Running back Samkon Gado seemingly came out of nowhere to make a big splash for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. The undrafted rookie from Nigeria stepped up when injuries hit the Packers running back room and enjoyed three late-season games with 100 or more yards rushing. His best game came in Week 14 when he set a Packers rookie record by gaining 171 yards on 29 carries in a 16-13 overtime win for the Pack.
Packers RB Samkon Gado Set a Packers Rookie Record: The Buildup
The 2005 season was a disappointment for the Packers. Despite winning 10 games and the NFC North title the previous season, they entered this Week 14 game with the Lions with a 2-10 record. Meanwhile, the Lions were 4-8.
Head coach Mike Sherman had to deal with injuries to key players like wide receiver Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson and running backs Ahman Green, Najeh Davenport and Tony Fisher.
These two teams had nothing left to play for but pride with the Packers looking to avenge their season-opening 17-3 loss to the Lions in Detroit.
The Packers Fall Behind Early
The Lions wasted little time and took the lead on the game’s opening drive. Quarterback Jeff Garcia found Scottie Vines for 22 yards and then Kevin Jones ran 40 yards around right end to get the ball to the Packers 10. On 3rd-and-goal from the one, Paris Lenon and Roy Manning stopped Artose Pinner short of the goal line and the Lions settled for a 19-yard field goal by Jason Hanson. Green Bay trailed 3-0.
Things got worse on the Packers first drive. Brett Favre was sacked and fumbled. James Davis recovered for Detroit at the Packers 18. The Lions got to the Green Bay three, but the defense again stiffened, and the Lions led 6-0 after a 23-yard field goal by Hanson.
The Packers answered with a short drive that led to a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell to make it 6-3. Key plays included completions by Favre to Ferguson for 11 yards, to Andrae Thurman for nine and then to Gado for nine more.
But the joy was short-lived for the Packers. Detroit’s R.W. McQuarters returned the ensuing kickoff 73 yards to the Packers 16. Four plays later, Garcia found Roy Williams on a four-yard touchdown pass and the Lions led 13-3 before the first quarter was over.
Packers RB Samkon Gado Set a Packers Rookie Record: Gado Starts to Shine
The Packers moved the ball on their next series, but the drive stalled, and Longwell’s 38-yard field goal attempt was blocked. Rookie guard Will Whitticker was responsible for the blocked kick. He was also called for two false start penalties in the game. Favre was all over him and yelled at the rookie on the sidelines after one penalty.
Gado got the Packers back in the game on their next drive. He ran off left tackle for a 64-yard touchdown. Kennoy Kennedy had him by the ankles at the Detroit 33, but Gado broke the tackle and made it to the end zone. The score at the half was 13-10 Detroit.
“Normally I don’t feel very comfortable stretching the play, stretching the ball,” Gado said after the game. “But that play is designed to keep stretching, keep stretching until finally the [defensive] ends will be sealed.”
Offensive tackle Mark Tauscher was impressed by Gado. “He’s making guys miss, he’s doing spins, he’s holding the ball tight, he’s running through guys. I like the way he runs. I think he’s coming into his own.”
The Packers Tie It
Gado didn’t stop after his 64-yard effort. He continued to gain chunks of yardage in the second half. He ran for 17 yards late in the third quarter to key the tying field goal by Longwell. Passes to Donald Driver for 19 yards and fullback William Henderson for 15 also kept the drive going. The game was tied 13-13.
The Lions nearly took the lead the next time they touched the ball. A 40-yard pass to Roy Williams got the ball to the Green Bay 16. The Lions moved to the Green Bay one and had three chances to score and take the lead. But the Packers stuffed Pinner on second and third downs. On fourth and goal from the one, Na’il Diggs stopped Garcia short of the end zone and the Packers defense held.
“They were running right at us, and we just stuffed it,” defensive tackle Grady Jackson said. “That’s the play you are looking for.”
Detroit appeared to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a wild play. With 6:59 left, the Packers took over on their own one after the goal line stand. Gado took a handoff and was hit in the end zone by Lions middle linebacker Earl Holmes. The ball came loose, and fullback Vonta Leach recovered in the end zone for an apparent safety. But after review, the play was ruled an incomplete forward pass by Gado, and the Packers kept the ball.
“I grabbed him on the sideline and said, ‘What were you doing?’” Sherman said. “He said, ‘coach, I did throw it forward.’ Those were his exact words. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.”
The fourth quarter ended with the score 13-13 and the game headed to overtime.
Packers RB Samkon Gado Set a Packers Rookie Record: Overtime
The Packers won the toss and never let Detroit touch the ball. Gado carried six times during this drive which was set up by a 33-yard kick return by Antonio Chatman.
The 10-play, 56-yard drive stalled at the Detroit nine. Longwell kicked his third field goal of the game, this one from 28 yards out and the Packers won the game 16-13.
“I love being in a pressure situation. It never gets old,” Longwell said. “I’ll never get tired of watching it fly through the uprights.”
The Aftermath
Gado finished the game with 171 yards rushing on 29 carries, breaking John Brockington’s Packers rookie mark of 149 set in 1971.
Gado was excited by his performance. “I think the expectations that I’ve set for myself, even after I’ve surpassed the ones that weren’t set, just keep being broken,” he said. “It’s obviously a team record, I think. If you just look (at) those runs, there was some I wasn’t even touched.”
Sherman seemed more cautious. “Samkon has improved week by week by week. I think he’s beginning to prove he’s not a one-time wonder. I think he seeing things better. He’s certainly not the finished product yet, but he certainly made a statement today…He’s not Ahman Green right now, but he certainly has shown some tremendous qualities. His durability, the awareness, his growth all are very big plusses on his behalf.”
Gado finished the 2005 campaign with 582 yards in 143 carries. He played eight games and started five. He played one more game for the Packers the following season before he was released and signed with the Houston Texans.
Today, Gado works as a doctor and lives in Virginia. While he only had a handful of games with the Packers, he certainly left his mark on the team and in the record books.
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