# 2011 Green Bay Packers season
The 2011 [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers) season was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) franchise's ninety-first season, in which the defending [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) champion Packers recorded a franchise-best 15-1 regular-season record, won the NFC North, and then lost their first playoff game, 37-20, to the New York Giants in the NFC Divisional round at Lambeau Field.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm) • [2](https://www.packers.com/history/) • [3](https://www.packers.com/news/packers-nation-stunned-by-loss-6813230) The team was coached by Mike McCarthy in his sixth season, with Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator and Dom Capers as defensive coordinator.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 15-1, first in the NFC North; a franchise-best record and the sixth 15-win regular season in NFL history[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm) • [2](https://www.packers.com/history/) |
| Scoring | 560 points scored (35.0 per game, 1st of 32); 359 allowed (22.4 per game, 19th of 32)[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm) |
| Winning streak | Combining six wins to close 2010 with the start of 2011, a 19-game winning streak, the longest in team history and second longest in league annals[2](https://www.packers.com/history/) |
| Season start | 13 consecutive wins to open the season, a franchise single-season record, beginning with a Thursday night win over New Orleans on Sept. 8[4](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline) |
| Aaron Rodgers | 343 of 502 for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and an NFL-record 122.5 passer rating[5](https://www.packers.com/team/stats/2011/) • [6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/packers/vzopi8ms0bsewsibrc3e.pdf) |
| Only loss | At Kansas City, where the offense gained a season-low 315 yards and Rodgers posted season lows of 235 passing yards and an 80.1 passer rating[7](https://www.packers.com/news/winning-formula-fails-packers-6634319) |
| Playoff result | Lost NFC Divisional round 20-37 to the New York Giants at Lambeau Field, Jan. 15, 2012[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm) • [3](https://www.packers.com/news/packers-nation-stunned-by-loss-6813230) |
## Regular season
**A 13-0 start.** Green Bay opened the season with a Thursday night victory at [Lambeau Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambeau-field) against the [New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) on September 8, kicking off a franchise single-season record 13-game winning streak.[4](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline) By late October the Packers were 6-0 and the league's only undefeated team.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/packers-will-be-hard-pressed-to-have-perfect-season-09000d5d8234c2d1) The streak ended at Kansas City, where the winning formula that had carried the team all season failed: the offense gained a season-low 315 yards, including season lows from [Aaron Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-rodgers) in passing yardage (235) and passer rating (80.1).[7](https://www.packers.com/news/winning-formula-fails-packers-6634319) Green Bay closed the regular season with two more wins to finish 15-1.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm)
The season was played under unusual conditions. Because of the league's work stoppage with the players, the Packers had no offseason program and an abbreviated training-camp schedule.[2](https://www.packers.com/history/) The team scored 560 points, 35.0 per game, the most in the league that year, while allowing 359, a figure that ranked 19th of 32 teams.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm) The 560-point total was the third most in league history at the time.[4](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline) Pro Football Reference's expected win-loss estimate for the team was 11.9-4.1, indicating the record outperformed the underlying point differential.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm)
## Aaron Rodgers's record season
**An MVP-caliber year.** Rodgers completed 343 of 502 passes (68.3 percent) for 4,643 yards with 45 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, a passer rating of 122.5.[5](https://www.packers.com/team/stats/2011/) The 122.5 rating set the NFL single-season record, topping the previous mark of 121.1 held by [Peyton Manning](https://www.edgepedia.org/peyton-manning) from 2004.[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/packers/vzopi8ms0bsewsibrc3e.pdf) His 45 touchdown passes set a franchise record, and he set franchise records for passing yardage, touchdowns, completion percentage, and yards per attempt.[9](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1599332666/league/oeoyfjd9psshzqgeiswn.pdf) • [4](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline) Through the first eight games he had completed 72.5 percent of his passes with a 24:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 129.1 passer rating.