Against all odds, Packers win

Since 1967, the Super Bowl game has always been played on Sunday  The National Football League (NFL) has been adamant about keeping the Super Bowl on this day due to TV ratings as stated by Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL since 2006. In an interview on “The Kyle Brandt Experience”, Goodell said “the audiences on Sunday night are always larger,” which has contributed to the game’s status of being the most watched sports event worldwide.

The second Super Bowl game ever was played in front of over 75,000 people, according to sportskeeda . Super Bowl II was played in Miami, Florida, at the Miami Orange Bowl. In this game, the Green Bay Packers were led by Coach Vince Lombardi and they had an incredible lineup, including Hall of Fame players quarterback Bart Starr and linebacker Ray Nitschke (Pro football reference), but their star players  On the other side, the Oakland Raiders were led by Coach John Rauch and a strong offense, with quarterback Daryle Lamonica, running back Hewitt Dixon, and wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff.

An article”Green Bay, handily” by Vault described how Super Bowl II was a crucial game for both teams and, while the Raiders did have some notable moments, the Green Bay Packers dominated throughout the game. The Packers defense played incredibly well, and they beat the Raiders with a score of 33-14. But it wasn’t due to Bart Starr’s quarterbacking, since he threw more interceptions than he did completed passes in the season. Many of their long-time team members had retired or moved on to other teams and a few of their new starters were down with injuries, and the team was ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in categories that included points scored and yards gained, but in spite of it all, they still battled to the end and one the game.

Vince Lombardi’s last game as head coach for the team definitely motivated their desire to win. “We decided we’d play the last 30 minutes for the old man,” said offensive guard Jerry Kramer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Lombardi retires before too long and all of us love him. We didn’t want to let him down.”

Lombardi did move on to coach for Washington for a couple of years before being diagnosed with colon cancer. The Packers had already won Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs and went on to win in 1997 (New England Patriots) and 2011 (Pittsburgh Steelers), but this Super Bowl win was one for the record books.