We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By CHEESEHEADTV Embarrassing the Cowboys in Jerry World, the Packers advance to San Francisco No one picked the Packers to win this game. Except for maybe Packer fans and those within the confines of 1265 Lombardi Ave. To go into Dallas and dominate the Cowboys on their home field where they haven’t lost in 16 games was unheard of, but this team got it done. Just about everything went right for the Packers in this one. Well, maybe until late in the game, but we’ll save those comments for later. The Packers’ offense could not be stopped. Aaron Jones had his way with the Dallas rushing defense to the tune of 118 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns. Jordan Love fell only 1.1 points short of a perfect quarterback rating with his 272-yard three-touchdown performance, and how about Romeo Doubs with a huge game, catching all six of his targets for 151 yards and a touchdown? Whatever Matt LaFleur dialed up for this offense this week I hope is carried into next because it was absolutely dominant. The defense held Dallas to only 7 points in the first half and those seven points came in the final seconds of the first half. Essentially, that play shouldn’t have happened as a Cowboys lineman had a false start on the play which should’ve negated the play and ended the half, but it happened anyway. Still a good showing for the defense as they tamed the Prescott-to-Lamb connection in the first half as well as forced two huge interceptions that helped this game get out of hand quickly. Let’s get to the recap: The Packers won the coin toss and elected to receive to start this playoff game. Opening the game from their own 25-yard line, the Packers offense got off to a slow start the first two plays not getting anywhere with an Aaron Jones run before an illegal contact penalty on Dallas took them five yards forward. Two plays later Jordan Love hit Romeo Doubs for 22-yards to midfield. Several plays later Aaron Jones began to take over with four runs totaling 25 yards down to the Dallas 19-yard line giving the Packers their first trip to the red-zone. The Packers’ offense was able to move further inside the 10 mainly via two passes between Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave before on 3rd and 2, Aaron Jones took the handoff to the right and pushed his way into the endzone for the Packers’ touchdown. Following the Anders Carlson extra point, the Packers would take the lead 7-0 on a long drive with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter. With the Cowboys taking over for their first drive at their own 24-yard line, they ran two straight handoffs totaling 7 yards before Dak Prescott took off on an 18-yard scramble to midfield. Later, facing 3rd and 8 from the GB 49, Prescott barely missed Ceedee Lamb up the middle on a pass off his fingertips setting up fourth down where the Cowboys would punt it away. A flag would be thrown for fair catch interference on the return setting up the Packers at their own 24-yard line to start their second drive with 3:55 remaining in the 1st quarter. Jayden Reed may have gotten away with a bit of a flop, but my Packers brain says rules are rules, he still touched him, 15 yards in the Packers’ favor. Starting their second drive, an incompletion and a short Aaron Jones run would set up 3rd and 9 where Jordan Love would hit Romeo Doubs again for a drive-saver on a 26-yard pass to midfield. A short Emmanuel Wilson run, and another incompletion would set up 3rd and 9 again from the Dallas 48 where Love would seemingly get rid of the ball toward Jayden Reed. Elgton Jenkins would be flagged for holding on the play, but the penalty would be declined bringing in Daniel Whelan for his first punt in two weeks. Whelan would pin the Cowboys at their own 8-yard line where they’d take over with 1:26 remaining in the first. Beginning this next drive deep in their own territory, the Dallas offense would take a shot on first down but miss deep to Brandin Cooks. On third down Jaire Alexander would pick off Dak Prescott at the DAL 19-yard line with the Packers taking over with 43 seconds left in the first. On first down Aaron Jones would take a screen pass 13 yards to the Dallas 6-yard line. On 1st and goal Tucker Kraft would be called for holding backing up the Packers’ offense 10 yards to the 16-yard line. That is where the first quarter would end. The Packers offense would kick off the 2nd quarter with 1st and goal from the Dallas 16-yard line after the holding call. On that first down, Jordan Love would hit Romeo Doubs up the middle for 15 yards to the Dallas 1-yard line where Aaron Jones would pound it into paydirt for a second time taking the Packers’ lead to 14-0 with 14:15 remaining in the second quarter. Beginning their first drive of the second quarter from their own 14-yard line, Dallas got off to a good start with an 11-yard run by Tony Pollard and picked off another first down on a third down swing pass to Dowdle for 4 yards to the DAL 37. Two plays later Prescott would hit Ferguson for 22 yards up the middle to the GB 41-yard line. After two more plays, Dallas was faced with third down and Dak Prescott would be flushed out of the pocket before Keisean Nixon would sack him for a loss of 6 yards forcing the Cowboys to punt again. Following the punt, the Packers offense would take over from their own 5-yard line with 9:07 remaining in the first half. After a Tucker Kraft 10-yard catch to the GB 26 the Packers would get their first first down of the drive. On that first down, Jordan Love would hit Romeo Doubs and Doubs would scamper for a 39-yard gain to the Dallas 35-yard line. On third down 2 plays later Love would hit Luke Musgrave who would toe-tap in bounds for another first down to the Dallas 28. A few plays later facing 3rd and 7, Jordan Love hit Dontayvion Wicks right up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Unfortunately, we can’t have nice things at least once a game as Anders Carlson would hit the upright on the extra point. The score would rise to 20-0 Packers, with 3:23 remaining in the half. Love with a great pass where only Wicks could get it giving the Packers a commanding lead. The Cowboys would take over at their own 25 and in three plays get a first down with the clock running on the half. Dallas would then drive through the air with several passes getting down to the GB 40-yard line where we’d hit the two-minute warning. On