Editing Super Bowl XXXI (section)

===Green Bay Packers===
{{further|1996 Green Bay Packers season}}
[[File:Green Bay Packers at White House 1997.jpg|thumb|right|[[Brett Favre]] and [[Reggie White]] (front) present a Packers jacket to President [[Bill Clinton]] in May 1997.]]

After winning [[Super Bowl II]] after the [[1967 NFL season|1967 regular season]], the Packers became a losing team for much of the 1970s and 1980s, only making the playoffs in [[1972 NFL season|1972]] and the strike-shortened [[1982 NFL season|1982 season]]. In addition to having the reputation of being a poor team, the Packers were unable to attract good players because many did not want to play in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay's]] cold winter climate for a small market team.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

All that changed when former [[San Francisco 49ers]] offensive coordinator [[Mike Holmgren]] became the Packers head coach in [[1992 NFL season|1992]]. During his first year, the team improved to a 9–7 regular season record, barely missing the playoffs. One of the significant players on the [[1992 Green Bay Packers season|1992 Packers]] team was second-year quarterback [[Brett Favre]], who spent his rookie season as a third-string quarterback for the [[1991 Atlanta Falcons season|Atlanta Falcons]]. During a September 20, 1992, game against the [[1992 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]], Favre replaced injured starter [[Don Majkowski]] and proceeded to lead the team to a comeback victory. Afterwards, Favre became the starter for the rest of that season and held that position with the Packers until his purported retirement and subsequent conditional trade to the [[2008 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] in 2008 (followed by a departure for [[Minnesota Vikings|Minnesota]] in [[2009 Minnesota Vikings season|2009]]).

Green Bay then made the playoffs in the [[1993 Green Bay Packers season|1993]], [[1994 Green Bay Packers season|1994]], and the [[1995 Green Bay Packers season|1995]] seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Green Bay Packers Playoff History |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/playoffs.htm |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082023/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/playoffs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> As Holmgren, Favre, and the Packers continued to win, they were able to attract impact [[free agent]]s like veteran defensive end [[Reggie White]], nicknamed the "Minister of Defense", who joined the team in 1993.

In 1996, the Packers posted an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record after winning eight of their first nine games to start the season. After losing two straight games in November, they finished off the regular season winning their remaining five games, including dominating wins over two playoff teams: the [[1996 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]], 41–6, and the [[1996 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]], 38–10. The Packers' defense also led the league in both fewest points and yards allowed. They allowed 210 points and also scored an NFL-best 456 points, becoming the first team since the [[1972 Miami Dolphins season|1972 Miami Dolphins]] to score the most points in the league and allow the fewest. They set an NFL record with seven wins by at least 25 points.

Favre won the [[NFL Most Valuable Player Award]] for the second straight season after throwing for 3,899 yards and an NFC record 39 touchdown passes during the 1996 regular season, with only 13 interceptions. His 39 touchdown passes were the third-highest total in league history at that time. Favre was also a good runner, ranking third on the team with 136 rushing yards and scoring 2 touchdowns.

The Packers had another valuable asset in game-breaking kick returner [[Desmond Howard]]. The former [[Heisman Trophy]] winner's NFL career as a wide receiver was widely viewed as a disappointment up until this point, recording just 92 receptions in his first four NFL seasons. After joining Green Bay before the 1996 season, the team used him as a kick returner. Howard excelled in this role and ended up setting an NFL record with 875 punt return yards, while also leading the league in yards per return (15.1) and punt return touchdowns (3). He also caught 13 passes for 95 yards and added another 460 yards returning kickoffs.

Green Bay also had a number of offensive weapons. Wide receiver [[Antonio Freeman]] led the team with 933 yards and 9 touchdowns. Multi-talented veteran wide receiver [[Don Beebe]], who had the best season of his career, was also a constant breakaway threat, catching 39 passes for 699 yards and 4 touchdowns and adding another 403 yards and a touchdown returning kickoffs. Beebe was a member of the [[Buffalo Bills]] during their four Super Bowl losses and was thus extremely eager for another shot at a Super Bowl win.  Late in the season, after a string of injuries sent star receiver [[Robert Brooks (American football)|Robert Brooks]] out for the season and caused Freeman to miss four games, Green Bay made another big addition to their receiving corps by signing [[Andre Rison]], who had been cut by the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] and finished the season with 47 receptions for 593 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Packers also had two outstanding tight ends: [[Pro Bowl]]er [[Keith Jackson (tight end)|Keith Jackson]] recorded 40 catches for 504 yards and 10 touchdowns, and [[Mark Chmura]] had 28 receptions for 370 yards.

Although Green Bay's running game did not have any standout backs or Pro Bowlers, running backs [[Dorsey Levens]] and [[Edgar Bennett]], and fullback [[William Henderson (American football)|William Henderson]] were all very good at blocking, running, and receiving. Bennett was the team's leading rusher with 899 yards, while also catching 31 passes for 176 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. Levens rushed for 566 yards, caught 31 passes for 226 yards, returned 5 kickoffs for 84 yards, and scored 10 touchdowns. Henderson had 130 rushing yards, caught 27 passes for 203 yards, and returned 2 kickoffs for 38 yards. Up front, Pro Bowl center [[Frank Winters]] anchored the offensive line, along with guard [[Adam Timmerman]].

On defense, White continued to be a weapon, recording 29 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, and led the team with 8.5 sacks. Defensive tackle [[Santana Dotson]] was also a big asset, recording 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. In the secondary, the team was led by safety [[Eugene Robinson (American football)|Eugene Robinson]], who recorded 55 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 107 return yards. Defensive back [[LeRoy Butler]] was also a major force, recording 65 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 5 interceptions for 149 return yards and a touchdown.