Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave a few injury updates in his Tuesday presser this week, indicating that pass rusher Preston Smith (core) and offensive lineman Lucas Patrick (core) would both miss a few weeks, but that neither injury will require surgery. He also said that Dean Lowry (shoulder) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (shoulder), are day-to-day heading into Thursday's clash with the Cardinals.
LaFleur also heaped praise on seventh-year pro Za'Darius Smith, who was recently named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his four-sack, two-forced-fumble performance against Washington. After praising Smith's attitude, he pointed to the effect he has on other players, noting that Kingsley Keke (who also recovered a fumble Sunday) has been "foaming at the mouth" to take the next step in his development as well.
With the win on Sunday coupled with the Bears' 24-8 loss to Tampa Bay to drop to 4-3, the Packers leapt into second place in the NFC North by virtue of their victory over Chicago last week. The Packers trail only the Minnesota Vikings (4-2), who were on their bye week in Week 7.
With a matchup between Kliff Kingsbury and Matt LaFleur, plus both defenses coming off a short week, it was no surprise that Thursday Night Football featured fireworks early and often. On the first drive, DeAndre Hopkins snuck away from his coverage for a 20-yard grab to the Packers' 25, leading to a 2-yard touchdown by James Conner to open the scoring. The Packers fired back with a 24-yard run by A.J. Dillon and a 21-yard crosser to Allen Lazard, who punched in the tying score on an 11-yard slant to knot it at 7.
After some promising defense on the next Arizona possession including a sack by De'Vondre Campbell and a nice tackle in the backfield by Krys Barnes on Conner, Kevin King found himself chasing Hopkins all the way down the field for a 93-yard touchdown! And, to make matters worse, Jordan Love was picked off in the flat by Jalen Thompson on the Packers' next drive too, leading to another Conner drive and a 3-yard touchdown, his second of the day, to go up 21-7 early in the second quarter.
Showing some life, the Packers converted a 3rd and 18 with a 24 yard grab by Lazard, but despite some nice Aaron Jones runs, they settled for a 26-yard field goal to make it 21-10. Arizona would not settle, however, and the hapless Packers defense, coming off a shutout against Washington, had no answer for Kyler Murray in the first half. Thanks to Murray's arm and his legs, the Cardinals got right down the field and Conner plowed through from five yards out for his third score, making it 28-10.
Right before the half, Marquez Valdes-Scantling took a crosser 27 yards to the Arizona 46, and after a Chandler Jones sack, Love hooked up with Davante Adams for 40 down the sideline to the three! And with 36 seconds remaining, Love found MVS to cut the lead to 28-17 as the teams entered the locker room.
Looking to capitalize on their momentum at the end of the first half, Green Bay handed the ball to Aaron Jones for some nice runs to open up the drive. On third down around midfield, Love hit seventh-round rookie Kylin Hill out of the backfield all the way down to the 3! Unfortunately, the Arizona defense stiffened up and the Packers had to send Mason Crosby out for a 21-yard field goal to make it 28-20.
The Packers made a nice stand on their next drive, with Za'Darius Smith tripping up Kyler Murray on third, and Love led the Packers down the field again. After he picked up a couple of first downs with his legs, he handed the ball to Jones, who took it up the middle for 20 down to the Cards' 33. A couple of plays later, after a Marcedes Lewis first down grab, Jones finished off the drive with a 19-yard scamper through the middle toward the left pylon! Unfortunately, Green Bay was unable to tie the game, as Love's 2-point conversion attempt to Valdes-Scantling fell incomplete. Heading into the fourth, the Cardinals led at home, 28-26.
On the next Green Bay possession, Lazard came up short on third down, but on the ensuing punt, Isaac Yiadom crushed Christian Kirk to force the ball loose - it was recovered (somehow) by offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins in Arizona territory! A 16-yard grab by Robert Tonyan put the Packers back in the redzone to the 18. After Adams made a grab to the 5 and Jones rushed to the 1, Dillon was stuffed on 3rd and goal, forcing a go-ahead Crosby field goal. It was 29-28 with 8:45 left.
Arizona took the ball and got into Green Bay territory quickly. Andy Isabella took a 22-yard grab down to the Packers' 22, and although De'Vondre Campbell made a nice, first-down-saving tackle on third, Matt Prater knocked through a 34-yarder to re-take the lead, 31-29, with 4:51 to go.
