The Green Bay Packers failed to take advantage of a dominant start in the first half, twice gave up leads in the second half and lost quarterback Jordan Love to injury, but Matt LaFleur’s resilient team still found a way to finish the job in a 30-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Packers are now 6-2 after winning a fourth straight game.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Jaguars:
The Good
Response: Jordan Love exited the game with an injury, and the Jaguars promptly took the lead, 17-13. On the road, in the Florida heat and with a hurt quarterback, the Packers could have folded up shop and started thinking about next week’s showdown with the Detroit Lions. Instead, Matt LaFleur’s team delivered exactly the type of response to adversity that all contenders need to show. Malik Willis delivered a third-down conversion and a 20-yard scramble, and Josh Jacobs re-took the lead with an impressive 38-yard touchdown run. Three plays later, Edgerrin Cooper stripped Trevor Lawrence, creating a turnover inside the 10-yard line that immediately resulted in a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. In the blink of an eye, the Packers turned a 17-13 deficit in adverse conditions to a 27-17 lead. Credit LaFleur’s team for the super effective counter punch.
The Bad
Late defense: The Packers defense began the day by forcing three three-and-outs and a takeaway on the first four Jaguars possessions, but the ending didn’t match the start. Up 27-17 with under 10 minutes to go, the Packers proceeded to allow two quick scoring drives, including an 87-yard touchdown march that took just over two minutes. The Jaguars produced four explosive plays over the two drives, and Trevor Lawrence tied the game with just under two minutes to go with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram. The Jaguars ended up averaging 7.0 yards per play and 9.1 yards per pass, in large part due to two highly efficient drives late. The Packers defense had a chance to slam the door shut but instead allowed a two-score lead to evaporate.
The Ugly
The red zone: The Packers finished 2-for-6 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, including one turnover (Jordan Love interception) and three short field goals. The Jaguars defense came into Week 8 with the worst red-zone defense in football, so the production in the scoring area has to be considered disappointing. Meanwhile, the Jaguars scored touchdowns on all three trips inside the 20, including the game-tying touchdown late. The issues in the red zone cost the Packers a chance to take a commanding lead early and nearly cost them a win late.