the very first play following the clock stoppage Dak Prescot would throw an interception straight to Darnell Savage and Savage would take it the distance. Touchdown Packers and they would go up 27-0 with 1:50 remaining in the half. Dallas would get a big kick return from Turpin 47 yards to the Dallas 45-yard line where they’d start the drive with 1:43 remaining in the half. On the first play, Quay Walker would be called on a phantom horse collar tackle. Walker had him by the shoulder not the collar, but 15 yards in Dallas’ favor to the GB 37. Dallas would then drive down to the GB 10 before taking a timeout with 23 seconds remaining. On first down, Dak Prescott nearly threw his 3rd INT to DeVondre Campbell, but Campbell couldn’t hang on. Two plays later Prescott hit Ceedee Lamb to the GB 1 for the first down and with 2 seconds left on the clock after an incompletion, Prescott hit Jake Ferguson for a touchdown as time expired. The Packers would head into the locker room up 27-7 with Dallas receiving the ball after halftime. Kicking off their first drive of the second half at their own 25 following the kick return, Prescott hit Lamb for 13 yards to the DAL 37. On third down, Dak Prescott scrambled and was stopped short of the first down, but Kenny Clark would be called for a facemask continuing to give Dallas life to the Packers’ 40-yard line. Two plays later facing third down Prescott would hit Lamb again and Lamb would make a good spin for the first down to the GB 27. The Packers stood up on 1st and second down following and then facing 3rd and 10 from the GB 16, Preston Smith batted down the Dak Prescott pass setting up fourth down and Dallas would attempt a 34-yard field goal nailing it to take the score to 27-10 Packers with 9:23 remaining in the 3rd. Starting their first drive of the second half from their own 25, the Packers would get a first down after two Aaron Jones runs totaling 12 yards. Then on first down when it seemed like the Packers had a broken play with Aaron Jones running into Jordan Love, Love showed his calm demeanor sailing a pass to Romeo Doubs for 46 yards to the Dallas 17-yard line. Two plays later Aaron Jones got in the endzone for a third time taking a nine-yard run across the goal line for the touchdown. Following the extra point, the Packers would go up 34-10 with 6:38 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Taking over at their own 12 following a holding call on the kickoff, the Cowboys would get 8 yards off a pass to Tony Pollard, and McDuffie would be shaken up on the play. Two plays later, Prescott would hit Michael Gallup for a gain of 42 to the GB 35. A play later, Jaire Alexander would go down hurt as well, not good for the Packers regardless of the outcome of this game so far. Several plays later, the Cowboys would face 3rd and 1 where Tony Pollard would push his way to the first down at the GB 13-yard line. On second down Preston Smith would jump offsides giving Dallas 2nd and 5 from the 8-yard line where Dak Prescott would get the first down on a scramble to the GB 2. On the next play, Prescott threw an incompletion, but Kingsley Enagbare was called for holding pushing Dallas closer to the goal line. On the next play, Tony Pollard would push his way into the endzone, and Dallas would go for two converting it, but a flag would be thrown for pass interference negating the attempt. Dallas would instead have to kick the extra point but would miss it as the kick would hit the upright making the score 34-16 with 3:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Following the kickoff, the Packers would take over at their own 25. Aaron Jones would pick up a first down on the first play with a 10-yard run. The following play Jones punished Dallas again with a 27-yard run to the Dallas 38, and on the very next play Jordan Love boot-legged to his left and found Luke Musgrave wide open for the 38-yard touchdown. Following the successful extra point, the Packers lead would swell to 25 with them up 41-16 with 1:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter. What a response to Dallas’ score as the Packers continue to keep their foot on the gas in this game. After the kickoff, the Cowboys would take over again at their own 25. They’d hit Jake Ferguson right away for a first down which the play would be challenged and stand, 11-yard gain for Ferguson. Dallas would run a few more plays to the DAL 41 and going for it on 4th and 5 Dak Prescott threw up a prayer into the abyss with no one around. Packers would take over on downs and the 3rd quarter would expire. After the ball was turned over on downs, the Packers offense would take over at the Dallas 41-yard line to begin the 4h quarter. On the first play of the drive, Aaron Jones took off on a run 19 yards to the DAL 21. This is when Jerry World began to hear Go Pack Go chants with the Packers running down the clock in scoring range. Three Emmanuel Wilson runs later, the Packers had another first down to the DAL 11-yard line. After getting as far as the Dallas 3-yard line on Wilson’s runs, the Packers lined up to go for it on 4th down and Jordan Love found Romeo Doubs in the endzone for the touchdown. Packers up 48-16 with 10:23 remaining in the game. Dallas would get the ball again down 32 and take over at their own 25. Essentially garbage time would take off and Dallas would get into Packer’s territory with 9:30 remaining on the clock. Five plays later Dallas would get down to the Packers’ 3-yard line. On 2nd down Lukas Van Ness would sack Dak Prescott for a loss of 5 before Prescott would hit Jake Ferguson in the endzone for the touchdown. Dallas would line up for another 2-point conversion and would convert. The score goes to 48-24 Packers with 5:54 remaining in the game. Basically, a score no one cared about at the time as this one was out of hand with the Packers keeping some starters off the field. With the Packers hopping on the onside kick, the Packers would take over at midfield with Sean Clifford at QB since the game is out of reach. After a false start on Royce Newman, the Packers would go backward before running the ball with Patrick Taylor three times mainly just running the clock. The Packers would line up to punt for only the second time today and the Cowboys would take over after the punt at their own 9 with 4:49 remaining in the game. Two plays in, Prescott would hit Lamb for a 47-yard gain to the GB 33. After the first play, tempers would flare