After swapping scoreless possessions, the Packers started with the ball on their own 48 with 1:33 to go and no timeouts. The second play saw Lazard duck out of bounds for 11 to the 39 yard line, at the fringe of Crosby's field goal range. On the next play, Aaron Jones took a draw up the middle for 9. Davante Adams followed this up with a 14-yard catch near the sideline, but was unable to get out of bounds, and the clock inexplicably ran out on LaFleur and the Packers before the field goal unit could get on the field! The Cardinals escape by the skin of their teeth!
FINAL SCORE: Cardinals 31, Packers 29.
After the game, there was a distinct feeling of anxiety in the locker room, with LaFleur admitting that he got too ahead of himself and called a play that "wasn't close enough to the sideline" on the final drive. He put the blame solely on himself and said he was "proud of the way Jordan and the offense fought back" while crediting Joe Barry the defense's second half adjustments. He called this one "one that just got away from me" and expressed his disappointment that he let the team down.
NEXT UP: With ten days of rest, the Packers (4-4) look to make it three wins out of four as they head to Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) and Patrick Mahomes!
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
Oct 28, 2021
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
Green Bay Packers (4-3)
7
10
9
3
29
Arizona Cardinals (2-5)
14
14
0
3
31
Team Stats Comparison
GNB
ARI
Total Offense
515
412
Rushing Yards
202
76
Passing Yards
313
336
First Downs
26
18
Punt Return Yards
0
10
Kick Return Yards
48
84
Total Yards
563
503
Turnovers
1
1
3rd Down Conversion
9/14 (64%)
3/8 (37%)
4th Down Conversion
0/0
1/1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion
0/1 (0%)
0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
3/3
3/1
Penalties
2-10
0-0
Posession Time
26:46
21:14
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
GNB
ARI
8:30
(ARI) James Conner 3-yard run (Prater PAT good)
0
7
5:47
(GNB) Allen Lazard 11-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
7
7
4:37
(ARI) DeAndre Hopkins 93-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Prater PAT good)
7
14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
GNB
ARI
11:27
(ARI) James Conner 3-yard run (Prater PAT good)
7
21
5:48
(GNB) Mason Crosby 26-yard FG
10
21
2:05
(ARI) James Conner 5-yard run (Prater PAT good)
10
28
0:35
(GNB) Marquez Valdes-Scantling 3-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
17
28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
GNB
ARI
8:47
(GNB) Mason Crosby 20-yard FG
20
28
2:47
(GNB) Aaron Jones 19-yard run (2PT failed)
26
28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
GNB
ARI
8:44
(GNB) Mason Crosby 17-yard FG
29
28
4:50
(ARI) Matt Prater 34-yard FG
29
31
Green Bay Packers
PASSING
C/A
YDS
TD
INT
Jordan Love
25/38
349
2
1
RUSHING
ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
Aaron Jones
22
138
6.2
1
A.J. Dillon
7
33
4.7
0
Jordan Love
4
31
7.7
0
RECEIVING
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
Davante Adams
9
128
14.2
0
Allen Lazard
6
87
14.5
1
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
4
50
12.5
1
Kylin Hill
1
49
49.0
0
Robert Tonyan
2
26
13.0
0
Marcedes Lewis
1
11
11.0
0
A.J. Dillon
1
3
3.0
0
Aaron Jones
1
-5
-5.0
0
DEFENSE
TACK
SACK
INT
TD
De'Vondre Campbell
7
1.0
0
0
Jaire Alexander
6
1.0
0
0
Darnell Savage
6
0
0
0
Kevin King
4
0
0
0
Krys Barnes
4
0
0
0
Eric Stokes
4
0
0
0
Adrian Amos
3
0
0
0
Za'Darius Smith
2
0
0
0
Kenny Clark
2
0
0
0
Dean Lowry
2
0
0
0
Isaac Yiadom
1
0
0
0
Chandon Sullivan
1
0
0
0
Will Redmond
1
0
0
0
Kingsley Keke
1
0
0
0
Henry Black
1
0
0
0
KICKING
FG
XP
PTS
LONG
Mason Crosby
3/3
2/2
11
26
KICK RETURN
RET
YDS
AVG
TD
Kylin Hill
3
48
16.0
0
PUNT RETURN
RET
YDS
AVG
TD
N/A
Arizona Cardinals
PASSING
C/A
YDS
TD
INT
Kyler Murray
25/32
353
1
0
RUSHING
ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
Kyler Murray
8
34
4.2
0
James Conner
7
28
4.0
3
Chase Edmonds
5
14
2.8
0
RECEIVING
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
DeAndre Hopkins
3
135
45.0
1
Christian Kirk
5
51
10.2
0
James Conner
6
50
8.3
0
Andy Isabella
3
34
11.3
0
Maxx Williams
2
31
15.5
0
A.J. Green
3
30
10.0
0
Chase Edmonds
3
22
7.3
0
DEFENSE
TACK
SACK
INT
TD
Isaiah Simmons
12
0
0
0
Zaven Collins
11
0
0
0
Darqueze Dennard
9
0
0
0
Byron Murphy Jr.
