Live Updates: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
In one of the biggest games of the NFL season, the Green Bay Packers (6-1) will face the Arizona Cardinals (7-0) on Thursday Night Football. Follow along all night for updates.
Final Score
Packers 24, Cardinals 21
Here's our early game story, with Rasul Douglas saving the day.
Fourth Quarter
Packers 24, Cardinals 21 (3:23 remaining)
Once again, the Packers had the answer. Or so it appeared. A replay review wiped out Aaron Jones’ 1-yard touchdown run. Jones was stuffed on second down and, with no timeouts remaining and Josiah Deguara apparently confused on where to line up, Green Bay took a third-down delay. Rodgers scrambled inside the 1, putting his head down and fighting for every inch, but his fourth-down pass was batted down by Devon Kennard.
Packers 24, Cardinals 21 (10:45 remaining)
With Kenny Clark off the field and rookie TJ Slaton taking his place, James Connor scored practically untouched on a 9-yard touchdown run to get the Cardinals back within a field goal. Zach Ertz had a pair of 9-yard catches, including on a fourth-and-1 when Kyler Murray fit the ball between cornerback Rasul Douglas and linebacker Krys Barnes.
Packers 24, Cardinals 14 (14:56 remaining)
On third-and-5, Aaron Rodgers pump-faked left and Randall Cobb came streaking across the middle to the right for a 6-yard touchdown against Byron Murphy. It capped a 91-yard touchdown drive by the undermanned Packers against the No. 1-ranked scoring defense in the NFL. Aaron Jones turned a quick pass into a tackle-breaking gain of 19 and tight end Robert Tonyan had a 33-yard catch-and-run. Those were the big plays. Also big was Tonyan injuring his left knee on the play.
Third Quarter
Packers 17, Cardinals 14 (2:31 remaining)
Injury scare: It only gets worse for the Packers. With four Pro Bowlers out due to injuries, Robert Tonyan injured his left knee at the end of a 33-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers. Tonyan stiff-armed safety Jalen Thompson for extra yards when he went down in pain. He did walk off on his own to the blue medical tent.
Packers 17, Cardinals 14 (6:22 remaining)
The Cardinals answered Green Bay’s touchdown with one of their own as James Conner scored on a 2-yard run. Arizona went up-tempo and knocked the Packers on their heels. On fourth-and-4, Kyler Murray connected with Antoine Wesley for a too-easy completion against rookie Eric Stokes for the pivotal first down. All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had missed about two quarters because of his hamstring, had an 11-yard catch, tight end Zach Ertz had a catch-and-run gain of 20 and Conner scored on the next play.
Packers 17, Cardinals 7 (11:37 remaining)
Arizona got the ball to start the second half but it was Green Bay that struck with the first big plays. First, Dean Lowry destroyed Cardinals left guard Josh Jones, pushing Jones into Kyler Murray and knocking Murray over for the sack. On third down, Rashan Gary charged into the backfield, Murray’s pass deflected off the fingers of receiver Rondale Moore and was intercepted by dime defensive back Henry Black at the 14.
On fourth-and-3 from the 5, Aaron Rodgers connected with Equanimeous St. Brown on a sharp out vs. Marco Wilson for a gain of 5 to the 2. On the next play, Rodgers somehow connected with Randall Cobb for the touchdown despite excellent coverage by Byron Murphy.
Halftime
Packers 10, Cardinals 7
Green Bay has a 157-98 edge in yards, a 41-17 advantage in plays and a 1-0 lead in turnovers. And yet it’s only 10-7. Green Bay wasted a first-and-goal at the 3 by ignoring a hot running game by throwing three consecutive incomplete passes, then stalled on a 2-minute drive at the end of the first half due in part to Juwann Winfree’s drop of a first-down pass.
Aaron Rodgers is just 10-of-21 passing for 64 yards. AJ Dillon has been the offense’s best player with 59 yards on 11 carries.
The Cardinals will get the ball to start the second half.
Second Quarter
Packers 10, Cardinals 7 (4:30 remaining)
The Packers forced another punt – a second-down breakup by Rasul Douglas was key. The Cardinals have 98 yards, with 55 coming on the deep ball to DeAndre Hopkins that set up their only touchdown.
