Here’s the highlights from Sunday’s performance at Lambeau Field as the Texans return to NRG Stadium for Week 8.
Joe Mixon and the defense made sure to keep fans interested for four quarters during Sunday’s outing at Lambeau Field.
Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry, but it wasn’t enough to stop kicker Brandon McManus from drilling a 45-yard field goal as time as the Green Bay Packers secured a 24-22 win over the Houston Texans.
Defensively, Houston stepped up. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. each totaled a sack. Tim Settle Jr. found success slowing down Packers running back Josh Jacobs and recorded two tackles for loss. Neville Hewitt, who was filling in as a starter for the injured Azezz Al-Shaar, totaled a team-high nine tackles.
Hewitt also picked off Jordan Love on the opening drive to set up a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. Before halftime, rookie Calen Bullock notched the third pick of his budding career, helping set up one of Mixon’s touchdown runs before halftime.
Unfortunately, not all was promising. C.J. Stroud finished with 10 completions for a career-low 86 passing yards. Stefon Diggs caught five passes for 23 yards. No one recorded a catch over 28 yards and the offensive line allowed four sacks.
The 24-22 loss against the Packers moved the Texans’ record to 5-2 after seven games. Houston had won three straight games and five of the last seven since the start of the regular season.
“I don’t give a f— if I’m by myself or with a million. I’m never the bigger person. I ain’t letting s— go,” Diggs told reporters. “They picked it up or whatever. But I ain’t with the football tough guy s—.”
While walking back to the locker room, Diggs said he heard “chirping” coming from the Packers’ sidelines. He found Alexander and called him out.
Stefon Diggs and Jaire Alexander exchanged “pleasantries” pre-game.
Soon enough, other Green Bay players started to get involved. Eventually, multiple coaches had to break up Diggs, Alexanders and others so the two sides could head back to the locker room.
Following Green Bay’s 24-22 win, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said would’ve preferred for Diggs to “be the bigger person.”
“We don’t want to encourage that,” Ryans said. “We just want to go out and play ball the right way and make sure it’s settled on the field. We can’t be about chirping and all the extra stuff, we’ve just got to be about executing when the ball is snapped.”
Sunday marked the sixth time Diggs and Alexader went up against each other and the first since 2022. Back with the Buffalo Bills, Diggs finished with 108 receiving yards and a touchdown.
For his career, the four-time Pro Bowl receiver had totaled over 400 receiving yards and six touchdowns in coverage against Alexander. On Sunday, the Packers held Diggs to five catches for 23 yards and one first-down reception.
Packers 24, Texans 22: Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward.
The Green Bay Packers ran their win streak to three games by coming from behind to beat the Houston Texans with a game-winning field goal as time expired on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
The game had seven lead changes. The final change came when Brandon McManus’ 45-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with 0:00 left on the clock, giving the Packers a 24-22 win against the AFC South leaders.
The Packers are now 5-2. Matt LaFleur’s team has won five of the last six games after losing in Brazil in Week 1.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
What went right
— The Packers allowed only 10 completions and 55 net passing yards against C.J. Stroud, one of the game’s best young quarterbacks. Pressure was consistent, and the Packers finished with four sacks and seven quarterback hits.
— Romeo Doubs caught eight of 10 targets for 94 yards, including a pair of catches on the final drive. Dontayvion Wicks produced a 30-yard touchdown and a key conversion on third down to extend the final drive. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed were quiet, but the other Packers receivers stepped up.
— The run game was inconsistent, but Josh Jacobs produced three explosive runs over 10 yards and caught his first career touchdown pass. His 17 touches gained 92 yards.
— Emanuel Wilson and Bo Melton both had key third-down conversions on scoring drives. Complementary players on offense played key roles.
— The new kicker made all three extra points and then hit a clutch kick to win the game. Does Brayden Narveson make all four of those kicks if he’s still the kicker? The Packers don’t need to think about the hypothetical. Brandon McManus looked like a 10-year vet in his Packers debut.