6
0
0
0
J.J. Watt
5
0.5
0
0
Chandler Jones
5
2.0
0
0
Charles Washington
4
0
0
0
Keion Crossen
4
0
0
0
Kawann Short
4
0
0
0
Whitney Mercilus
3
0
0
0
Markus Golden
2
0
0
0
Deionte Thompson
2
0
0
0
Jalen Thompson
20
0
1
0
Devon Kennard
1
0.5
0
0
Victor Dimukeje
1
0
0
0
KICKING
FG
XP
PTS
LONG
Matt Prater
1/1
4/4
7
34
KICK RETURN
RET
YDS
AVG
TD
Christian Kirk
4
84
21.0
0
PUNT RETURN
RET
YDS
AVG
TD
Christian Kirk
1
10
10.0
0
Whoops I forgot to take a screenshot from this game!
With no major stories around the league this week, Matt LaFleur spoke about one that means a lot inside 1265 Lombardi Avenue: the return of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari to the lineup from last year's torn ACL. LaFleur noted that Bakhtiari would be activated from the PUP list and, if all went well in practice, would make his season debut guarding Jordan Love's blind side in Arrowhead this Sunday. He will be sorely needed coming off a mini-bye against a 7-1 Chiefs team which has the #1 scoring defense in the league to this point.
LaFleur also noted that linebacker Preston Smith and offensive lineman Lucas Patrick would both miss a second straight game with their respective abdominal injuries.
With All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari finally back in the lineup after a torn ACL last December, Green Bay entered rainy, sloppy Arrowhead Stadium against the 7-1 Chiefs with one goal: run, run, run. Head coach Matt LaFleur emphasized getting the ground game going to ease the load on Jordan Love, and that's exactly what they did. Trailing 3-0 late in the first, Aaron Jones put the team on his back with 48 yards rushing on the drive (out of his 195 total yards on the day), including a 27-yard score to give the Packers a 7-3 lead.
The Chiefs weren't quite ready to give up their run game though, and the quarter ended with a 23-yard run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Shortly thereafter, Patrick Mahomes found his big-time weapon Travis Kelce for 21 and the score past Adrian Amos. After adding a field goal to go up 13-7 and forcing a three-and-out, the Chiefs looked to take a two-score lead heading into halftime. But thanks to big pressure by Za'Darius Smith, Mahomes didn't see Jaire Alexander jump a slant route to Tyreek Hill, and the fourth-year pro stepped in front of the ball and sprinted down the field for a 41-yard pick six! After timely defense and the windy, sloppy conditions forced a missed field goal from both Harrison Butker and Mason Crosby, the teams entered the locker room with the Packers up, 14-13.
Early in the third, Aaron Jones picked up 5 on 4th and inches from the Kansas City 36, and a couple of plays later, Robert Tonyan made a 20-yard grab down to the 5! A.J. Dillon converted, barreling in for the score on third down! But Crosby missed another kick, this time an extra point, to keep the lead at 20-13. The Chiefs made the Packers pay for that mistake quickly, as a 29-yard angle route by CEH led to a trio of Kelce catches for 14, 19, and then a 10-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20. Following a 22-yard Love scramble and a 40-yard Jones run, the Packers re-took the lead, 23-20.
The defenses stiffened up on both ends after that. A few minutes into the fourth, De'Vondre Campbell stepped in front of a Mahomes pass down to the Kansas City 21, but after Tyrann Mathieu jarred loose what would have been a touchdown catch by Aaron Jones, Mason Crosby missed another field goal! Not to be outdone, Butker returned the favor, missing his second of the day on the ensuing drive.
Finally, it was the Chiefs' defense that blinked. On the first play of the ensuing Packers drive, Tonyan took a 28-yard pass down to the KC 25. Then, Jones turned upfield for 15 yards to the 10, and a picture-perfect toe-tap ball to Davante Adams in the back of the endzone gave the Packers a late 30-20 lead with 7:28 remaining. Despite a nice Chiefs drive to try to stay in it, Butker missed a third field goal, knocking a 50-yarder off the right upright, to essentially seal it. Crosby added a 33-yard field goal to make it 33-20, and an endzone swat by Jaire Alexander and a 4th and 1 stop by De'Vondre Campbell on Jerick McKinnon sealed it for Green Bay in a big-time upset.
FINAL SCORE: Packers 33, Chiefs 20.
