# 2001 Green Bay Packers season

The 2001 Green Bay Packers season was their 83rd season overall and their 81st season in the National Football League.
The Packers returned to the postseason for the first time since 1998 after two years of missing the playoffs in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. They finished with a 12–4 record. In the Wild Card Round the Packers easily beat the San Francisco 49ers 25–15. But Green Bay's season ended with a 45–17 loss to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game. That game saw quarterback Brett Favre threw a career high six interceptions.
This remains the last season in which the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs as the Packers went on to lose 5 straight playoff games to them.

## Offseason
### Notable transactions

* March 31, 2001 – The Green Bay Packers traded Matt Hasselbeck and their 1st round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the Seahawks 1st and 3rd round picks.

#### Free agents

| Additions | Subtractions |
| TE Bobby Collins (Bills) | G Ross Verba (Browns) |
| FS Scott Frost (Browns) | QB Danny Wuerffel (Bears) |
| DT Jim Flanigan (Bears) | FS Scott McGarrahan (Dolphins) |
| | LB Brian Williams (Saints) |

### 2001 NFL draft

With their first round pick (10th overall) in the 2001 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers selected defensive end Jamal Reynolds.
2001 Green Bay Packers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 10 | Jamal Reynolds | Defensive end | Florida State |
| 2 | 41 | Robert Ferguson | Wide receiver | Texas A&M |
| 3 | 71 | Bhawoh Jue | Safety | Penn State |
| 3 | 72 | Torrance Marshall | Linebacker | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 105 | Bill Ferrario | Guard | Wisconsin |
| 6 | 198 | David Martin | Tight end | Tennessee |
| Made roster ||||||

#### Undrafted free agents

2001 undrafted free agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| DeVone Claybrooks | Defensive tackle | East Carolina |
| Donté Curry | Linebacker | Morris Brown |
| Damian Demps | Safety | Central Florida |
| Jason Franklin | Wide receiver | Delta State |
| Kevin Jordan | Tackle | Fresno State |
| DeAngelo Lloyd | Defensive end | Tennessee |
| Marques McFadden | Guard | Arizona |
| Kevin Stemke | Punter | Wisconsin |
| Brett Sterba | Kicker | William & Mary |
| Jacob Waasdorp | Defensive tackle | California |

## Preseason

| Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
| August 11, 2001 | at Cleveland Browns | L 3–10 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 0–1 | 71,218 |
| August 20, 2001 | Denver Broncos | W 22–7 | Lambeau Field | 1–1 | 59,177 |
| August 25, 2001 | Miami Dolphins | W 17–12 | Lambeau Field | 2–1 | 59,547 |
| August 31, 2001 | at Oakland Raiders | L 13–24 | Network Associates Coliseum | 2–2 | 38,783 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

The second game in 2001 was the first time since 1988 that the Packers played the Washington Redskins. because before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team’s division were influenced much more by table position during the previous season, and there was no rotation of opponents in other divisions of a team’s own conference. The Packers finished 12–4 overall, placing 2nd in the NFC Central Division (behind the Chicago Bears), and qualifying for a wild card playoff spot.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 9 | Detroit Lions | W 28–6 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 59,523 |
| 2 | September 24 | Washington Redskins | W 37–0 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | 59,771 |
| 3 | September 30 | at Carolina Panthers | W 28–7 | 3–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 73,120 |
| 4 | October 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–14 | 3–1 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,510 |
| 5 | October 14 | Baltimore Ravens | W 31–23 | 4–1 | Lambeau Field | 59,866 |
| 6 | October 21 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–35 | 4–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,165 |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | November 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 21–20 | 5–2 | Lambeau Field | 59,861 |
| 9 | November 11 | at Chicago Bears | W 20–12 | 6–2 | Soldier Field | 66,944 |
| 10 | November 18 | Atlanta Falcons | L 20–23 | 6–3 | Lambeau Field | 59,849 |
| 11 | November 22 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–27 | 7–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,730 |
| 12 | December 3 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–21 | 8–3 | Alltel Stadium | 66,908 |
| 13 | December 9 | Chicago Bears | W 17–7 | 9–3 | Lambeau Field | 59,869 |
| 14 | December 16 | at Tennessee Titans | L 20–26 | 9–4 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,804 |
| 15 | December 23 | Cleveland Browns | W 30–7 | 10–4 | Lambeau Field | 59,824 |
| 16 | December 30 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–13 | 11–4 | Lambeau Field | 59,870 |
| 17 | January 6 | at New York Giants | W 34–25 | 12–4 | Giants Stadium | 78,601 |

## Standings

NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Chicago Bears | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 338 | 203 | W4 |
| $^{(4)}$ Green Bay Packers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 390 | 266 | W3 |
| $^{(6)}$ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 324 | 280 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 290 | 390 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 270 | 424 | W1 |

## Playoffs

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | TV Time | Attendance |
| Wildcard | January 13, 2002 | San Francisco 49ers | W 25–15 | Lambeau Field | FOX 12:00 pm | 59,825 |
| Divisional | January 20, 2002 | at St. Louis Rams | L 17–45 | Dome at America's Center | FOX 3:15 pm | 66,368 |