with TJ Slaton catching a personal foul giving Dallas a free 15 yards. The next play Prescott would hit Ferguson again for the touchdown, and Dallas would convert on the two-point try again making this a two-score game, the Packers up 48-32 with 3:25 remaining. Dallas would kick another onside attempt and the Packers would hop on it taking over at Dallas’ 44-yard line. The Packers would put Jordan Love and Aaron Jones back in with the game suddenly in reach again. Dallas would spend their final timeout after an Aaron Jones run. One more run and the Packers would face 3rd and 7 from the Dallas 41. Love would pass the ball to Tucker Kraft but it would fall incomplete stopping the clock and the Packers would punt it away. Dallas would then take over again with 2:22 remaining in the game from their own 8-yard line. Prescott would hit Cooks for an 18-yard gain to the DAL 26 and that’s where we’d reach the two-minute warning. Dallas drove through the air down to their 44 where they’d face 3rd and 3 and would convert on an 8-yard Cooks catch. Several plays later Dak Prescott would launch a prayer on 4th and 8 but would not convert, the Packers would take over on downs. The Packers would take a knee and wind out the clock to win this one 48-32 advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. Aaron Jones achieves this honor for yet another week. Something about playing in Dallas, close to his hometown of El Paso ignites Aaron Jones and tonight was no different. Jones had 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns as well as 1 catch for 13 yards. Jones is the electricity in the veins of this Packers offense. The rest of the team without question builds off his success and even I want to run through a wall for Aaron Jones this season. Onward we go with 33 leading the way. This could’ve gone to several players but I feel like Darnell Savage’s pick-six made this blowout more real. Dallas had a chance to perhaps make it a 13-point game with 2nd and 2 at the GB 40, but Prescott threw to Ceedee Lamb and Savage jumped right in front of the pass taking it the distance. The score would hit 27-0 Packers and the route was on. Granted the game got closer later, that pick-six seemed to be the dagger to the heart of the Cowboys. So this award is going to Darnell Savage. Everything. Can I say that? Because it’s almost true. Romeo Doubs stepping up with Dallas holding Jayden Reed to no production. Doubs delivered where Reed couldn’t and that was huge. The offensive line paved roads for Aaron Jones to dance down, and they kept Jordan Love upright against a very good Dallas pass rush. Love wasn’t sacked once and was only hit three times. Anders Carlson’s extra point miss seems to be a right of passage for every game. I always respond in my recap that it’s why we “can’t have nice things.” I just hope it doesn’t end up costing us down the road. Perhaps we let up and played soft too soon. This one didn’t have to get so close later, but it did. Dallas has an explosive offense and perhaps starting to play soft and pull starters with 6 minutes remaining wasn’t the best call, but alas, we still won it. Just can’t let that happen and bite us. At the time I write this recap, we don’t know yet when we will be traveling to San Francisco. Of course, I have plans that I will have to adjust no matter the day. I didn’t see this playoff run coming but I am not at all complaining. As we look toward the match-up in San Francisco I have to start by saying, it had to be the 49ers. Dallas can’t seem to beat the Packers to save their lives in the postseason lately. And well, the Packers haven’t been able to solve the 49ers in the postseason. But hey, it’s a new era in Green Bay and anything can happen as we saw today. San Francisco is almost a complete team. The Packers will have to be on their game like they were today if they wish to defeat San Francisco. As we saw today, the Packers can get it done if they want, hopefully, they can do the same and shock the world next week as well. Until then, Go Pack Go. Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
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Jordan Love caps off incredible first season with the game of his life vs. Bears
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love capped off an incredible first season as the starter with what might qualify — given the circumstances — as the best game of his young professional football career on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Love completed 27 of 32 passes for 316 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 17-9 win over the rival Chicago Bears. Two of his five incompletions were dropped passes in the end zone that would have been touchdowns. Love set season highs in completion percentage (84.4), yards per attempt (9.9) and passer rating (28.6). His 27 completions and 316 passing yards were his second most in 2023. Most importantly, the win Sunday clinched a playoff spot in the first year of the Love era in Green Bay and will send the Packers to Dallas to play Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round. Love’s masterclass performance vs. the Bears was the perfect finisher to his first season as the starter. “I don’t think there are many questions left.” coach Matt LaFleur said post-game. “Great things are in store for him.” Love ended the regular season completing 372 of 579 passes for 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. He completed 64.4 percent of his passes, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and finished with a passer rating of 96.2. He also added four rushing touchdowns, giving him 36 total. Love had 10 games with multiple touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 100.0 or more. And the Packers are headed to the postseason despite a 2-5 start. Down the stretch, Love produced a passer rating of 100.0 or better in five straight games and seven of the last eight. Over his last eight games, he threw just one interception and the Packers went 6-2. On Sunday, Love threw a pair of touchdown passes to Dontayvion Wicks and delivered one of the late daggers on a third-down completion to Tucker Kraft. Romeo Doubs and Bo Melton had potential touchdown passes dropped or ruled incomplete. Love joined Brett Favre, Lynn Dickey and Aaron Rodgers as the only four quarterbacks in team history to throw at least 30 touchdown passes and create at least 4,000 passing yards in a single season.
