By Chris Havel Special to EVENT USA GREEN BAY, Wis. –The Packers hit rock bottom with a fifth straight loss last week at Detroit. On Sunday, they rallied to hit pay dirt with a gritty overtime victory against Dallas at Lambeau Field. The Packers went 44 days between wins. It felt like 44 weeks. The calamitous freefall finally ended when Mason Crosby hit a 28-yard field goal in overtime to secure a 31-28 victory. Afterward, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur seemed genuinely grateful to be unburdened. “Man, it’s been a long time to stand up here and have a smile,” he said after the game. “It’s been too long to have that feeling to go into the locker room and see just the sheer joy.” “I know for myself it was hard not to get emotional after that game,” he said before pausing to regain his composure. “We put a lot into this. And it is tough at times … It means a lot to us. And to be down and fight and continue to fight, that’s what you want to see.” Indeed, the Packers (4-6) resuscitated their feint playoff hopes with the win over the Cowboys (6-3), who remain one of the NFC’s top teams. For a mid-season game in the NFL, this Week 10 matchup between the Cowboys and Packers was especially emotional. Cowboys’ coach Mike McCarthy expressed his affection for Green Bay long before the opening kickoff. McCarthy choked up during his mid-week news conference when asked about returning to Green Bay, where he won a Super Bowl and became the franchise’s No. 2 all-time winningest coach. Then, after the game, LaFleur’s eyes began to tear up when asked how it felt to see his team’s five-game losing streak come to a halt. “You hope it propels you and gives you some confidence, because I do think it’s tough anytime you go through a stretch like that,” he said. “But it is only one win.” During the game, Packers’ fans likely shed tears of joy as rookie receiver Christian Watson snagged three touchdown passes to lead Green Bay to an improbable win. The Cowboys had won 195 straight games when leading by 14 points going into the fourth quarter. The Packers didn’t blink. They got busy. Aaron Rodgers promptly led the Packers on a nine-play, 76-yard drive that was capped by a 39-yard Rodgers-to-Watson touchdown pass. That whittled the deficit to 28-21. After the Packers’ defense forced a punt, Rodgers went back to work. He led the offense on an 89-yard, 10-play drive that was capped by Rodgers’ slick 7-yard touchdown toss to Watson. That tied it and set the stage for Allen Lazard’s overtime heroics. Lazard snagged a crossing route and went 36 yards to set up Crosby’s game-clinching field goal. Rodgers believes the win can be a catalyst. He was proud of his team for not giving up despite trailing by 14 points going into the fourth quarter. “That was a turning point for us, hopefully a turning point that leads us to go on a streak,” he said. “But this was a chance for guys to (go), ‘Ah, it’s not our season, 3-7, what are we doing in the offseason? It’s not going to be our year.’ ” Watson, 23, personified the Packers’ resiliency. The 34th pick overall was plagued by injuries and inconsistency before Sunday’s coming out party, which began with two mortifying drops and ended with four catches for 107 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound speedster celebrated his first NFL touchdown reception by doing a back flip in the end zone. It came in the first quarter and erased the Cowboys’ early 7-0 lead. He was at once thrilled and relieved. “It meant the world to me,” he said. “It was a play called for me, a shot play for me, and just being able to contribute and set the tone for our offense and get some points on the board, that was huge.” Watson’s impact proved beyond any doubt that the Packers’ offense only functions at its finest when it has a legitimate deep threat. It also helps that Rodgers stayed with the game plan, which was to run the football to set up play-action passes, and after a slow start it paid off. The Packers rushed 39 times for 207 yards. Aaron Jones knifed his way to 138 yards on 24 carries with a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. A.J. Dillon added 65 yards on 13 carries, including a 17-yarder. Rodgers had time to throw and completed 14 of 20 passes for 224 yards, three touchdowns and a season-best 146.7 passer rating. Watson’s historic display made it eminently clear the Packers’ offense NEEDS a speed receiver to take the top off the defense. Watson’s three receiving touchdowns tied the franchise’s single-game rookie record. He joins James Lofton (Sept. 10, 1978), Max McGee (Oct. 30, 1954) and Billy Howton (Nov. 27, 1952). “It feels amazing just to have all the guys rallying around me,” Watson said. “Obviously it wasn’t the way I wanted to start, but it’s not how you start, it is how you finish. I stayed with it. When more opportunities came my way I wasn’t down. I was calm, cool and collected.” Defensively, Green Bay compensated for the loss of pass rusher Rashan Gary to a season-ending injury by being creative. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry put Rudy Ford at safety and moved Darnell Savage to the slot cornerback position. He also replaced Gary with a big body up front on obvious run downs, which kept Dallas from running it down their throat. Ford responded with back-to-back first-half interceptions that undoubtedly kept Green Bay in the game. The Cowboys’ Dak Prescott completed more passes (27) than Rodgers attempted (20), but it went for naught as the Packers’ defense rose up to make consecutive stops at the end of regulation and again in overtime. Prescott finished 27 of 46 for 262 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 78.6 passer rating. Tony Pollard replaced the injured Ezekiel Elliott and ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. CeeDee Lamb also made his presence felt by hauling in 11 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough.
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"Kudos to Amy for making sure that the tickets to the tailgate party were waiting for me at the reception desk! Your personal phone call and text messages went above and beyond customer satisfaction! I can't wait for the 2024 season, rest assured that my go-to Packer's game supplier will be Event USA for a long time.
-Jean-Pierre Mallette, Montréal, Canada
"Thank you so much Cathy, greatly appreciate your help.
