3rd Rarest Rival
The Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars have faced each other only 8 times in NFL history, making the Jags the Packers’ 3rd rarest rival behind the Texans and the Ravens).
The teams rarely play each other because they’re in different conferences – the Packers in the NFC North and the Jaguars in the AFC South. They only meet once every four years unless they reach the Super Bowl in the same year, which hasn’t happened yet.
League History
The Packers, one of the oldest teams in the league, were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. They joined the NFL in 1921 and have since become one of the most successful franchises, with numerous championships to their name.
In contrast, the Jaguars are a much newer team, joining the league as an expansion team in 1995 alongside the Carolina Panthers.
The Packers have won 6 of these matchups, while the Jaguars have won 2. Their first game was on September 24, 1995, where the Packers won 24-14.
First Game
The Packers took on the Jaguars on a foggy night in Jacksonville in their first year in the league, on September 24, 1995.
Despite being an expansion team, the Jags showed some promise against a strong Green Bay team led by Brett Favre, who won MVP that season.
- Brett Favre tied Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, and Don Meredith’s record of throwing 2+ touchdowns in 12 consecutive games
- Rookie Dorsey Levens scored his first career touchdown
- Reggie White got a sack while facing a rookie on an expansion team
- Willie Jackson caught 7 passes from former Packers backup quarterback Mark Brunell
Monday Night Football Comeback
Down by 14 points late on a Monday Night Football matchup on December 3, 2001, Brett Favre and company staged a comeback for the ages by scoring 3 straight touchdowns. Favre hit Bill Schroeder for a 43-yard TD pass late in the 3rd quarter. With the Jaguars fumbling on the ensuing kickoff, Favre immediately threw another TD to Bubba Franks to tie the game.
Jags had a chance to go ahead with a field goal with 5 minutes remaining, but kicker Mike Collins missed wide left, ending his streak of 9 straight field goals on MNF. Favre proceeded to march down the field, and with a minute and half left in the game, ran in for the game-winning score.
Robert Ferguson Temporarily Paralyzed by Donovin Darius
In their December 19, 2004 matchup, Robert Ferguson was hit so hard by Donovin Darius that he was temporarily paralyzed. Darius later apologized to Ferguson for the cheap shot.
Notable Statistics
Through their history, all of the matchups have been fairly close. The largest point differential in any game was only 10 in 1995. Every game but two were decided by a touchdown or less.
Notably, home field advantage hasn’t paid off for either team as the visiting team has a 5-3 record as of 2024.