— Jordan Love was inconsistent, and he threw two bad interceptions leading to points for the Texans, but he was terrific while the Packers trailed, and he was calm and efficient in leading a game-winning drive. His touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft in the first half was a laser beam.
— Rookie safety Evan Williams stuffed the Texans’ two-point conversion attempt in the first half. The Packers ended up winning by two. Williams led the defense with nine total tackles.
— Jeff Hafley’s defense got three sacks on blitzes. Xavier McKinney got one on third down, and Eric Wilson produced two more sacks.
— Punter Daniel Whelan averaged 56.8 yards per punt and consistently flipped the field. He also had a terrific hold on the game-winning field goal.
— The Packers were 2-for-2 scoring touchdowns in the red zone and scored a decisive win situationally by holding the Texans to 2-for-4 scoring touchdowns inside the 20. Houston was also 4-for-13 on third down. A late stop in the red zone gave Jordan Love a chance to go win the game.
What went wrong
— Jordan Love threw an interception on the first possession, leading to a field goal, and another pick in the first half with the Packers leading, leading to a Texans’ go-ahead touchdown before the half. Jalen Pitre made an excellent individual play on the first pick, and Love just sailed his throw under pressure on the second. He has now thrown eight picks in five starts.
— The return game was a mess. Keisean Nixon’s game-opening kickoff return got called back by a holding penalty. Nixon failed to catch a punt, and the ball hit Corey Ballentine before being recovered by the Texans. Jayden Reed caught a punt inside his 5-yard line.
— The Packers didn’t get a takeaway and lost the turnover battle 3-0. The Texans scored 16 of their 22 points off turnovers.
— Gadget runs to Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Bo Melton lost five yards on three attempts.
— Reed’s drop on a deep ball late in the first half likely cost the Packers three points.
— Love was sacked three times, a season high. Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter both got to Love to help kill drives.
— The run defense once again gave up a big day to a running back. Joe Mixon rushed 25 times for 115 yards and two scores. Mixon joins Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Aaron Jones and Kyren Williams as running backs to gain at least 90 rushing yards against the Packers this season.
— The Packers were penalized eight times for 55 yards.
— The Packers were 4-for-10 converting on third down. During one stretch in the second half, the Packers punted on three straight possessions.
What it means
The Packers didn’t have their “A” game, but they still beat a legitimate AFC contender. At this point last season, the Packers were 2-5 after losing three one-score games. This year, the Packers are 5-2. Matt LaFleur’s team is still young and growing, but they’ve learned how to win in different ways — a vital step to become a title contender. And winning while gathering steam early in the season is what the best teams do. On a more micro-level, getting a game-winning drive from Love and a game-winning kick from the new kicker is certainly a big boost for a team that didn’t take advantage in similar spots last year and is now too good to throw away points with missed kicks. While it’s still too early to look at the standings, the Packers, Lions and Vikings all have five wins right now. What a division.
Highlights
What’s next
A trip to the Florida sun to face another AFC South team. After winning back-to-back home games, the Packers will travel to Jacksonville to face the 2-5 Jaguars next Sunday. Doug Pederson’s team just beat the New England Patriots to finish off a two-week stay in London. The Packers are already 3-0 against the AFC South and finish off the sweep next week.
Houston has trusted its defense to force turnovers and give the offense a second opportunity. Nevile Hewitt picked off Packers star Jordan Love on the opening drive to set up a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.
Just before Mixon’s 32-yard run to eventually set up the score, Calen Bullock recorded his third pick of the regular season. Surprisingly, takeaways were the subject of conversation, but more so for C.J. Stroud.
Green Bay entered Sunday with an NFL-leading 17 takeaways, including nine interceptions.
The Packers defense has created problems for Stroud and the passing game. While he’s 5-of-11 for 44 yards, the Texans continue to trust the ground game with Mixon.
