Giants Stun Packers 27-22 in London
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers waited a long time to go to London. Coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t thrilled about the trip to begin with and probably never wants to return.
The Packers were stunned by the New York Giants on Sunday, 27-22. Green Bay’s supposedly powerful defense was routed during the second half and Aaron Rodgers had back-to-back passes deflected at the line in the final moments.
Trailing 27-20 following Saquon Barkley’s 2-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes remaining, the Packers embarked on a do-or-die final drive. Rodgers methodically drove the ball down the field, with completions of 14 and 5 yards to Robert Tonyan for a pair of first downs.
Officially, on third-and-1 from the 6, Rodgers looked for Randall Cobb but the pass hit off the helmet of Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. On fourth-and-1, blitzing Giants safety Xavier McKinney batted down Rodgers’ pass to Allen Lazard.
The Giants ran out as much of the clock as possible, took a safety and survived a Hail Mary when Rodgers was pressured immediately and drilled from behind to improve to 4-1. The Packers fell to 3-2, a stunning loss in what amounted to a home game against a depleted opponent.
The Packers struck first on a field goal by Mason Crosby and tacked on touchdown passes to Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis. They were master classes of execution. On the pass to Lazard, Romeo Doubs delivered an expert block. On the touchdown to Lewis, fake handoffs to AJ Dillon and Christian Watson allowed Lewis to stand all alone in the end zone. That made it 17-3.
What looked like a runaway turned into a disaster because Green Bay’s allegedly stellar defense couldn’t stop a quarterback with a wounded ankle (Daniel Jones) who was without three of his best receivers (Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson) and even the indomitable running back Saquan Barkley for a possession.
The Packers mostly kept Barkley under wraps but the focus on the running back turned Jones into a play-action and scrambling machine. Even with Barkley out with a shoulder injury, the Giants had momentum and Green Bay’s defense looked gassed. On the drive that tied the game at 20 with 10:08 to play, Jones completed passes of 11 yards to tight end Daniel Bellinger on third-and-4 and 5 yards to Darius Sills on third-and-3 to the 5. On second-and-goal at the 2, Gary Brightwell powered behind his offensive line for the touchdown.
The Packers desperately needed something. Instead, they went three-and-out on offense and Keisean Nixon couldn’t corral a muffed punt. With Green Bay’s defense reeling, the Giants drove 60 yards on six plays. Back in the game following his injury, a wide-open Barkley had a 41-yard catch-and-run to set up his wildcat touchdown run with 6:06 to go.
Green Bay needed a touchdown but didn’t get it. It was outscored 17-2 in the second half in a putrid all-around performance during the final 30 minutes.
Game Ball
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, not at his best because of an ankle injury, outplayed Aaron Rodgers in a huge upset. Jones finished 21-of-27 passing for 217 yards. He added 10 carries for 37 yards. He made a bunch of key plays as the Giants went 6-of-11 on third down against what had been the best third-down defense in the NFL.
Questionable Call
With the Giants having just scored to tie the game at 20, the Packers took over with 10:08 remaining. If nothing else, they needed a few first downs to give their defense a break. Instead, Aaron Rodgers threw three consecutive incomplete passes to put Joe Barry's downtrodden group right back on the field.
The Big Moment
With the Packers on the ropes with 10 minutes remaining, Pat O’Donnell’s punt was short and hit the Giants’ Jason Pinnock. Keisean Nixon had a chance to recover inside the Giants’ 40 but couldn’t make the play and the ball dribbled out of bounds. The Giants took the ball and drove 60 yards for the winning touchdown.
Noteworthy Number
When Saquon Barkley strolled in from the 2 for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:08 remaining, the Giants had run 32 plays to the Packers’ 10 in the second half. On that touchdown drive, Rasul Douglas was flagged or unnecessary roughness. It was his third penalty of the game and the fourth on Green Bay’s secondary.
What’s Next?
After dealing with the challenges of a trip to London, they’ll have to handle the challenges of turning down the post-London bye. The Packers will play right away with a home game against the New York Jets at noon Sunday.
“Obviously, it’s a long season,” LaFleur said earlier in the week in explaining the reason for the schedule. “I think one factor I would say is having the third preseason game and then having that weekend off. I would say that’s kind of a mini-bye right there and it’s fallen early in the season so you have to make a decision on what you think is best and we opted for a little bit later of a bye. Now I wasn’t necessarily anticipating it where we got it (in December), but it is what it is and we’ll try to schedule it the best we can.”
