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The Green Bay Packers' 2013 season was a year defined by injuries, but also by unique and memorable plays. Here at Acme Packing Company, we will spend two weeks looking back at the ten best plays of the 2013 season as voted on by our writing staff.
Each person had their own criteria for deciding which plays were the best, but we took into account how memorable the play was, how big an impact it had within a particular game and for the season overall, how impressive a display of effort or athleticism the play had, and finally any hilarity or novelty factor.
Without further ado, here is our choice for the 5th-best play of the Packers' 2013 season:
Tramon Williams Picks and Trucks Kaepernick
The Game
Wild Card Weekend
Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Venue: Lambeau Field
After the legendary 4th-and-8 play the week before that would lift the Pack into the playoffs (more on that in a few days), the team headed home to face San Francisco, the team that had beaten Green Bay on the previous three occasions. The chilly weather affected both teams; the Niners hadn't faced the conditions in previous weeks and the Packers would have a difficult time sustaining an aerial game.
The Situation
Early in the second quarter, the Packers were down 6-0 and San Francisco was driving into Green Bay territory. They moved the ball up to the Packers' 28, and fans silently anticipated another score by the momentum-carrying 49ers.
The Play
On second and seven, Colin Kaepernick drops back after carrying out a fake handoff; he promptly throws to Vernon Davis. Tramon Williams anticipates this, and he leaps for the interception. Morgan Burnett is behind him, so the risk is minimal. After picking the pass off, he races up the field, cuts across, and manages to lay a solid hit on Kaepernick. The quarterback brings Williams down, but at a price.
Watch the play at Packers.com.
The Impact
The play started a Packers drive that would find its terminus in the end zone, giving the team a 7-6 lead. While the Pack would eventually lose on a last-second field goal, Williams' pick dictated a momentum shift that made the team more competitive that it had been in previous games versus San Francisco, and delivered a message to the 49ers that Green Bay would not go out quietly.