The Packers are now 3-1 on the season thanks to a 31-yard field goal hit by Mason Crosby to lift Green Bay over the Patriots in overtime, 27-24. After both teams were forced to punt to begin the extra period, Aaron Rodgers led the offense 77 yards down the field to set up the game-winning kick and completed all four of his passes in the process while A.J. Dillon helped burn clock and move the Packers all the way to the New England 13-yard line for the chip-shot game-winner.
This game had many twists and turns, including the Patriots being forced to use third-string rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe. With Mac Jones (ankle) sidelined, veteran Brian Hoyer got the start, but was knocked out of the game in the first quarter due to head injury. That thrust Zappe into action and the former fourth-round pick did play well considering the circumstance. He completed 10 of his 15 passes for 99 yards and connecting with DeVante Parker for a touchdown to begin the second half for New England. That said, the defense and the running is what kept the Patriots in the game despite losing Hoyer. As a club, they rushed for 167 yards. The defense largely kept Rodgers in check and rookie corner Jack Jones even recorded a pick-six off the back-to-back MVP.
However, they couldn't fend them off for the entire night thanks to strong showings by running back Aaron Jones (rushed for 110 yards on 6.9 yards per carry) and wideout Allen Lazard (116 receiving yards on six catches). Rodgers finished 21 of 35 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
For a more detailed breakdown of how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below.
Why the Packers won
It was a bit of a weird start for Green Bay offensively, particularly with Rodgers. Heading into the locker room at halftime, Rodgers completed just four passes and seemed a bit out of sync with his receivers. He also tossed an uncharacteristic pick-six which allowed New England to head into the break with a 10-7 lead.
However, he turned it on in the second half, throwing two touchdowns and leading the offense on three consecutive scoring drives that totaled 17 points and brought them back even with the Patriots. On the game-winning drive in overtime, he was especially sharp completing all four of his passes to help move the offense 77 yards down the field to get into Crosby's range.
Defensively, they also were able to shut down the Patriots offense during the final drives of regulation and in overtime. From the 6:14 mark of the fourth quarter, Green Bay forced three-and-outs on all three New England drives and Bill Belichick's team traveled just 15 total yards over that stretch.
Why the Patriots lost
Of course, it's going to be hard to win when you're playing a third-string quarterback, but Zappe largely played well after coming in under duress. However, the play-calling down the stretch does seem like it was clearly impacted by who the Patriot shad under center. After their touchdown drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the offense went completely silent and Zappe attempted just two passes. In the overtime period, New England also had the ball at the Green Bay 46-yard line and faced a fourth-and-5 situation. Instead of going for it and keeping the drive alive, Belichick elected to punt the ball away. Again, it's a tough call to make when you have a rookie third-string quarterback at the helm, but that felt like the coaching staff was playing scared.
On the ensuing drive, there was also the curious decision to have New England's corners play off coverage, which gave Packers pass-catchers a ton of space out wide, which Rodgers exploited on multiple occasions as he was leading the offense to a game-winning field goal.
Turning point
For a minute, it looked like the Patriots may hold the Packers on what proved to be their game-winning drive. Facing a third-and-1, Green Bay had Rodgers in play-action and the quarterback flicked an 11-yard pass to Randall Cobb to move the chains. Considering how well they'd been running the ball, this was a bit of a risky play call, but the Packers remained aggressive with Rodgers throwing to more times on the drive before Dillon barreled his way down the field, killed clock and helped set up the game-winning kick by Crosby.
With this win, Rodgers is now 4-8-1 in his career in games that go to overtime (including playoffs).
Play of the game
Not only did Rodgers get the win, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback made some history as well. In the fourth quarter, he completed a 13-yard pass to Romeo Doubs for the touchdown. On top of that score knotting the game at 24 apiece, it was also the 500th touchdown of Rodgers' career (including playoffs).
He is just the fifth player to in NFL history with at least 500 touchdown passes and is the fastest player to reach the milestone. Rodgers got to 500 in just 239 games. Saints legend Drew Brees was the second fastest, getting there in 250 games.
What's next
From here, the Packers will head across the pond to take on the New York Giants in London. As for the Patriots, they'll travel back to Foxborough and await a Week 5 matchup with the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium.