johnson | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Winslow Oliver | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| GNB | ||||
| Dorsey Levens | 5 | 117 | 1 | 66 |
| Andre Rison | 3 | 53 | 0 | 23 |
| Antonio Freeman | 4 | 43 | 1 | 25 |
| Keith Jackson | 3 | 30 | 0 | 19 |
| Don Beebe | 1 | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Mark Chmura | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Edgar Bennett | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
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