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7 standouts from Packers’ 33-10 win over the Vikings on New Year’s Eve
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE The Green Bay Packers got four total touchdowns from Jordan Love, another 100-yard rushing game from Aaron Jones, a pair of touchdowns from Jayden Reed, a surprise performance from Bo Melton and a few takeaways on defense during Sunday night’s 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers led 10-0 in the first quarter, 23-3 at halftime and 30-3 late in the third quarter. The Vikings, a team that had played 14 one-score games, got crushed at home. Here are seven standouts from the Packers’ blowout win over the Vikings on New Year’s Eve: Love completed 24 of 33 passes for 256 yards, three touchdown passes and zero interceptions, and he rushed for a fourth score. Amazingly, Love was one slight overthrow on an extended play (targeting Malik Heath) and one slight miss/drop on fourth down (targeting Bo Melton) from producing five passing scores. The first-year starter completed 72 percent of his passes, averaged 7.8 yards per attempt and didn’t have a turnover. His passer rating? 125.3. Love has produced multiple touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating over 100.0 six of the last seven games. Melton made the absolute most of his third and final practice squad elevation. The second-year receiver caught a career-high six passes, produced the Packers’ first 100-yard receiving game of the season, caught his first career touchdown pass and delivered both the dagger score and the game’s final first down. Melton’s night could have been even bigger had he hauled in a fourth down pass in the first half. Expect the Packers to sign him to the 53-man roster at some point next week. Smith made two impact plays against left tackle Christian Darrisaw. His pressure on third down ended the Vikings’ first possession, and his strip-sack late in the first half set up a Packers touchdown and helped create a commanding halftime lead. The veteran edge rusher For the second straight week, Jones delivered explosive runs and went over 100 rushing yards. He had gains of 19 yards and 25 yards as a rusher and added one catch for 10 yards. The Packers can be a dominant offense when Jones is healthy and delivering on the ground. Jones now has a run of at least 20 yards in each of the last three games. He eventually left with a chest injury, but Reed was a dominant force in the first half. The rookie caught six passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His first score — a 33-yarder on a catch between two deep safeties — put the Packers up 10-0. The second — an incredible catch-and-run of 25 yards — gave the Packers a 23-3 advantage before the half. Reed set the team record for catches by a rookie in a single season and became just the third rookie in team history to had 10 touchdowns in a season. The slot corner finished with a team-high 11 tackles, 0.5 sacks and a pass breakup. He made a huge tackle on third down to help create a turnover on downs, timed out a blitz on a sack of Nick Mullens and defended a late fourth down pass into the end zone. Nixon played nearly every defensive snap for a secondary that allowed less than 100 combined receiving yards to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn. He defended three passes, including a fortunate interception of a deflected pass by Jaren Hall in the first half. Ballentine was one-on-one with Justin Jefferson down the sideline on one of his other pass breakups. The Packers didn’t have Jaire Alexander or Eric Stokes but it didn’t matter on Sunday night. Ballentine handled his business in coverage. His three pass defensed were a game high.
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QB Jordan Jove
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Aaron Jones
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Keisean Nixon
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Breaking down Packers’ 33-30 win over the Panthers in Week 16
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE The Green Bay Packers snapped a two-game losing streak and kept their season alive with a dramatic 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The victory featured a blown 14-point lead and a career-best performance from rookie Bryce Young, but the Packers are returning home with the only thing that matters: a victory. Now 7-8, the Packers have given themselves a chance to win the final two games and sneak into the postseason. Here’s what went right, what went wrong, what it means and what’s next for the Packers after Sunday’s 33-30 win: The Packers are still alive in the NFC playoff race. Green Bay is one of four teams at 7-8 (Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints), and all four are chasing the 8-7 Los Angeles Rams and 8-7 Seattle Seahawks for the final two wildcard spots. Beating the Vikings and Chicago Bears over the final two games will give the Packers a legitimate chance at making the postseason field, but nothing is guaranteed at this point. Can the Packers defense survive a road test in Minnesota and a visit from Justin Fields and the Bears in the season finale? Even if this season ends short of qualification for the playoffs, the Packers have learned two important things: Jordan Love and the young playmakers on offense are good, and the defense desperately needs new leadership in 2024. Another elimination game. The Packers will go to Minnesota to play the 7-8 Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 17. Can Matt LaFleur’s team extend the season with a road win in a tough atmosphere on New Year’s Eve night? Last year, the Packers got trucked in the season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium. This year’s showdown won’t feature Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. The winner will have a terrific chance of qualifying for the postseason, and the loser will almost certainly be out. The Vikings beat the Packers 24-10 at Lambeau Field back in October.
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Breaking down Packers’ 34-20 loss to Buccaneers in Week 15
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE The Green Bay Packers trailed 3-0 after both teams’ opening possession, went into halftime down 13-10 and then lost control of the contest when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored touchdowns on three straight possessions to open the second half in a 34-20 loss to their old NFC Central rivals on Sunday at Lambeau Field.The Packers lost a second consecutive game and dropped to 6-8. Now, anything less than a 3-0 stretch to finish the season will likely mean missing out on the playoffs for the second straight season.Here’s what went right, what went wrong, what it means and what’s next for the Packers after Sunday’s 34-20 loss: The rollercoaster season continues in Green Bay. The Packers, once the young darlings of the NFL after wins over the Lions and Chiefs got them back to 6-6, are now teetering on the edge of playoff contention after a second consecutive disappointing defeat. Can Matt LaFleur’s team reel off three straight wins and sneak into the postseason? It’s not out of the realm of possibility, as the last few months proved the Packers can beat anyone when they play well in all three phases and lose to anyone when they struggle in all three phases. They could go 0-3 just as easily as 3-0 over the final three. The Packers need to get healthy in a few key areas, stop playing sloppy football on offense and fix all the issues on defense, but that’s a lot to ask of a young, inconsistent team this late in the season. A must win game arrives Sunday in Charlotte against the Panthers. Carolina is 2-12 on the season but coming off a 9-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons that snapped a six-game losing streak. Can the Packers bounce back from back-to-back defeats and beat a team that hasn’t scored more than 20 points since mid-October? The Packers can keep their season alive with a win, but nothing is a guarantee when Matt LaFleur’s volatile football team is involved.
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Breaking down Packers’ 34-20 loss to Buccaneers in Week 15
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Breaking down Packers’ 24-22 loss to Giants in Week 14
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE The Green Bay Packers had their three-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Tommy DeVito, Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants on Monday night at MetLife Stadium. Despite leading 7-0 in the first quarter, 10-7 at halftime and 22-21 with 1:33 left, the Packers were unable to seal the deal, giving up a game-winning field goal drive to cap off a disappointing performance overall. The Packers are now 6-7 — including 0-2 on “Monday Night Football” — through 14 weeks. Here’s what went right, what went wrong, what it means and what’s next for the Packers after Monday night’s 24-22 loss: — Jayden Reed gave the Packers a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a well-designed and perfectly executed end around. The touchdown came two plays after a 35-yard catch-and-run by A.J. Dillon and three plays after Dontayvion Wicks’ sprawling fourth-down conversion. — Jordan Love and Malik Heath teamed up to give the Packers a late lead with an incredible throw and catch on 3rd-and-goal with 1:33 left. The touchdown was the first of Heath’s NFL career. — Rookie tight end Tucker Kraft caught four passes for 64 yards, all career-highs. His final three catches, including the 43-yarder to kickstart a scoring drive in the fourth quarter, gained first downs. — Carrington Valentine produced an impressive 50-yard fumble return after Saquon Barkley’s nightmare moment in the fourth quarter. The return set up the go-ahead touchdown. — The Packers stuffed a fourth-down attempt from the Giants in the first half. — The Packers turned the ball over three times. Jordan Love lost a fumble (his first of the season) and threw an interception in Giants territory, negating points, and Keisean Nixon muffed a punt, leading to a Giants touchdown to open the second half. New York scored only seven points off three turnovers but the giveaways were probably the difference in the game. — Nixon gave up a 32-yard catch after losing leverage on the final drive. The explosive play moved the Giants to the 22-yard line and set up the game-winning field goal. It was the only completion over 15 yards allowed by the Packers defense. — The Packers had zero sacks, two quarterback hits and zero pass breakups on Tommy DeVito, a rookie quarterback starting his fourth career game. The pass-rush consistently flew past DeVito, who scrambled for positive plays. — The Giants rushed for over 200 yards. The Packers are now 0-4 when giving up 200 or more this season. Saquon Barkley scored two rushing touchdowns, DeVito rushed for 71 yards, and Wan’Dale Robinson had a 32-yard run setting up a touchdown. — Jayden Reed’s 10 targets and 14 total touches created only 65 total yards, including just 27 receiving yards. The Packers desperately tried to get him going on misdirection plays but the Giants — after getting tricked early — stuffed the majority of them, including the pivotal two-point conversion late. — The Packers were out-gained by 1.8 yards per play against a team that came into the game averaging only 4.1 yards per play. — Anders Carlson made three field goals but also missed one from 45. The Packers lost by two points. — The Packers finished 5-for-14 on third down and 2-for-5 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. — Both Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and Jayden Reed (elevated for concussion) suffered injuries. For a team in the thick of the postseason push, this was a terrible, terrible loss. The Packers played extremely poorly and threw away an incredible opportunity to get to 7-6 and solidify themselves as the team to beat in the NFC wild card race. There are still four winnable games down the stretch, but Monday night was a great reminder that this is a young, volatile Packers team who can beat anyone but also get beat by anyone. While the Packers remain the No. 7 seed in the postseason standings entering Week 15, it might be difficult for Matt LaFleur’s team to regain the momentum it carried through the previous five games. And now the Packers are one of six teams with a 6-7 record competing for a wildcard spot. A big rebound is required next week against a division-leading team currently in the NFC playoffs. The Packers will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Lambeau Field next Sunday. The showdown marks the first time the two teams will play in Green Bay since the 2020 NFC title game. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are long gone, but this is still a big one for two teams transitioning away from Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The Bucs started 3-1 and then lost six of seven games, but Todd Bowles’ team has won back-to-back games — including a thrilling win over the Falcons last week to take control in the NFC South. The Packers — who are losing a day due to playing on the road on Monday night — will have to find a way to recover and bounce back quickly against a team starting to heat up.
