Remembering Reggie White’s Final Sack with the Green Bay Packers

Former Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White was one of the greatest players in NFL history. “The Minister of Defense” earned Pro Bowl honors 13 times in his career and was named All Pro eight times. White was a major reason for the Packers resurgence in the 1990s. When he signed with the Packers as the first big modern free agent signing in 1993, he changed the perception of the franchise on and off the field. White spent six seasons with the Packers and they made the playoffs in each of them. Today, we remember the final sack of White’s career with the Packers.

Remembering Reggie White’s Final Sack with the Green Bay Packers: The Leadup to the Game

During the 1998 season, White announced this would be his last year in the NFL. The former Tennessee star was still a dominant force. He finished the season with 16 sacks in 16 games, his highest total in his six years in Green Bay.

The Packers were struggling through a disappointing season. They had won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season and reached the big game again the following year after back-to-back 13-3 seasons.

But in 1998, the Packers were 8-5 entering their Week 15 contest with the rival Chicago Bears who were just 3-10 on the season. The team was inconsistent throughout the year and wasn’t as dominant as they had been in the prior two seasons.

The Packers were in second place in the NFC Central, trailing the Vikings who would finish the season 15-1. The Pack needed a strong finish to nail down a Wild Card berth in the playoffs.

The First Half

While the Packers needed the win to stay in the playoff hunt, the Bears were content to play spoiler and ruin their rival’s hopes for the postseason. A capacity crowd filled Lambeau Field to see the Pack and the Bears renew hostilities.

After the Packers went three-and-out on their first possession, the Bears jumped ahead with the help of a former Packer. On Chicago’s first play from scrimmage, running back Edgar Bennett ran around the right side for 43 yards all the way to the Green Bay five.

Two plays later, Bears quarterback Steve Stenstrom ran the ball in from one yard out to give Chicago a 7-0 lead.

The Packers responded on their next possession and got on the board on a 35-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell. A 23-yard pass from Brett Favre to wide receiver Derrick Mayes was the key play of the drive. That made the score 7-3 Chicago.

That remained the score until late in the half when Roell Preston returned a Chicago punt 19 yards to the Bears 37. That set up a 43-yard field goal by Longwell which made the score 7-6 Chicago.

The Green Bay defense forced a three-and-out and Favre got the ball back with at the Packers 40 with 1:02 left in the half. He completed four passes including an 18-yard effort to Antonio Freeman. Longwell booted a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the half to give Green Bay a 9-7 lead.

Remembering Reggie White’s Final Sack with the Green Bay Packers: An Intense Battle

The Packers forced a Bears punt to open the third quarter, but Chicago pinned them deep in their own territory at the nine. On the second offensive play of the half, Favre looked for Freeman, but Chicago’s Walt Harris stepped in front of the pass and returned it nine yards for a touchdown. The Bears tried a two-point conversion but that failed. Chicago led 13-9.

The Packers responded with a 12-play drive that culminated with a Favre touchdown pass to tight end Mark Chmura. Green Bay pulled ahead 16-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, Favre again led the Pack downfield. He found running back Darick Holmes for 13 yards and Freeman for 22. The drive ended on a 13-yard touchdown toss to Freeman which gave the Packers a 23-13 lead.

Another field goal by Longwell made the score 26-13 Packers with four minutes left and it seemed the Pack was in control. But that joy was short-lived. Chicago’s Glyn Milburn returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, and we once again had a one score game. The Pack led 26-20 with 3:57 left on the clock.

The Big Sack

The Packers got the ball back with a chance to run out the clock, but Dorsey Levens gained one yard on a first down run followed by two incompletions by Favre. The Bears got the ball back at their own 21 with 3:00 left in the game.

On third-and-five, Stenstrom found Curtis Conway for a 25-yard gain which put the ball at the Packers 36. A few plays later, the quarterback scrambled for 11 yards to the Green Bay 25. The lead and the Packers playoff hopes were in jeopardy.

But that’s when the Green Bay defense came up big. On 2^nd-and-10, defensive lineman Billy Lyon broke through for his first NFL sack, moving the ball back to the 32.

Then, it was White’s turn. He beat his block and wrapped up Stenstrom for a 10-yard loss to record his final sack as a Green Bay Packer. On fourth down, Santana Dotson sacked Stenstrom and the Packers got the ball back. A kneel down by Favre ended the game and gave the Packers the win.

“I credit my sack to Santana [Dotson], because we ran a stunt,” White said after the game. “I told Santana, ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever come that clear without anybody touching me.’ And then he did an excellent job.”

Defensive line coach Tony Wise added, “I would say it is one of the most difficult situations against Reggie White, when it’s third-and-10 and he knows you’ve got to drop seven steps and throw it in the end zone.” White certainly made them pay.

 Remembering Reggie White’s Final Sack with the Green Bay Packers: The Aftermath

White and the rest of the Packers were trying to raise their level of play and were frustrated that they weren’t there yet. “We just need to brush up on some things and be a little bit more consistent,” White said. “We can’t give up touchdowns on kickoff returns. We have to get more turnovers. If we can do that and stay consistent, we can make a run for this thing. We kill ourselves with our mistakes. We are making games a lot closer than they should have been throughout the year.”

“It’s a little strange,” Favre added. “Maybe this is good for us. We’re up and down right now, but if we get rolling . . . the most important thing is to peak at the playoffs.”

Favre was also aware that White’s career was winding down. “I think [White] is the defensive player of the year, I really do,” Favre said after the game. “What’s he got, 16 sacks? For a guy who’s going to retire, who’s got a bad back, bad hamstring, all that stuff? I couldn’t be more proud of a guy. I tried to talk him into coming back Friday, but he said he wanted $48 million [next] year. We might all have to take a pay cut,” he joked.

The Packers improved to 9-5 on the season and finished 11-5 to qualify for the playoffs.

White retired and sat out the 1999 season but he returned in 2000 with the Carolina Panthers. His final sack in Green Bay was a memorable one and it helped the Packers get a key victory.