Coach LaFleur's gameplan worked to perfection in this one. In the rainy, muddy atmosphere at Arrowhead, he manufactured ways to get the ball to Aaron Jones, who ended with 25 carries for a career-high 173 yards on the ground as well as 3 grabs for 22 yards through the air. As planned, it took the weight off of Jordan Love, who completed 14 out of 29 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Afterwards, Allen Lazard said that Jones showed why he's one of the best in the game. He also credited the defense, whose five sacks (2 each from Za'Darius Smith and Kingsley Keke) went far in forcing both of Mahomes's interceptions, including Jaire Alexander's pick six.
NEXT UP: Looking to stay afloat in the division race, the Packers (5-4) return to Lambeau Field to face the Seattle Seahawks (2-6)!
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs
Nov 7, 2021
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
Green Bay Packers (4-4)
7
7
9
10
33
Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)
3
10
7
0
20
Team Stats Comparison
GNB
KAN
Total Offense
365
452
Rushing Yards
224
68
Passing Yards
141
384
First Downs
19
22
Punt Return Yards
0
10
Kick Return Yards
33
42
Total Yards
398
504
Turnovers
0
2
3rd Down Conversion
3/13 (23%)
4/14 (28%)
4th Down Conversion
1/2 (50%)
0/1 (0%)
2-Point Conversion
0/0
0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
2/2
1/1
Penalties
0-0
2-15
Posession Time
21:16
26:37
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
GNB
KAN
9:03
(KAN) Harrison Butker 46-yard FG
0
3
1:03
(GNB) Aaron Jones 27-yard run (Crosby PAT good)
7
3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
GNB
KAN
9:23
(KAN) Travis Kelce 21-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Butker PAT good)
7
10
5:31
(KAN) Harrison Butker 49-yard FG
7
13
2:43
(GNB) Jaire Alexander 41-yard interception return (Crosby PAT good)
14
13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
GNB
KAN
7:11
(GNB) A.J. Dillon 2-yard run (Crosby PAT missed)
20
13
5:07
(KAN) Travis Kelce 10-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Butker PAT good)
20
20
3:07
(GNB) Mason Crosby 25-yard FG
23
20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
GNB
KAN
7:37
(GNB) Davante Adams 10-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
At Tuesday's presser, cornerback Kevin King talked about the big plays that Jaire Alexander has added to his arsenal this year. He talks about how the cornerback room is always pushing each other to get better and make splash plays and so he's trying to do the same this week in Seattle.
Matt LaFleur said that heading into this game against the 2-6 Seattle Seahawks, he told the team to not ride too high on the Chiefs win because Pete Carroll is a great coach and Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He stressed avoiding the trap game and not getting too cocky because there's a long way to go in this season and the team has to earn every single win.
Don't remind most Packers fans about the 2015 NFC Championship Game; the loss still stings for many. And while the Seahawks haven't been as effective against the Packers as of late, losing four of the five meetings between the teams since that overtime victory, they are always a threat to strike when you least expect them. At 2-6, they looked dead in the water through the first eight weeks of the year, with Wilson struggling and Pete Carroll appearing to be on his way out of the Pacific Northwest. Wilson's 0-4 record and zero 300+ yard games at Lambeau Field loomed as well. But as Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur warned in his Tuesday presser, his young team had to keep its head on a swivel after an upset victory over Kansas City at home against the dangerous Seahawks.
In a dynamic first quarter, Wilson started off looking like the "Mr. Unlimited" of old, completing six of six passes on his first drive for 71 yards and a touchdown to Miles Boykin, carving up the Packers' defense for an early lead. Jordan Love matched him, however, and in addition to 3 runs for 25 yards by Aaron Jones, Love went six for six for 40 yards and a 13-yard touchdown to Robert Tonyan to tie it up at 7. After a big fourth down stop by Jaire Alexander, Jones took a stretch handoff for 24, bouncing it around right tackle Billy Turner to the Seattle 34. A few plays later, the Seattle secondary miscommunicated, making the inexcusable mistake of leaving Davante Adams all alone for a walk-in 16-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 14-7 lead after one.
To open the second, the Seahawks drove right down the field and knotted it back up with a 14-yard grab by DK Metcalf. On their next possession, Wilson continued to slice up the Swiss cheese defense, hitting Boykin for a series of chunks down the field before running it into the endzone himself from 3 yards out to make it 21-14 Seattle. As they tried to add more before the half, Metcalf took a grab for 11 yards to the Packers' 39, but after a deep shot to Metcalf fell incomplete, Rashan Gary came up with the play of the day for the Packers' defense so far, bringing Wilson down out of field goal range as the teams headed to the locker room, Green Bay still within one score.
