2011 Green Bay Packers season | |
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Owner | Green Bay Packers, Inc. (112,159 stockholders) |
General manager | Ted Thompson |
Head coach | Mike McCarthy |
Home field | Lambeau Field |
Results | |
Record | 15–1 |
Division place | 1st NFC North |
Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Giants) 20–37 |
Pro Bowlers | QB Aaron Rodgers FB John Kuhn WR Greg Jennings C Scott Wells NT B. J. Raji OLB Clay Matthews III CB Charles Woodson |
AP All-Pros | QB Aaron Rodgers (1st team) CB Charles Woodson (1st team) FB John Kuhn (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
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The 2011 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 93rd season overall and their 91st in the National Football League (NFL), and the sixth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The team not only improved on their 10–6 record from a season earlier, they became just the sixth team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season. As of 2023, the 15–1 record stands as the best in team history, as well as the best record for a defending Super Bowl champion. The Packers won their first 13 games of the season to extend their winning streak from the previous season to 19, the second-longest in NFL history behind the 21-game winning streak of the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004, and also tied the record for the best start to a season in NFC history that the New Orleans Saints had set in 2009 (although this would be surpassed by the 2015 Carolina Panthers). The only loss for the Packers during the regular season was a Week 15 defeat in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. They also became the first NFC North team to go undefeated in the division since the 1987 Chicago Bears.
Statistics site Football Outsiders calculated that the Packers were, play for play, the best team in the NFL in 2011 (though they received the second-lowest rating for a number-1 team since the 1993 San Francisco 49ers). According to the site, the Packers' offense was historically prolific, ranking as the second-best pass offense and third-best total offense since they began calculating. Furthermore, quarterback Aaron Rodgers had the fourth-most-prolific season, play by play, since calculations began and some have called it one of the most efficient seasons ever by a quarterback[1] by setting the NFL record for highest passer rating in a season (122.5).[2] The 2011 Packers are one of only five teams in NFL history to score 35 points or more nine times in a single season[3][4] and one of only two teams to score 42 points or more in at least six games, the other being the 2013 Denver Broncos. The Packers' 70 total touchdowns is currently tied with the 1984 Miami Dolphins for the fourth-most touchdowns scored in a season, and their 51 total touchdown passes are tied with the 2004 Indianapolis Colts for second-most touchdown passes in a season. The defense was ranked last, 32nd, in the league in yards allowed and surrendered an NFL record 4,796 passing yards despite leading the league in interceptions, with 31.
With their record-setting offense, their 15–1 record, and their having home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl XXXI win 15 years earlier, the Packers were aiming to repeat as Super Bowl champions and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 and the first NFC team to win back-to-back since Rival Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993. However, the Packers instead became the first team to finish with at least 15 victories and not win a playoff game, as they were beaten in a shocking and devastating upset by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants (who had a record of just 9–7) by a score of 37–20 at Lambeau Field during the Divisional round of the playoffs. The Packers became just the sixth team to win 15 games in the regular season, joining the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1998 Minnesota Vikings, 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2007 New England Patriots, who finished the regular season undefeated at 16–0. The Packers became the fourth consecutive team with at least fifteen victories to fail to win the Super Bowl.
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