Following a muffed punt recovered by the defensive back M.J. Stewart, Mixon punched in a 2-yard touchdown to give Houston a 10-7 lead at Lambeau Field.
The only downside of the play? His Lambeau Leap was foiled thanks to the Packers’ faithful keeping him out of the stands.
Since returning from injury, Mixon has lived up to billing as being the top option for Houston’s ground game. He finished with 102 yards and a touchdown run in Week 6’s victory over the New England Patriots. Mixon also caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown reception in the second half.
As the Texans enter the second half, Mixon remains the head honcho on offense. He’s averaging 7.4 yards per run with three first-down conversions.
Jaire Alexander and Stefon Diggs already have the tempers flaring before kickoff at Lambeau Field.
Tempers are flaring early at Lambeau Field between Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs and Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexader.
Expect this to be a storyline of the afternoon between the two All-Pro talents.
Diggs appeared to get into it with several Packers players, including Alexander, during pregame warmups. Coaches and others got involved as separated, but not before a few words were exchanged between the two.
Here’s a look at the incident below.
#Texans WR Stefon Diggs pregame getting into it with some Packer players pre game.
This isn’t the first time these two have had beef. It dates back to Diggs’ time with the Minnesota Vikings and Alexander’s rookie season with the Packers back in 2018.
It continued to Diggs’ stint with the Buffalo Bills. In 2022, the two went up against one another in coverage and had multiple fights between reps.
Diggs finished that game with six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Alexander allowed four catches for 68 yards and the score. Sunday will mark the sixth time the two have faced each other in coverage.
In the five previous games, Diggs has totaled 44 receptions for 419 yards and six receiving touchdowns against Alexander. The 6-foot Alexander has one interception and six pass deflections in those games.
Stefon Diggs earlier in the week downplayed the matchup with CB Jaire Alexander.
Earlier this week, the four-time Pro Bowler declined to comment on his skirmishes with Alexander in the past.
“I could say yeah, but it’s no different than our approach any other week,” Diggs said. “I try to earn it each and every week in practice, try to get on the same page with my quarterback. I don’t really try to get into all the extra stuff.”
The Texans will receive the ball to begin the second half.
Follow along with Packers Wire for live updates and highlights from Packers vs. Texans in Week 7 of the 2024 season on Sunday.
The Green Bay Packers (4-2) will be wearing all-white helmets and uniforms when they host the Houston Texans (5-1) on Sunday at a warm and sunny Lambeau Field. The weather didn’t cooperate with the “Winter Warning” theme, but the Packers are still hoping to shine under the sun against a top AFC contender.
Can the Packers extend their win streak to three while snapping the Texans’ current three-game win streak?
Follow along with Packers Wire for live updates and highlights from Packers vs. Texans in Week 7:
Final score: Packers 24, Texans 22
1
2
3
4
F
HOU (5-2)
3
16
0
3
22
GB (5-2)
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14
7
3
24
Live scoring
First quarter
HOU 3, GB 0: Ka’imi Fairbairn 23-yard field goal (11:48)
Second quarter
GB 7, HOU 3: Tucker Kraft 14-yard catch (13:16)
HOU 10, GB 7: Joe Mixon 2-yard run (11:52)
GB 14, HOU 10: Dontayvion Wicks 30-yard catch (8:51)
GB 14, HOU 13: Ka’imi Fairbairn 52-yard field goal (4:30)
HOU 19, GB 14: Joe Mixon 4-yard run (1:13)
Third quarter
GB 21, HOU 19: Josh Jacobs 8-yard catch (7:25)
Fourth quarter
HOU 22, GB 21: Ka’imi Fairbiarn 35-yard field goal (1:44)
GB 24, HOU 22: Brandon McManus 45-yard field goal (0:00)
Updates, highlights
Oct 20, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Wicks active: Jordan Love and the Packers will have all their wide receivers available on Sunday. Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder) is active despite being listed as questionable. So is defensive lineman Colby Wooden (knee). The Packers have five healthy scratches, while the Texans will be without five different starters, including four on defense and top receiver Nico Collins.