Right out of halftime, the Packers offense looked like a house of fire, as Love connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a pair of crossers, one for 25 yards and then another for 38 down to the Seattle 1-yard line! He capped off the drive with a play action strike to Adams, who dragged his toes along the sideline to knot it up at 21. Unfortunately, Seattle's offense came out once again firing on all cylinders, picking up a 3rd and 19 to the Packers' 11 thanks to another Boykin catch, and one play later, Metcalf shrugged off a Packers defender to walk into the endzone for a touchdown, pushing Seattle ahead 28-21.
From there, Love's predilection for pushing too hard reared its ugly head, though it wasn't quite his fault, as a ball bounced off of Tonyan's hands into the arms of Quandre Diggs for a key interception. On the next drive, Gerald Everett picked up 30 on a third-and-7 play all the way down to the Packers' 26, which led to a 23-yard Jason Myers field goal, making it 31-21. The backbreaking mistake came next. After Kylin Hill had a nice return out to the 37, Love beat Bobby Wagner to the sticks on a 4th and 4 to convert, then dropped a ball in the bucket down the left sideline to Allen Lazard all the way to the Seahawks 15! After a big-time sack by Jamal Adams, though, Love was hit as he threw, and the ball fluttered into the hands of Seattle cornerback D.J. Reed Jr., who took the ball 98 yards to the house, effectively sealing the game at 38-21 early in the fourth.
After a couple more Myers field goals, Krys Barnes had a garbage time interception which led to an over-the-top 34-yard touchdown from Love to Devin Funchess to pad the stats, though the game ended in a 44-27 Seahawks victory. To make matters worse, one week after returning David Bakhtiari, the Packers lost two offensive tackles to injuries in the fourth quarter, as Billy Turner sprained his knee and his backup, Dennis Kelly, strained his groin. Neither returned to the game.
FINAL SCORE: Seahawks 44, Packers 27.
Russell Wilson finally exorcised his Lambeau Field demons in a big way, completing 30 out of 40 attempts for 346 yards and 3 TDs, as well as a late interception after the game was decided. On the other side, it was the turnovers that once again bit Jordan Love, as he threw for 23 completions on 39 attempts for 275 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Due to the second half catch-up attempt, Aaron Jones finished just four yards short of his fifth consecutive 100+ yard rushing game, carrying the ball 18 times for 96 yards. Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett noted after the game that they abandoned the run "a little too early" and that they did not "put our young quarterback in a position to succeed," as he credited Seattle defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on his strong second-half adjustments.
NEXT UP: Back at .500, the Packers (5-5) seek to get back into the win column as they head to Minneapolis to visit the Minnesota Vikings (4-5) at U.S. Bank Stadium for a key divisional matchup!
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
Nov 14, 2021
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
Seattle Seahawks (2-6)
7
14
10
13
44
Green Bay Packers (5-4)
14
0
7
6
27
Team Stats Comparison
SEA
GNB
Total Offense
435
374
Rushing Yards
113
144
Passing Yards
322
230
First Downs
23
16
Punt Return Yards
4
4
Kick Return Yards
0
66
Total Yards
439
444
Turnovers
1
2
3rd Down Conversion
4/11 (36%)
2/13 (15%)
4th Down Conversion
0/1 (0%)
3/6 (50%)
2-Point Conversion
0/0
0/1 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
4/2
3/0
Penalties
1-5
0-0
Posession Time
28:37
19:23
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
SEA
GNB
9:23
(SEA) Miles Boykin 10-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Myers PAT good)
7
0
5:30
(GNB) Robert Tonyan 13-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
7
7
0:19
(GNB) Davante Adams 17-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
7
14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
SEA
GNB
9:31
(SEA) D.K. Metcalf 14-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Myers PAT good)
14
14
2:31
(SEA) Russell Wilson 3-yard run (Myers PAT good)
21
14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
SEA
GNB
10:30
(GNB) Davante Adams 11-yard pass from Jordan Love (Crosby PAT good)
21
21
6:27
(SEA) D.K. Metcalf 11-yard pass from Russell Wilson
28
21
1:18
(SEA) Jason Myers 22-yard FG
31
21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
SEA
GNB
9:50
(SEA) D.J. Reed Jr. 98-yard interception return (Myers PAT good)
38
21
7:43
(SEA) Jason Myers 47-yard FG
41
21
4:23
(SEA) Jason Myers 26-yard FG
44
21
0:20
(GNB) Devin Funchess 34-yard pass from Jordan Love (2PT failed)
11-30-2021, 11:33 AM