Packers 10, Cardinals 7 (6:24 remaining)
Mason Crosby made a 21-yard field goal to put the Packers in front but this was a clear win for the Cardinals. In what could be a turning point, Corey Bojorquez’s punt glanced off a fingertip of Cardinals receiver/returner Rondale Moore at the 13. Packers linebacker Ty Summers downed the ball at the Cardinals’ 3. That’s where the ball was blown dead but Packers coach Matt LaFleur challenged and Green Bay took over on the doorstep of the end zone.
Green Bay’s strong running game was key on the earlier touchdown drive. This time, Aaron Rodgers threw three consecutive passes.
Injury update: Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is questionable to return after aggravating the hamstring injury that had him questionable on the injury report.
Packers 7, Cardinals 7 (11:39 remaining)
The Packers’ defensive MVP, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, spied quarterback Kyler Murray and dropped him for a sack on third-and-11. A horrible block-in-the-back penalty on receiver Malik Taylor ruined Amari Rodgers’ 17-yard punt return and pushed the Packers back to the 15.
Packers 7, Cardinals 7 (12:54 remaining)
The drive started with a 7-yard run by Aaron Jones – a sign of things to come. AJ Dillon had runs of 4, 12 and 6 yards and Juwann Winfree – one of the fill-in receivers – had a catch for a gain of 12. On third-and-5, Winfree was open again but didn’t run his route deep enough and was dropped about a foot short of the first down. On the first play of the second quarter, Dillon was hit 2 yards short of the marker by linebacker Jordan Hicks but powered through him for a gain of 3 to the 11. Dillon slashed his way to the 3 behind blocks by right tackle Billy Turner and tight end Dominique Dafney. Finally, on third-and-1, Jones drove linebacker Isaiah Simmons into the end zone. Low man wins, and Jones got under the former first-round pick and pushed him 3 yards into the end zone.
First Quarter
Cardinals 7, Packers 0 (0:00 remaining)
The first quarter ended with Green Bay facing a fourth-and-inches from the 12. While the passing game has sputtered, AJ Dillon has carried four times for 27 yards.
Cardinals 7, Packers 0 (6:17 remaining)
The Cardinals blew through the Packers like a hot desert breeze. On third-and-9, Kyler Murray went deep to All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins vs. Eric Stokes. With Murray’s heave in the air, Hopkins slowed up. So did Stokes. Then Hopkins ran past him. It wound up being a 61-yard touchdown, though a facemask on Hopkins set the ball at Green Bay’s 21. Before the ball was thrown, Preston Smith was charging into the backfield and held by left tackle D.J. Humphries but, obviously, no flag was thrown. On first down from the 11, the direct snap went to running back Chase Edmonds, who scored untouched.
Packers 0, Cardinals 0 (10:00 remaining)
After rookie Amari Rodgers fumbled the punt return – Oren Burks recovered – Rodgers dropped the first-down pass. On third-and-3, Aaron Rodgers went deep to Aaron Jones but linebacker Isaiah Simmons knocked the ball away as the players tumbled to the turf.
Packers 0, Cardinals 0 (11:09 remaining)
It was an uneventful first 4 minutes.
Arizona won the toss and deferred. On Green Bay’s first offensive play, receiver Equanimeous St. Brown was flagged for holding, dooming that drive. An incredible 57-yard punt to the sideline by Corey Bojorquez gave Arizona the ball on the 13. A first-play facemask by Rashan Gary on his sack of Kyler Murray gave the Cardinals 15 yards and a first down, but the defense stiffened with a third-down pressure by Preston Smith and then Gary.
On the punt, Amari Rodgers fumbled but Oren Burks saved the day and recovered at the 22.
Rodgers Bad on Deep Passes?
Aaron Rodgers’ long-ball struggles were a story line last week. So, against Washington, he hit on 3-of-4 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield for 71 yards and one touchdown.
Arizona’s Kyler Murray is one of the best deep-ball artists in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s 19-of-30 for 605 yards and five touchdowns. His 63.3 percent completion rate is by far the best in the NFL – the Rams’ Matthew Stafford is a distant second at 53.1 percent – and he’s third with 20.2 yards per deep attempt. Rodgers is up to 19th at 35.3 percent and 12.2 yards per deep attempt.