As always, EventUSA has been awesome to deal with in booking the Lodge Kohler package for the Tampa Bay Game,
particularly for me traveling from Sydney, Australia, it takes the stress out of the booking process. "
-Kayle
"Good Morning, Nicole - Everything you did turned out great. The seats were great. Access to the air conditioned club lounge was great. Lots of Packers fans in the club lounge and overall at the stadium. The tailgate party at the fancy restaurant in the hotel was fabulous. The servers just kept on bringing out different sliders and desserts. Good thing that I got in a 30-minute run along the river in the morning. So, thank you! You may be speaking with me in November if I can work out getting up to Green Bay for a game. It's been too long since my last time.
One of the best aspects of this weekend was interacting with so many people from Wisconsin and learning their personal stories of things Packers. And we even met a couple from St. Petersburg, Florida (my home county) and were able to tell them about the Varsity Club tavern and Packers bar in Clearwater where Mark Murphy's mother is in attendance -- very nice lady whose retirement home is in Clearwater, which borders my little city of Dunedin. Pre-COVID, I always went to the Varsity when the Packers games weren't televised locally -- lots of Wisconsin natives there, too + they serve brats and sauerkraut during Packers games. I'm glad that you are working for Event USA.
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-- Martin Lawyer, Dunedin, Florida
"Dennis - I was blessed to join Amy and some of your customers at the Morton's tailgate as well as after the game. She does an amazing job for you. Every single customer I met praised Event USA for being able to arrange the hotel and tickets and fabulous tailgate party in such a quick time. Having been to some great tour tailgate parties in Jacksonville and Kansas City and old San Francisco, a lot can be said of the long-term benefit of having really great tailgate parties. Morton's was probably one of the best - amazing food, patio sitting on the riverfront, walk to stadium, open bar!!! It was first class fun!!!"
-Matt
"Hi Amy-
Just wanted to say thank you for making Jacksonville happen! We had a wonderful time and looking forward to more Packers games with Event USA in the future!
Even though the game was not what we expected- we are packers fans for life-lol!
Go pack go!!"
-Julie Mastrianni
"I want to thank Event USA and in particular Amy Flores for the Jacksonville trip. We have used you before and always were very pleased with the packages you have set up and your service.
My son who lives in Charleston, SC and myself who lives in Minnesota, decided we needed to do a guys trip and decided to go through your company to see the opener in New Orleans. I initially called and talked with Amy about some questions I had and booked our trip. After itinerary and info was emailed to us, it soon became apparent that the trip to New Orleans wouldn’t happen. In steps Amy, wondering if we would be interested in Dallas if the game was moved there and a package was set up. Then finally the move to Jacksonville and continued communication from Amy on our interest. It was getting late at that point and I was wondering if she would be able to pull off setting up a package in Jacksonville. She did it.
We went to Jacksonville and had a great time. The accommodations and the tail gate were fabulous. If only the Packer team we were hoping for had made the trip.
Thank you Event USA and in particular Amy Flores."
-Tom Sohrweide, White Bear Lake, MN
"Thank you for all your help. I had a great time at the Packer-Raider game opening day. I have already begun telling interested Packer fans in Sacramento about your service. The next time I come to Green Bay for a game, I’ll be sure to ask for your help. God bless you and God bless the Green Bay Packers."
-Frank Chavez, Sacramento
"I just wanted to say that I had such a great time. The whole weekend was so much fun. I enjoyed the Player Autograph Party and the tailgate party was just the best. After coming from a country that loves soccer, it was nice to mix with people who have the same interests as me. Thank you once again, Green Bay is one very special place."
-Beverley Moore, Lancaster
"My accommodations at the Best Western Midway were excellent. I was picked up at the airport and returned promptly. No problems at all. Your representative at the hotel on game day was very pleasant and helpful. The tailgate party was super, great food, great drinks and lots of fun. Obviously, Lambeau Field and the game itself was great. I will continue to use Event USA in the future, and I will definitely tell anyone who I come across to give you a call. One last thing, the hospitality I experienced in Green Bay was incredible. I have traveled to many places, and I don’t think there are more friendly people than the people of Green Bay. Thank you again and see you next year!"
-David Anastas, Worchester
"My wife and I booked the tour to Tampa. The trip was so well organized from start to finish. It started with the people in the office with their friendly help over the phone, to receiving the tickets in the mail, and meeting the tour guides with their upbeat personalities. Signs guided us in the airport and information was posted in our motel lobbies to keep us posted. Your people had everything in order. Talk about organization, you had it. Event USA made this a most memorable trip. Thanks for all involved."
-Dick Koerner, Neenah
"I wish to convey my sincere thanks and gratitude for providing my husband and I with, what he refers to as the greatest experience of my life, apart from my wedding day."
-Lara and Matt Appleton, Thornhill, Ontario
"Thanks for all your help, the great tickets and service, and the chance to help me make one of my son’s dreams come true, seeing the Packers playing at home in Lambeau Field."
-Sam Jones, Sedalia
"I just want to thank you for the wonderful job your staff did last weekend for the Packers vs. Lions game. This was our first time utilizing your program and we were not disappointed at all. In fact, we can’t wait to schedule and event for next season’s games. From my first experience with your staff placing my order until the very end at checkout of the hotel, everything was perfect. You truly out-do yourselves to please everyone. Thanks again for making our stay in Green Bay one of the best."
-Kim Ewing and Bruce DeMaine, Ann Arbor
"Thanks so much for the best weekend ever! You not only got us in all the Magazines, TV, WWW pages and even the big screen at Lambeau Field, but Disney World on the side? Nice job – You and your family are top notch – we were on the best tour for the Super Bowl! Seeing the Green Bay Packers win back the Lombardi Trophy was a life long dream of this Packer fan, and you all were so dedicated to the job of taking care of us that, like the Packers, we were a winning team! Keep me on your list."
-William D Lorge, Representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly