Recap: Packers Hang On to Win a Wild Overtime Thriller
We all knew the Green Bay vs. Cincinnati match-up would be a good one, but no one could’ve predicted what transpired in the waning minutes of this game. It was a wild one, to say the least.
Whether you missed the game or just want to relive all the crazy moments – with a little less stress this time – here’s a quick breakdown!
First Quarter
Both Green Bay and Cincinnati started slow offensively. Although they looked promising at times, the Packers’ three beginning possessions ended in two punts and one Aaron Rodgers interception. On the sixth drive of the game, Joe Burrow found Samaje Perine in the endzone for the game’s first score.
Green Bay ended the first quarter with only 67 yards of total offense. On the defensive side, Krys Barnes notched a notable sack and cornerback Eric Stokes proved why he was a first-round draft pick with a few big stops.
End of Q1:
Packers 0 Bengals 7
Second Quarter
Things started clicking for the Packers’ offense in the second quarter. Rodgers found his favorite target, Davante Adams, on a few big throws that helped push Green Bay downfield. The drive ended in Rodgers and running back AJ Dillon connecting for a short touchdown. Mason Crosby then missed the extra point, leaving the Pack behind by one.
Preston Smith’s takedown of Burrow got the ball right back to Green Bay but their offense couldn’t quite reach the redzone. Crosby redeemed himself with a 44-yard field goal, getting the Packers a two-point lead.
Midway through the quarter, Joe Barry’s defense really heated up. TJ Slaton and Dean Lowry got back-to-back sacks on Burrow, the Packers’ third of the game, ending the Bengals’ next drive.
Adams continued to make huge plays as Green Bay looked to score once more before time expired. Rodgers eventually found him for a touchdown pass, putting the icing on the cake of the Packers’ impressive nine-play, five-minute drive.
With that TD, Rodgers passed Philip Rivers to reach fifth place on the NFL’s all-time passing touchdown list with 422.
Rodgers 5th all-time in passing TDs.
Davante Adams – still scary 😱
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 10, 2021
Unfortunately, Green Bay’s good vibes didn’t last long. With 44 seconds left on the clock, Burrow launched a 70-yard TD to Ja’Marr Chase and slashed the Packers’ lead back to two.
Halftime:
Packers 16 Bengals 14
Third Quarter
The Bengals got the ball to start the second half, but only 90 seconds passed before Green Bay stole it back. Heavy pressure by Kenny Clark resulted in Adrian Amos picking off Burrow for the Packers’ first takeaway. Rodgers systematically drove the team toward the endzone in promising fashion, but Cincinnati’s defense came up with a stop. Green Bay was forced to settle for another 44-yard Crosby field goal.
With less than a minute to go, the Bengals reached the 18 yard line and converted on 4th & 2. However, costly penalties for holding and delay of game took away Cincinnati’s first down and pushed them out of field goal range. They were forced to punt it away with eight seconds remaining.
End of Q3:
Packers 19 Bengals 14
Fourth Quarter
As soon as Q4 got underway, Rodgers and Adams continued to prove why they’re considered one of the best QB-WR duos in the league. The two connected for a beautiful 59-yard throw-and-catch that brought the Packers all the way down to the 5 yard-line. Unfortunately, the offense failed to capitalize in the redzone yet again. Crosby kicked a 22-yard FG to extend Green Bay’s lead to 22-14.
Beautiful throw by RODGERS, spectacular route and catch by ADAMS. Man really blew by and split the defense. 💪pic.twitter.com/1s5FjzXEIe
— Packers Nation (@PackersNationCP) October 10, 2021
Cincinnati responded with a long 75-yard, eight-minute possession of their own. They effectively moved the ball downfield and converted on a series of third and fourth downs. Joe Mixon finished the drive by running in an eight-yard touchdown. Burrow then connected with Tee Higgins on the two-point conversion. Suddenly, it was a tie game.
Aaron Jones exploded for a huge 57-yard run, but the Packers’ momentum screeched to a halt when they couldn’t find the endzone once more. Crosby then missed a 36-yard field goal, snapping his streak of 27 consecutively made.
Just when it all looked over for the Packers, Cincinnati’s kicker doinked the go-ahead 57-yard field goal, giving the ball back to Green Bay with 26 seconds left. With a chance to win the game, Crosby couldn’t hit a walk-off 51-yard field goal.
After three missed FGs in the last 2:12 of the fourth quarter, the game headed to overtime.
End of Q4:
Packers 22 Bengals 22
Entering today, Mason Crosby was 24/24 on FG attempts the last 2 seasons… he’s missed 3 FGs and 1 XP today pic.twitter.com/O6hlfe7kQY
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) October 10, 2021
Overtime
13 seconds into the 10-minute overtime period, De’Vondre Campbell picked off Burrow. Unfortunately, Crosby’s troubles only continued when he failed to hit a 40-yard field goal, his third miss in four minutes.
Bengals’ kicker Evan McPherson then missed another game-winning field goal. If you’re having a hard time keeping up, that’s FIVE missed field goals by these two kickers in EIGHT minutes.
One of the most insane games in NFL history finally came to a close when Crosby kicked a 49-yarder right down the middle to win it. Green Bay survived this heart stopping, mind-boggling match-up… barely.
Final Score:
Packers 25 Bengals 22
With this victory, the Packers improved to 4-1 and will stay atop the NFC North. They’ll travel to Chicago to face the Bears at Soldier Field next week.
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