Under Pressure
According to Zebra Sports, whose RFID technology powers the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Cardinals enter the game with a league-high 10 turnovers caused from pressure. Arizona’s J.J. Watt, who is tied for the league lead with three, is out with a shoulder injury that will require surgery. However, the players he’s tied with include teammates Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.
One of Aaron Rodgers’ calling cards is his history of taking care of the football. He hasn’t fumbled all season, an impressive feat, and he’s thrown only one interception over the last six games.
That doesn’t mean Rodgers is impervious to pressure, though. Of 34 quarterbacks who have been pressured on at least 32 dropbacks, Rodgers is 32nd in completion percentage, 32nd in passer rating and is one of five quarterbacks without a single touchdown pass.
Without Watt, Arizona’s interior pressure could be limited. If left tackle Elgton Jenkins can handle Jones and right tackle Billy Turner can take care of Golden, there could be critical time for the revamped receiver corps to get open.
Prediction
This is purely a numbers game, right? The Cardinals are No. 3 in scoring offense and No. 1 in scoring defense. They have impressive victories against strong teams. This is a really good team. The Packers, meanwhile, will be without All-Pros Davante Adams, Jaire Alexander and David Bakhtiari and Pro Bowler Za’Darius Smith. That just seems impossible to overcome.
Cardinals 34, Packers 17
How to Watch Packers at Cardinals
TV: FOX/NFL Network/Amazon: Fox – Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (commentary), Erin Andrews, Kristina Pink (field reporters) Amazon – Andrea Kremer, Hannah Storm | Amazon Scout's Feed – Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, Joy Taylor.
Stream: You can stream the game on FuboTV. Get a 7-day Free Trial.
Coverage Map: Check out the map at 506Sports.com to see which games will be broadcast in your neighborhood.
Radio: Packers Radio Network – Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), Larry McCarren (commentary). Sirius – 134 (GB), 82 (Chi.) | XM: 384 (GB), 227 (Chi.) | SXM App: 811 (GB), 805 (Chi.). Westwood One – Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Mike Golic (commentary). Sirius – 81 (GB), 83 (Az.), National (88) | XM: 226 (GB), 225 (Az.), National (88) | SXM App: 809 (GB), 807 (Az.), National (88).
Packers vs. Cardinals History
Leader: The Packers lead the regular-season series 44-24-4. They entered the ranks of professional football in 1921. In the fifth game of that inaugural season, on Nov. 20, they battled to a 3-3 draw against the Chicago Cardinals at Normal Park in Chicago. Thus, Packers-Cardinals is the second-oldest rivalry in the NFL behind Cardinals-Bears. Curly Lambeau and Paddy Driscoll, a pair of future Hall of Famers, exchanged second-half field goals.
Streak: The Cardinals have won three in a row and four of the last five, including 26-20 in overtime in the 2015 playoffs. With Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams out with injuries, a mic’d-up Randall Cobb suffering a punctured lung and watching the second half from a hospital, and Patrick Peterson eliminating James Jones, the passing game revolved around Jeff Janis, Jared Abbrederis and Richard Rodgers. Janis caught seven passes for 145 yards. His 41-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary forced overtime. However, on the first play of overtime, Larry Fitzgerald’s 75-yard catch and run through the Packers’ defense set up his 5-yard touchdown for the winning score.
“We were without Jordy all season. Davante’s out. Randall gets [hurt] fairly early in that game on a crazy, crazy play down the sideline,” Rodgers said when asked about that game and a 51-45 overtime loss at Arizona in the 2009 playoffs. “What a wild finish that was to that one. Special, special moments. Obviously, came up short on both of them, but a lot of fun. The thing you remember about those games is just how loud the crowd is, man.”
Last meeting: The Cardinals won 20-17 at Lambeau Field on Dec. 2, 2018. Zane Gonzalez’s 44-yard field goal with 1:41 remaining remaining put Arizona in front, and Mason Crosby missed a 49-yarder on the final play of the game. Not long after the game ended, Mike McCarthy was fired.
