They say a win is a win, which means a great deal if you’re the Green Bay Packers. It never should have been as close as it was, but Green Bay is now 3-1 after defeating the New England Patriots in overtime on Sunday 27-24.
The Patriots were down to their third-string quarterback after Brian Hoyer was knocked out of the game during the second quarter. Hoyer, who was filling in for an injured Mac Jones, was replaced by Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky. Zappe did just enough (with a little help from the officials) to keep his team in the game.
Forced to play their rookie quarterback, the Packers knew the Patriots would run the ball and still couldn’t stop them. New England ended up tallying 167 yards on the ground, which surprisingly isn’t the most this Green Bay defense has allowed through the first four games. If they don’t correct it soon, the run defense could be a real problem for the Packers once again.
Offensively, Green Bay ran the ball well for the entirety of the game, however, Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find any sort of rhythm throwing the football in the first half. He completed just four out of 11 passes for 44 yards and also threw a pick-six to Patriots corner Jack Jones. Rodgers finished with an 11.2 passer rating in the first half, which was the lowest of his career in 210 games as a starter.
Luckily, Rodgers and his receivers found their groove to score 20 points in the second half and overtime. Mason Crosby went on to seal the win with a 31-yard field goal after a huge stand by the defense. Overall, the Packers’ offense and defense put forth two uninspiring performances, but we were still able to identify some standouts amidst all the turmoil.
RB Aaron Jones
Jones has been Green Bay’s best offensive player through the first four weeks. It seems like every time Jones touches the ball, something good happens, and it makes you wonder why the Packers would ever get away from him in their game plan. Jones carried the ball 16 times against New England and racked up 110 rushing yards. He has already logged two 100-yard rushing games this season after having just one in 15 games last season. Jones is also averaging 6.8 yards per carry at the moment. With that kind of production, he should continue to be a focal point of the offense.
WR Allen Lazard
Lazard looked like a No. 1 wide receiver against the Patriots. He caught six out of eight targets for 110 yards, including an impressive diving catch on third down to start the second half. If not for Lazard’s 32-yard grab, Green Bay would have been forced to punt again after a brutal end to the first half. Who knows, the offense may have continued on the same trajectory had the pass fallen incomplete. He also had a 22-yarder to spark the scoring drive in overtime. Lazard continues to be one of Rodgers’ go-to guys in big moments.
WR Romeo Doubs
This was a tough call because Doubs had a costly drop but also came up big in some key moments. During the fourth quarter, Doubs hauled in his second career touchdown on a beautiful back-shoulder throw from Rodgers. The play showed just how much chemistry the rookie has built with his quarterback in a short amount of time. However, on the ensuing drive, Doubs dropped a perfect ball from Rodgers for what would have been a 40-yard touchdown to go up 31-24 with a little over two minutes remaining. The Packers had to punt the ball away, but Doubs quickly moved on from the play and caught a pair of passes for 17 yards to help set up the game-winning field goal in overtime.
OLB Rashan Gary
Gary is having an All-Pro season in Year 4. He is up to five sacks in 2022 after logging two against the Patriots. Gary killed a New England drive when he planted Hoyer in the dirt at around midfield for a stop on third down. The sack knocked the Patriots out of field goal range and kept Hoyer on the sideline for the rest of the game. It seems like Gary turns his play up a notch on third down. On the next drive following the sack, he forced an incompletion on third down after getting pressure on Zappe. Gary then made a crucial play in the second quarter when he strip-sacked Zappe after New England had driven the ball to Green Bay’s 22-yard line. Gary’s turnover likely kept points off the board.
Overtime Defense
The Packers’ defense didn’t have a good day overall, but they ended things on a high note with one final stand. Green Bay went three and out on the first drive of overtime, which gave the Patriots the ball at midfield after a good punt return from Marcus Jones. New England basically needed one first down and five more yards to be in field goal range. The Packers’ defense gave up five yards on the first rushing attempt but stuffed Damien Harris for no gain on the second. Green Bay then brought pressure on third down to force an incompletion. It was a positive conclusion to what was otherwise an unimpressive performance.
K Mason Crosby
Crosby still has a little clutch left in him at 38 years old. Crosby kicked a walk-off 31-yard field goal in overtime as time expired to beat the Patriots 27-24. Crosby also made a 38-yarder to tie the game at the end of the third quarter. After missing training camp with a knee injury, Crosby has made all four of his field goal attempts to start the season.
