Green Bay Packers Rewind: Thrilling First Game With Houston Texans In 2004

After the Texans punted on their first possession of the third quarter, Brett Favre led the Packers to three first downs but threw an interception at the hands of Aaron Glenn to thwart the drive. Green Bay’s defense stiffened, forcing two more Houston punts. The Packers finally got back on track with a 92-yard scoring drive that began at the onset of the fourth quarter, capped off by a Favre to Donald Driver pitch and catch that made the score 13-10 with 12:40 remaining in the game.

Following yet another three-and-out from the Texans offense, Green Bay turned their defensive good fortune into another Longwell field goal, this time from 39 yards that knotted the score at 13 with 8:11 to go.  The Texans did not earn another first down the rest of the way, and despite a second interception thrown by Favre, the Packers reclaimed the ball on their own 31-yard-line after yet another Houston punt.

With two minutes remaining, Favre completed six of seven passes on that last drive, which culminated with the Packers arriving on the Texans 28 with four seconds to go. Longwell calmly drilled a 46-yard field goal with no time left on the clock, clinching the Packers’ 16-13 victory and raising Green Bay’s record to 6-4.

“A Punch in the Gut” For The Texans

For the fledgling Texans, a nationally televised game versus one of the blue-bloods of the NFL and a sellout crowd of 70,769 at Reliant Stadium made it Houston’s most highly anticipated game of the 2004 season. And for the game to be yanked out from under them, head coach Dom Capers put on a brave face and tried to glean some positive vibes from the loss.

“First of all, let me credit the Green Bay Packers,” a disappointed Capers said after the game. “We knew coming in tonight we were playing a team that was one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

“I think our guys came out and fought the whole way to the end. To beat a team like Green Bay, you have to out-execute them.”

Despite winning three of their next six games, the Texans failed to reach the playoffs, a goal they would not realize for another seven long years.

Springboard for the Remainder of the Season for the Packers

At the time the Green Bay Packers faced the Houston Texans in 2004, the playoffs were certainly not a given. However, Green Bay righted themselves in Houston, won four of their last six games, and qualified for the 2004 playoffs. They even earned a home playoff game in the Wild Card round. However, their season came to a sudden end at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, who came into Lambeau Field and beat their division rivals, 31-17, in what would be widely known as the “Randy Moss Mooning” game.

Both Teams Have Big Dreams to Fulfill

Although a loss would not be fatal to either team, both the Packers and the Texans have Super Bowl aspirations and could begin to steer themselves toward New Orleans with a victory on Sunday. If this year’s game proves as thrilling as the one they played twenty years ago, the Lambeau Field Faithful will certainly get their money’s worth.