The Green Bay Packers flew past the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lambeau Field, using four straight scores in the first half to build a 24-0 lead and three takeaways in the second half to seal the deal on a 21-point victory.
The 34-13 victory improved the Packers’ record to 4-2 through six games.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Cardinals:
The Good
The start: The Packers scored on four straight possessions and forced punts on four straight possessions to build a 24-0 lead in the first half. Complementary football got it done early. The pivotal sequence came in the second quarter when a turnover on a fumbled punt turned into a Christian Watson touchdown when offsetting penalties negated the turnover and gave Keisean Nixon a chance to flip the field.
Depth of playmaking on offense: Ten different players produced at least 10 total yards, and the Packers had four different players with an explosive run of 10 or more yards and four different players with an explosive catch of 18 or more yards. Jordan Love completed 22 passes, and nine different players had a catch. Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs caught touchdown passes. No player had more than 90 total yards, but the Packers still finished with 437 total yards. This offense is deep and diverse, and it’s increasingly hard to defend when everyone is involved.
Three more takeaways: For the fifth time in six games, the Packers produced three takeaways — all coming in the second half as Jeff Hafley’s group made sure there would be no comeback attempt. The Packers rank first in the NFL in takeaways, and they became just the ninth team since 2010 to produce 17 or more takeaways in the first six games of a season. Karl Brooks and Evan Williams both made terrific individual plays to create turnovers on Sunday.
The Bad
Melton slip: An unfortunate play in wet conditions led to an unnecessary turnover. With the passing game rolling late in the first half, Bo Melton slipped down mid-route and turned what would have been an easy completion near midfield into an interception. The Cardinals turned the takeaway into three points, cutting the deficit to 24-10 at the half.
The Ugly
Another Narveson miss: Packers kicker Brayden Narveson missed from 44 yards, marking his fourth game with a miss in six games. Narveson’s field goal percentage of 70.6 ranks dead last among 33 qualified kickers. He’s missed four kicks between 40-49 yards, by far the most among NFL kickers this season, and his five total misses are also the most. Matt LaFleur once again expressed confidence in his rookie kicker, and Narveson did come back from the miss to hit from 41 yards out on the next possession. But when will the patience run out in Green Bay?
