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.