Packers-Redskins Series History: Green Bay Leads 17-13-1

Well, APC'ers, it's Wednesday again, and you know what that means. It's time for me to write another Packers series history post. Today I will be covering Green Bay's history against the Washington Redskins.

The Packers have been playing the Redskins since 1932, but due to several long gaps in the series, there are only 31 regular season matchups in the series, which the Packers lead 17-13-1. The postseason series is tied 1-1.

In 1932, the Packers went into Boston and defeated the Braves by the score of 21-0. The Braves changed their name to the Redskins for the 1933 season, and they beat the Packers in one game that year while tying the other. From then on, the Packers didn't lose to the Redskins while they called Boston home. In 1936, the Packers defeated the Redskins 21-6 in the NFL Championship, Green Bay's first playoff game. The game, however, was played in New York as the Redskins' owner was angry with the lack of support of Boston fans and the team was in the process of moving to Washington.

Even though the Packers and Redskins were both among the elite teams in the NFL, the Packers got the better of the majority of the matchups until 1948. The Redskins won the 1948 and 1949 games, but the Packers offset this by winning in 1950 and 1952. By now, the Redskins were no longer among the NFL's elite. The Redskins also won the 1958 game in Washington. It was at this point in the series that the long gaps between games began.

Vince Lombardi only faced the Redskins once, in 1959, which saw the Packers win 21-0. The Redskins had the distinction of not only being in the opposite conference as Green Bay, but Washington had a yearly intrastate game with the Baltimore Colts, which restricted them to only playing one game against a team from Green Bay's conference. As a result, the Packers didn't face the Redskins again until 1968, by which point the NFL had realigned into four four-team divisions. Green Bay won that game, but then they went into a long tailspin against the Redskins, who surged into the NFL's elite in 1970 and would stay there almost uninterrupted until 1991.

In 1972, the resurgent Packers went into Washington and lost, 21-16, in the regular season. In the playoffs, this outcome repeated itself, this time with Washington winning 16-3. The Redskins would defeat the Packers three more times in the 1970s.

Classic MNF: 1983 Redskins vs. Packers

ABC Sports takes a look back at one of the wildest Monday Night games in history. Fun fact: current Packers president Mark Murphy was a safety on that Redskins team.

In the 1980s, the teams met midway through the 1983 season. The Redskins were fresh off a Super Bowl victory the year previous, while the Packers had a winning season and a playoff berth. Many expected the Redskins to walk over the Packers. Nobody, however, expected the Packers' offense to run wild over the Redskins as well. The result was the highest scoring Monday Night Football game in history, and the highest scoring regular season game of all time. The Packers would eventually win the "Monday Night Madness" 48-47, when the Redskins kicker missed a field goal as time expired. It was one of only two losses for the Redskins in the 1983 regular season.

The Redskins went into Green Bay in 1986 and 1988 and atoned for the 1983 game both times. The series then went on hold for a long time. Even when Brett Favre and the Packers were winning Super Bowls, the Redskins were an afterthought as the teams never played each other. Of the teams in the NFL in 1992, the Redskins were the only one Favre had not faced as a Packer by the end of the 2000 season.

That changed in the 2001 season. The Packers hosted the Redskins in what was the second game of the season (it was originally scheduled in Week 3 but Week 2 was postponed due to the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York on September 11 of that year). The Packers came out fired up. The Redskins? Not so much, as the final score was 37-0. The Packers would defeat the Redskins again in 2002 as Favre twisted his knee during a hard tackle by Lavar Arrington.

The Packers would take two close games, in Washington in 2004, and in Green Bay in 2007. They led 17-0 early in the 2004 game, but the Redskins pulled back and nearly took the lead. A dubious penalty, however, led to a touchdown being called back, and the Packers intercepted a pass on the next play, leading to the clinching score in a 28-14 victory. In 2007, Charles Woodson helped spark the Packers to a 17-14 victory despite Favre throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns. Woodson's fumble return for the game-winning score helped the Packers avoid a second straight loss at home after losing to the Bears at Lambeau Field the previous week.

In 2010, the Packer run over the Redskins came to an end as Donovan McNabb pulled yet another fluke finish to defeat the Packers in overtime. This time, the Packers led 13-3 after three quarters but Green Bay had squandered numerous scoring opportunities. The Redskins tied the game late in the fourth quarter and after Mason Crosby missed a potential game-winning field goal, the game went into overtime. Early in overtime, Aaron Rodgers was intercepted and this led to the game-winning field goal as the Packers lost 16-13.

What are your memories of the Packers playing the Redskins?

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