[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/aaron-rodgers-packers-offense-struggling-to-get-in-sync-0ap3000000578618) He was named the NFC's Pro Bowl starter.[4](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline)
## Defense and takeaways
**A bottom-ranked unit that kept winning.** Seven games into the season, a defense that had been one of the NFL's best in 2010 ranked at the bottom of the league, and most statistical categories told a story of disappointment; the Packers were likely undefeated because of takeaways rather than overall defensive play.[11](https://www.packers.com/news/interceptions-have-saved-packers-in-2011-6172890) At that point the defense had limited opposing quarterbacks to a 79.3 passer rating while Rodgers's league-leading 125.7 rating made him, in effect, a valuable member of the defense.[11](https://www.packers.com/news/interceptions-have-saved-packers-in-2011-6172890) The gap between the league's top-scoring offense and its 19th-ranked scoring defense defined the team's profile.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm)
## Playoffs
**The divisional loss.** As the NFC's top seed, Green Bay received a first-round bye and hosted the 9-7 [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants) in the NFC Divisional round on January 15, 2012, at Lambeau Field.[12](https://as.com/us/nfl/el-dato-que-aleja-a-mahomes-y-los-chiefs-del-tricampeonato-en-el-super-bowl-n/) • [3](https://www.packers.com/news/packers-nation-stunned-by-loss-6813230) The Packers never held the lead. The signature play was a last-play-of-the-half [Hail Mary pass](https://www.edgepedia.org/hail-mary-pass) from Giants quarterback [Eli Manning](https://www.edgepedia.org/eli-manning) to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, a touchdown from which the Packers could not recover.[3](https://www.packers.com/news/packers-nation-stunned-by-loss-6813230) Green Bay's defense held the Giants off the board in the third quarter, and a Mason Crosby field goal pulled the Packers to within a touchdown at 20-13 to start the fourth, but the Giants pulled away to a 37-20 final.[13](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/GB.pdf) • [14](https://www.packers.com/news/hail-mary-play-was-the-game-changer-6813518) The season-ending 37-20 decision at Lambeau Field ended the Packers' title defense.[14](https://www.packers.com/news/hail-mary-play-was-the-game-changer-6813518)
## Aftermath
The 15-1 record stood as the franchise best, and the 19-game winning streak spanning the end of 2010 and the start of 2011 remained the longest in team history and the second longest in league annals.[2](https://www.packers.com/history/) Green Bay did not return to the Super Bowl during the remainder of Rodgers's time with the team, despite reaching four further NFC Championship Games.[15](https://as.com/us/nfl/ny-jets-y-green-bay-packers-reinician-negociaciones-por-aaron-rodgers-n/)
## References
1. [2011 Green Bay Packers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm)
2. [Packers History, Green Bay Packers](https://www.packers.com/history/)
3. [Packers, 'nation' stunned by loss, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/news/packers-nation-stunned-by-loss-6813230)
4. [Packers Timeline, Green Bay Packers](https://www.packers.com/history/timeline)
5. [Packers Statistics, 2011, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/team/stats/2011/)
6. [Green Bay Packers media supplement (Rodgers records), NFL.com](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/packers/vzopi8ms0bsewsibrc3e.pdf)
7. [Winning formula fails Packers, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/news/winning-formula-fails-packers-6634319)
8. [Packers will be hard pressed to have perfect season, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/packers-will-be-hard-pressed-to-have-perfect-season-09000d5d8234c2d1)
9. [Green Bay Packers record and fact book, NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1599332666/league/oeoyfjd9psshzqgeiswn.pdf)
10. [Aaron Rodgers, Packers' offense struggling to get in sync, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/aaron-rodgers-packers-offense-struggling-to-get-in-sync-0ap3000000578618)
11. [Interceptions have saved Packers in 2011, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/news/interceptions-have-saved-packers-in-2011-6172890)
12. [El dato que aleja a Mahomes y los Chiefs del tricampeonato en el Super Bowl, AS.com](https://as.com/us/nfl/el-dato-que-aleja-a-mahomes-y-los-chiefs-del-tricampeonato-en-el-super-bowl-n/)
13. [2011 NFC Divisional Playoff, continued, Green Bay Packers media guide, NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/GB.pdf)
14. [Hail-Mary play was the game-changer, Packers.com](https://www.packers.com/news/hail-mary-play-was-the-game-changer-6813518)
15. [Aaron Rodgers se une a los renovados Jets de NY tras histórico acuerdo, AS.com](https://as.com/us/nfl/ny-jets-y-green-bay-packers-reinician-negociaciones-por-aaron-rodgers-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2010 to 2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license