Love INT leads to early Texans lead: Jordan Love threw an interception on 3rd-and-3 on the Packers’ first possession, and the Texans turned the takeaway into three points. The Packers defense held inside the red zone to limit the damage.
Deep Packers offense drives for go-ahead touchdown: Seven different players touched the football before Jordan Love rifled a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft to give the Packers the lead. Brandon McManus made his first extra point attempt. Packers 7, Texans 3. The drive went 92 yards.
Another turnover hands Texans points: A mistake on a punt return led to another turnover, and the Texans turned this one into a 2-yard Joe Mixon touchdown run. On the turnover, Keisean Nixon didn’t catch the punt, and a backwards bounce hit Corey Ballentine. The Texans recovered. Two plays later, they were in the end zone and taking a 10-7 lead.
Dime to Wicks: The Packers retook the lead on a dime from Jordan Love to Dontayvion Wicks. Credit to Emanuel Wilson, who extended the drive with a tough third-down conversion.
Injury update: Linebacker Quay Walker has been ruled out after suffering a concussion.
Turnover, Texans take lead: Another turnover — a second Jordan Love interception — helped the Texans re-take the lead. Joe Mixon finished off an efficient drive following the takeaway with a 4-yard touchdown run. Evan Williams stuffed the ensuing two-point attempt. Texans 19, Packers 14.
Josh Jacobs’ first career receiving TD takes back lead: The Packers responded coming out of the half, forcing a quick three-and-out before the offense unleashed a 9-play, 71-yard scoring drive. Josh Jacobs’ first career receiving touchdown put the Packers up 21-19.
WR Dontayvion Wicks and DL Colby Wooden are both ACTIVE for Sunday against the Texans.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks and defensive lineman Colby Wooden are both active for Sunday’s showdown with the Houston Texans despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report of Week 7.
Wicks injured his shoulder last week against the Cardinals but practiced in a limited capacity this week. Wooden will play through a knee injury.
The Packers won’t have Devonte Wyatt, who is missing his third straight game with an ankle injury, but the team’s five other inactive players are healthy scratches.
Here are the Packers’ inactives for Week 7:
DE Brenton Cox Jr.
TE John FitzPatrick
T Travis Glover
C Jacob Monk
FS Kitan Oladapo
DT Devonte Wyatt
Monk, a rookie backup along the interior of the offensive line, is inactive for the first time this season.
While the Packers have five healthy scratches, the Texans made four defensive starters inactive, including top linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and safety Jimmie Ward. Receiver Robert Woods is also inactive, so the Texans will be down both Woods and Nico Collins, who is on injured reserve.
Here are the Texans’ inactives for Week 7:
ILB Azeez Al-Shaair
G Nick Broeker
CB Kamari Lassiter
WR Steven Sims
ILB Henry To’oTo’o
FS Jimmie Ward
WR Robert Woods
The Texans are returning defensive lineman Denico Autry from a six-game suspension to start the season. Houston will also have defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi, who is active despite being listed as questionable.
Here’s the latest news surrounding Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair entering Week 7’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Azeez Al-Shaair has been the anchor of the Houston Texans’ defense through six games as the new commander and field general. Now, his status for the 2024 season is in jeopardy.
Al-Shaair suffered a knee injury in Week 6’s 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots. He tried to come back in during the fourth quarter, but Texans coach DeMeco Ryans elected to let him rest.
Will Al-Shaair suit up on Sunday at Lambeau Field when Houston takes on the Green Bay Packers at noon? Here’s everything you need to know about Agent Zero.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s injury update
Al-Shaair won’t play after missing practice throughout the week. While the knee injury isn’t supposed to keep the middle linebacker out long, he’ll miss at least one, if not two games until he’s back to full speed.
“We’ll see where our guys are this week with Azeez and Henry [To’oTo’o], see where they are,” Ryans said Monday.
