With the Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones out with an injury, there was every reason to believe that today’s game was going to be a relatively “easy” win for the Packers. Even with Bill Belichick on the other sideline, the Patriots were not exactly scaring anybody even with their starter playing. But this game turned out to be closer than it ought to have because once more it appears that Aaron Rodgers and his new receiving corps still have not completely “gelled” as they should. Rodgers—who was sacked only once in the game—completed just 4 of his first 13 passes, one of them picked-off and returned for a touchdown by Jack Jones (the second of four "Jones" I'll mention in those post); it sure looked to be that he knocked over Allen Lazard on the play…
…either that or it was a floater by Rodgers that was well short of its intended target. The officials didn’t help the Packers with a couple of missed Patriot delay of games, including one on the scoring pass that gave the Patriots a 17-14 lead that even the frustrated CBS game announcer, Jim Nantz, said was too obvious not to have been called. On what was a potential game-winning pass with 2 minutes to play in regulation, Romeo Doubs appeared to have possession of the ball just long enough over the goal line for a touchdown...
…but was ruled as not being sufficiently in possession even though Doubs lost the ball when he hit the turf. How many times have we seen a player running with the ball to the end zone pylon with the ball thrust out with one hand and then they lose the ball, but it is still counted as a touchdown? If this play had been initially ruled a touchdown, there is reason to believe the call would have stood.
On the paper, the Packers seemingly dominated, out-gaining the Patriots 443-271. But on the Patriots three offensive drives that ended in scores, they only faced one third down—on their first drive, forcing a field goal. The Packer defense was again questionable on stopping a good running attack, and was bailed out facing the second and third string quarterbacks. Yet the defense came back to life to hold the Patriots to three-and-outs on their final three possessions.
For the Packers on offensive there were a few questionable calls, none bigger than the pass to Doubs on a third-and-8 at the Patriots 40 with 2 minutes to play. A pass for a first down could have allowed the Packers a chance to keep moving the ball and burn-up clock since they would have been in field goal range anyways. The lost timeout on the Doubs replay also could have been used to when Patriots faced a fourth down on their own 11-yard line with a minute still to play.
As it turned out, after Rodgers misfired on his first two passes in the second half to continue the first half drought, he got back on the same page with his receivers and completed 17 of 22 for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Watson—on a motion play that looked eerily like the play earlier in the season when the snapped ball bounced off of him—this time took the ball from Rodgers on an end-around and scored as Patriots defenders stood around looking like WTF.
Mason Crosby’s field goal as time ran out in OT secured a 27-24 victory for the Packers that keeps them with the same record as the Vikings atop the NFC North. Perhaps after the unexpected victory against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last week, the Packers were due for a “let down” game, but this one played out like one of we’re-better-than-this games that Rodgers decided to trust his receivers and just do it. The run-game came up big after last week’s letdown with Aaron Jones passing the 100-yard mark, Lazard played like an R1 with 116 reception yards, and Doubs caught five passes as he continues to be the team’s leading receiver in pass catches.
Although the Packers are heavily favored in a "home" game in London against the Giants next week, this time it is no “gimme” game; the Giants are also 3-1 for a reason. Daniel Jones may be a bottom-tier quarterback who has not thrown a touchdown pass in two games, but the team has a dominating rushing game, leading the NFL in yards-per-game (192) and yards-per-carry (5.7) after blasting the Bears’ defense for 246 yards. The Packers have not proved they can stop a top rushing attack this year, and even if Jones can’t pass, he can still run himself—rushing for 68 yards on six carries in today’s game.
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