By Lucy Rendler-Kaplan // @lucyrk78
Sunday, September 24: 24-27 Win
This game wasn’t going to be easy from the start. Green Bay was playing without several key starters: wide receiver Randall Cobb, defensive end Mike Daniels, left tackle David Bakhtiari, defensive back Kentrell Brice, cornerback Davon House, and linebackers Jake Ryan and Nick Perry. Adding to the stress of injured players, the temperature made this game the warmest in team history.
If you haven’t been following Cincinnati’s season, you wouldn’t know they came into this game at 0-2. They were aggressive from the start and had a 21-7 lead come halftime. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times and hit more than 10 times, and most shockingly, the Bengals forced a pick-six when cornerback William Jackson intercepted a pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Jordy Nelson, leading to a 75-yard touchdown. It’s pretty impressive when you think about it. Rodgers has been in the league for 10 years, and this only the second time he’s thrown an interception that’s turned into a touchdown. Another impressive stat? With this win, Aaron Rodgers has now beaten every NFL team. Except, of course, the Packers.
It wasn’t looking good for Green Bay for most of the game. But, if any team can come from behind and rally, it’s the Green Bay Packers. And that’s exactly what they did in a 27-24 overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
After achieving only 78-yards of total offense up to halftime, the Packers opened the third quarter with an 8-play, 75-yard TD drive on a scoring connection from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson. This seemed to be the spark the team needed to boost the momentum leading to their win. Kicker Mason Crosby added a third-quarter field goal to make it a 21-17 game heading into the 4th. Not to be outdone, the Bengals kicker added three more points to their score with a field goal of his own. In a race to the finish, Rodgers found Nelson for the game-tying touchdown with only 17 seconds left in the game, sending the teams into overtime, tied at 24. I’m not sure if any two players in the entire league have more chemistry than Rodgers and Nelson do.
Cincinnati got the ball first and went 3-and-out. Rodgers took the field and connected with receiver Geronimo Allison on his famous move – the free-play, for a 72-yard reception. The stage was set for Crosby to come back out and kick the game-winning 27-yard field goal.
While I love getting to watch the Packers during short weeks, I’m not a fan of playing two games in such close succession. The Chicago Bears will travel to Lambeau Field for Thursday night football this week, and after a tough game Sunday, I’d love for the Packers to have a bit more time in between the games.
Follow and chat Packers with me // @LUCYrk78