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Breaking down Packers’ 24-22 loss to Giants in Week 14
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Jordan Love throws 3 TD passes, Packers beat Chiefs 27-19 for 3rd straight win
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By ESPN GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love showed the Kansas City Chiefs just how much he’s learned since the last time he faced them. Love connected with Christian Watson on two of his three touchdown passes and the resurgent Green Bay Packers won their third straight game, 27-19 over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. This marked the first time Love had faced the Chiefs since a 13-7 loss at Kansas City two years ago in his first career start, after a positive COVID-19 test sidelined Aaron Rodgers. “Obviously I’ve had this game circled for a long time,” Love said. “This was my first start and I obviously didn’t play how I wanted to the first game. To be able to see these guys and get the victory is huge.” The Packers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives and never trailed, with their defense making two big stops in the last 5 1/2 minutes. Green Bay knocked down Mahomes’ pass into the end zone on the game’s final play. Since losing four straight earlier this season, the Packers have won four of five to creep into playoff position. “They’re coming together,” Packers cach Matt LaFleur said. “They’re working. They’re getting better. They’re playing faster, playing more confident.” The Packers (6-6) improved their December record to 16-0 under LaFleur. The only team ever to win more consecutive December games was the San Diego Chargers with 18 straight from 2006-09, before their move to Los Angeles. Love went 25 of 36 for 267 yards. Tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard catch for his first career touchdown, and Love added TD passes of 9 and 12 yards to Watson. Mahomes was 21 of 33 for 210 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs (8-4), who lost in front of pop superstar Taylor Swift for the first time. Kansas City had won its previous four games Swift had attended since beginning her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce. Kansas City still leads the AFC West but fell behind three other teams for the top seed in the conference. “The Packers I thought did a great job tonight,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They got after us, and it’s a good football team. We’ve got to be able to start faster on both sides of the ball. We’ve got to make sure we take care of that. Whether it was the penalties on offense or whether we weren’t getting off the field on the defensive side, those are things that cost us. We’ve got to learn from that and get better as we go forward.” Isiah Pacheco rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown before getting ejected for punching Keisean Nixon during a scuffle on the game’s final series. Noah Grayhad a 2-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter that got Kansas City within two. Mahomes had a couple of late chances to tie the game or take the lead. Kansas City had a first down just beyond midfield when Nixon picked off Mahomes’ pass intended for Skyy Moore with 5:14 left. The turnover set up a 48-yard field goal by Anders Carlson that made it 27-19. Kansas City got the ball back at its own 30 with 1:09 left and no timeouts remaining. Mahomes had a 10-yard run and got hit by Jonathan Owens while going out of bounds, leading to a personal foul that put the ball at Green Bay’s 45. Rashee Ricethen appeared to fumble, with Green Bay’s Corey Ballentine returning it for a game-clinching touchdown, but replays showed Rice was down before the ball came loose. Kansas City couldn’t capitalize. The Chiefs argued in vain for a pass interference call on a long incompletion to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the final minute. The Chiefs had the ball at Kansas City’s 33 on the game’s final play, when Mahomes threw into a crowd, and there was plenty of contact before the ball fell to the ground. Chiefs: LB Drue Tranquill left with a concussion in the first quarter. S Bryan Cook was carted off the field with an ankle injury in the third quarter. RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) didn’t play. Packers: Watson injured his hamstring while running for a first down late in the fourth quarter. CB Jaire Alexander(shoulder) missed a fourth consecutive game. RB Aaron Jones (knee) and TE Josiah Deguara (hip) were out for a second straight game.
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Jordan Love throws 3 TD passes, Packers beat Chiefs 27-19 for 3rd straight win
INJURY REPORT
Behind the Numbers: Jordan Love and Packers pass game shine on Thanksgiving
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE We may never hear Brian Gutekunst say this part out loud, but priority No. 1 for the Packers this season is to figure out if Jordan Love can be the starting quarterback for the long haul. While through the early and middle portions of the season, that answer was unclear, with many assuming the answer was no, he’s not the guy, Love’s play over the last month, coupled with a signature win in Detroit, showcases that the answer is instead yes. “I thought he was awesome the entire game,” said LaFleur of Love’s day. “He’s a cool customer. You can have really good conversations with him and I just never see him get too high or too low, whether it’s going good or not so good. He’s just a guy that’s really matured a lot over these last four years. It’s hard not to root for him, first and foremost. All those guys in the locker room love him. I can tell you all the coaches love him. His approach. He’s consistent in terms of who he is on a daily basis. He’s one of the guys and I think that’s always important from that position.” It was, without question, an impressive day for Love, but this was a total team win for the short-handed Packers. We saw complementary football from all three phases, with the defense generating key stops, the offensive line holding up well against a stout Lions front, and the Packers’ young pass catchers continuing to make plays. Now, having had the opportunity to look back at this game, here are the key stats and figures that you need to know about and that defined Green Bay’s performance on Thanksgiving. Jordan Love put together a masterful performance on Thanksgiving Day. He finished the game completing 22-of-32 passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Love also averaged 8.4 yards per pass, which for context, over the course of the season, would be the third-highest rate in football. He was confident, decisive, accurate, and made a variety of different throws. Outside of the numbers, what makes this performance truly special was that Love did it without a run game to lean on. Green Bay has struggled to generate consistent push in the run game this season. They also found themselves short-handed at the position and up against one of the best run defenses in football. The Packers knew they had to move the ball through the air, and I’m guessing the Lions were expecting that as well. However, even though Green Bay came into the game somewhat one-dimensional, giving Detroit somewhat of an advantage, the Lions still didn’t have much of an answer for Love and the Packers’ passing game. The offense has done a better job moving the football over the last month but still struggled once they got to the red zone. In the last four games, Green Bay had converted just four of their 15 red zone trips into