How long will Al-Shaair be out?
There’s no timetable for the starter at the moment. If he practices even a limited capacity next week, he’ll probably take the field against the Indianapolis Colts. The same goes for To’oTo’o, who suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter against New England and did not practice this week.
Texans depth chart
Houston’s linebacker depth remains a weakness entering Sunday’s matchup, largely due to injury. Starter Christian Harris has been on the injured reserve since the start of training camp and hasn’t been cleared to take reps at practice.
With both Al-Shaair and To’oT’o out for Sunday’s contest, Houston will turn to Neville Hewitt and Jake Hansen. The two are best known for their special teams ability over defensive reps, though Hewitt has been a roleplayer at times for the Texans over the previous two seasons.
In Sunday’s win over the Patriots, he finished with eight tackles and a tackle for loss. Hansen totaled two tackles.
Predictions from the Packers Wire staff on the Packers’ Week 7 showdown with the Texans.
The Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans will face off Sunday at Lambeau Field in what looks like one of the best matchups of the Week 7 slate. The showdown won’t be in primetime, but it will feature the Packers wearing their “Winter Warning” all-white helmets/uniforms and a battle between two of the best coaches and two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 7 showdown with the Texans will go down:
Zach Kruse: Packers 27, Texans 24 (2-4)
The Texans have a top quarterback (C.J. Stroud), a productive and versatile running back (Joe Mixon), a Packers-killing receiver (Stefon Diggs), a veteran and cohesive offensive line, two dominant edge rushers (Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter), a legit top cornerback (Derek Stingley Jr.) and a reliable special teams group. So while DeMeco Ryans’ team is banged up, especially on the defensive side, there’s no taking lightly the challenge of facing the Texans — who have won nine of their last 12 regular season games — on Sunday. Still, it’s hard not to like the Packers in this matchup. Jordan Love’s offense is healthy and starting to catch fire, and they have the playmakers to challenge where the Texans are hurting defensively. And not facing Nico Collins is a big help for Jeff Hafley’s group. I expect a back and forth showdown, but I’d also expect the Texans’ absences to show up in a couple of big spots down the stretch. Packers by a field goal (maybe a game winner from the new kicker?) over the Texans at Lambeau.
Brandon Carwile: Packers 28, Texans 24 (4-2)
Houston has picked up where they left off last season when they made a lot of noise winning the AFC South to reach the playoffs with a rookie quarterback. CJ Stroud has been as good as any quarterback through the first six weeks, but losing wide receiver Nico Collins is a huge blow. The Texans have the 14th-ranked rushing offense while the Packers have a top 10 run defense. If Green Bay can make Houston one-dimensional without their top receiver, that could play right into their hands. Offensively, the Packers appear to be turning the corner. Jordan Love had a great day through the air in last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, but this game could come down to the rushing of Josh Jacobs against a vulnerable Texans run defense. Ultimately, this game should have plenty of offense and a lot of points. I think Green Bay will pull it out with a late touchdown to capture their first signature win of 2024.
Brennen Rupp: Packers 34, Texans 21 (5-1)
Coming soon!
Greg Williams: Packers 31, Texans 30 (4-2)
First off, can’t believe this game isn’t in a primetime spot. You have two young and great quarterbacks, two exciting teams, and two coaches that have done well for their teams. Plus, this game is gonna be closed and it’s hard to pick a true winner in this game. The Texans have a loaded squad and it’s hard to pick against them with the talent they have. However, the Packers are playing good football right now and everything seems to be clicking on offense and defense. Who knows, maybe there’s kickings woes have been answered with their new kicker Brandon McManus. Expect a lot of points in this game. Not saying in the defenses are going to struggle, but it’s just both offenses are very dynamic and explosive pain. Regardless of who wins, it will be a signature when on the season. Ultimately, the Packers have to come away with this, especially with the game being at home, and for personal matters, a win would be nice on my wedding day.