touchdowns. However, against the Lions, and in a game where taking advantage of every opportunity was a must, the Packers were very efficient in the red zone, scoring a touchdown on three of their four trips. Matt LaFleur has said recently that the offense’s red zone issues stem from not having a strong run game to lean on. In a condensed part of the field where there is less space to operate, moving the ball through the air is naturally more difficult. Green Bay’s running backs averaged barely over three yards per rush in this contest, which again, is a credit to Love and the young pass catchers for being able to find success in this part of the field passing the ball. In Week 4, the last time these two teams met, the Packers offensive line was bullied. In that game, Love was pressured on nearly 50 percent of his dropbacks–an absurd amount. Along with being pressured at a high rate, the Lions converted those opportunities into five sacks and 11 hits. However, on Thursday, Love wasn’t sacked at all, and he was hit just four times. It was a night and day difference in performance from the offensive line. With time in the pocket, Love was able to go through his reads, didn’t need to force anything in an effort to speed things up, and the receivers had additional time to create separation. Along with the Lions having several really good players up front, they also do a really good job of utilizing stunts, blitzes, and different personnel groupings to cause chaos for the offensive line, but the Packers handled that well. The Packers entered this game with the second-fewest takeaways in the NFL. In fact, in recent weeks, LaFleur has mentioned on a few occasions how the defense has to be better in that regard to not only help themselves by getting off the field but also to give the offense additional possessions. Detroit, despite their overall success, has been turnover-prone at times this season, and Green Bay was able to take advantage with three forced fumbles and three recoveries. The first resulted in a scoop and score for Jonathan Owens. On the other two, the Packers offense failed to take advantage by putting points on the board, but nonetheless, it swung momentum, and limited the Lions’ scoring opportunities. When the Packers win the turnover battle this season, they are 3-1. When they lose it, they are 1-4. The Packers pass rush did an excellent job of getting after Jared Goff, totaling three sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles. When kept clean this season, Goff has been very efficient, completing nearly 75 percent of his passes at 8.2 yards per attempt, but when under pressure, that completion rate drops to just 53 percent and 6.1 yards per pass. Disrupting Goff’s timing and getting him off his spot is a must, or he will pick defenses apart. Goff would complete 29-of-44 passes for 332 yards in this game, but most of that damage was done too little, too late. Helping the Green Bay pass rush out was that the Packers played with a multi-score lead for much of the day, forcing the Lions to be more dependent on throwing the ball. Green Bay also didn’t let Detroit dominate in the run game like last time either. The Lions ended up going for it on fourth down five times in this game, and the Green Bay defense did a really good job of getting off the field in these instances, allowing Detroit to move the chains on just one occasion. The Packers also came well-prepared for the Lions’ fake punt attempt, which you could tell they were expecting based on their alignment. If we factor that play in, Detroit was just 1-for-6 on fourth downs. There have been many instances this season where the Green Bay defense has failed to get off the field, setting up scoring drives for the opponent, but that wasn’t the case on Thursday. Christian Watson had what was easily his best performance of the season in this one, leading the team in both receptions and yards, with five for 94. Beyond the stat sheet, the most encouraging aspects of Watson’s performance were that we saw him and Love connect on a downfield pass attempt, and several of the receptions that he made were contested–something that has given him fits this season. Hopefully, like his performance against Dallas in Week 10 of last year, this game will become a jumping-off point for Watson. This offense won’t reach its potential without him being a key factor. “He had a big-time game today,” said LaFleur of Watson. “That was good to see just for him. I know he hasn’t been flawless up to this point, but I thought he came up big today and made a lot of critical catches.” While Watson led the way, one big advantage that the Packers have right now in the passing game is that on any given play, the ball could go to four or five different players, with just about all of them having the ability to generate an explosive play. Eight different Packers had at least one target in this game, with five of those players totaling over 30 receiving yards. When a defense can’t necessarily key in on one of two players, it adds a layer of unpredictability to the Green Bay offense. Follow all of your favorite Wisconsin teams at Packers Wire, Badgers Wire and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel!
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Behind the Numbers: Jordan Love and Packers pass game shine on Thanksgiving
8.4 Yards per pass for Jordan Love
3-for-4 in the red zone on offense
0 Sacks allowed by Packers offensive line
Packers win the turnover battle 3-0
2 sacks, 12 hits and 3 forced fumbles for Packers pass rush
Lions 1-for-5 on fourth downs
5 catches for 94 yards for Christian Watson
Packers spread the Love in the passing game to beat Chargers
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE A collective effort from Jordan Love and the entire group of Packers pass catchers helped spark a late game-winning drive and ultimately lift Green Bay over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. It was two weeks ago prior to the Los Angeles Rams game, with the Packers in the midst of a four-game losing streak that included dropped passes and wrong routes by their young group of pass catchers, that wide receivers coach Jason Vrable said that the previous two weeks of practice had been their best and that the results were going to come. At the time, and given the results, it could have been interpreted as coach speak. However, Sunday showed the culmination of what had been building in practice over the last month. All five active receivers had at least one reception against the Chargers. Including tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, seven different players – 10 if we count the running backs – made an impact in the passing game. Romeo Doubs led the way with five receptions. Both he and Christian Watson also found the end zone. Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed continued to generate explosive plays, along with Tucker Kraft, who flashed that YAC ability we saw at South Dakota State. Luke Musgrave continued to be a steady target for Jordan Love and Malik Heath made his first NFL catch, while also throwing a key chip block on Khalil Mack on the game-winning drive. “I think the group as a whole, first off,” said Matt LaFleur post game. “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to (Jason) Vrable, he does a really good job with those guys of holding them to a high standard. Those guys compete with one another now. They do a great job. Guys like Malik (Heath) stepping in there. He had the huge chip on that third down on (Khalil) Mack. Putting him on his butt on the play that got called for the pass interference that allowed us to continue that drive. “All those guys, they all battle, they all compete. I know the balls are tough to come by in terms of when you have five-plus guys that you feel like it can go to anybody and they show up with a great attribute. They cheer for one another and that’s always great to see as well.” The Chargers defense plays a split-safety look quite often. This can make pushing the ball downfield vertically difficult for opposing offenses with the two safeties over the top. However, Love and the passing game were still able to generate five explosive pass plays of 20 yards or more – an area where this unit has been picking up steam in recent weeks – including four of them coming on Green Bay’s two go-ahead scoring drives in the second half. Most of the big plays in the passing game for Green Bay were sparked by yards after the catch opportunities, with that charge being led by Reed and Wicks, both of whom seem to have a sixth sense for finding the holes in an opposing defense. “They’re playmakers,” said Love about Wicks and Reed. “They stepped up big today. They are two explosive guys. When you get the ball in their hands they are able to make guys miss and make those plays. Get some explosive pass plays and J-Reed was in the run game a lot. They’re just playmakers.” Not surprisingly, with a variety of reliable pass-catching options to lean on, Love put together his best statistical performance as a starting quarterback. He finished the game completing 27-of-40 passes at 8.1 yards per attempt for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Love was efficient and patient. As already mentioned, with not a lot of downfield opportunities open, Love was happy to take what was available to him as he went through his progressions. He kept the ball out of harms way by not forcing anything, and delivered several well-executed and challenging throws, including a few with pressure in his face. “It was huge,” said LaFleur of Love’s performance. “He showed great poise. I think he showed that all game long. “Feels good to be on the other side of these types of ball games,” added LaFleur. “Just really proud of our group, just in terms of, they are growing. They’re continuing to battle. We are getting better and we had a lot of guys step up and that was critical today. The young wideouts all made plays today and that was critical. I’m just really happy with our guys and the effort they put forward.” On the four previous occasions when the Packers lost a fourth-quarter lead, those games all ended in defeat. Facing a very similar situation agianst Los Angeles, which included them trailing in the final five minutes and with the ball, unlike past games, Love and his pass-catchers were able to deliver that elusive game-winning drive. In fitting fashion for this game, it included three different receivers touching the ball on a drive that lasted just six plays, and two explosive plays. What this Packers offense has been missing for much of the season is that go-to option in the passing game. In those must have it situations, who does Love have to lean on? We still may not know who that player truly is – although Reed and Wicks have emerged as candidates – but also powerful is the unpredictability that this passing game potentially possesses, with the ball able to go in a handful of directions on just about any given play. “It’s hard for a team to have just one player that is doing extremely well and only rely on that one person,” said Christian Watson. “So the more that everyone else can make plays the more plays we can make plays in the run game, the more it sets up everybody else in the other phases.” Follow all of your favorite Wisconsin teams at Packers Wire, Badgers Wire and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel!
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Packers spread the Love in the passing game to beat Chargers
Jordan Love and Packers still learning how to win the hard way
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out! By PACKERSWIRE For the fourth time in six losses, the Green Bay Packers took a second-half lead, gave it up and failed to find the winning plays late. Sunday’s 23-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium was just the latest example of Jordan Love and the Packers still learning how to win the hard way in Year 1 of a new era. The Packers overcame a 17-7 deficit by scoring 12 straight points and led 19-17 in the third quarter. But the defense immediately gave up three points and the lead on the next drive, and Love and the offense — despite four possessions and two drives entering the red zone — couldn’t overcome what ended up being a four-point deficit. A seemingly small mistake — a blocked extra point in the second quarter — ended up being huge. The Packers trailed by four points instead of three late and had to go for touchdowns instead of what could have been the game-tying field goal late. Missed opportunities continue to haunt LaFleur’s team. The Packers led in the fourth quarter of losses to the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos. Sunday was the third time the Packers have taken a second-half lead but then immediately given it up on the ensuing defensive possession. Love threw interceptions on back-to-back drives into the red zone in the fourth quarter. He was intercepted in opponent’s territory during the fourth quarter of losses to the Detroit Lions, Raiders, Broncos and now Steelers. He also went 0-for-4 on four-straight plays with a chance to win the game in Week 2 against the Falcons. Love has been in position but is still trying to find the special, game-winning plays that all quarterbacks must create to win close games. The parallels to the 2008 season with Aaron Rodgers are becoming more and more obvious. That team lost seven one-score games, including several where Rodgers took the lead, the defense gave it up and a late chance came up empty. Even a team coming off a 13-3 season in 2007 had to re-learn how to make all the winning plays late in games. No team likes to lose. No fanbase enjoys losing. But failing in tough situations is often the only way to truly learn what it takes to be successful consistently. The Packers are now 3-6. A tough stretch — against the Chargers, Lions and Chiefs — awaits. This team probably isn’t going to the playoffs. But after slogging through a couple of ugly games, progress is starting to appear. There are signs of life, particularly for Love and the young playmakers on offense. On Sunday, Love hit Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs for magnificent touchdowns, connected with Luke Musgrave for a pair of explosive plays and gave the Packers a chance late with an incredible 46-yard completion to Reed. Does going through this stretch of difficult losses guarantee future success? No. The 2008 Packers were led by a truly special player, and the 2009 team added Dom Capers and Clay Matthews. Love has made real progress, but he remains a question mark long term. He must improve, the pieces around him must improve and the Packers must improve everything around what’s already there, both by adding new players and improving the coaching staff. This team is laying the foundation. Nothing about this part of the process is fun, but learning how to win is a necessary step that can’t be skipped. Follow all of your favorite Wisconsin teams at Packers Wire, Badgers Wire and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel!
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Jordan Love and Packers still learning how to win the hard way
