Live Updates: Jordan Love’s Touchdown Pass Helps Packers Rally Past Chargers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers, who’ve had trouble scoring all season, and the Los Angeles Chargers, who have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, will square off on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Follow along throughout the day for all the highlights.
Final Score
The Packers beat the Chargers 23-20. Here is our game story.
Fourth Quarter
Packers 23, Chargers 20 (1:27 remaining)
The Packers ran the ball three consecutive times. The Chargers called three consecutive times. After 12 seconds, Daniel Whelan punted. The Chargers have 87 seconds to get into field-goal range.
Packers 23, Chargers 20 (1:47 remaining)
The Packers forced a three-and-out. On third-and-10, it was a team meeting surrounding quarterback Justin Herbert; Rashan Gary got the sack.
Packers 23, Chargers 20 (2:33 remaining)
Jordan Love came up short in four do-or-dive drives in road games. Not today at Lambeau Field. Love threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, who made a brilliant leaping catch and then pulled the away from cornerback to Michael Davis. Earlier in the drive, on third-and-20, Dontayvion Wicks drew an interference penalty against Asante Samuel for 24 yards; Chargers coach Brandon Staley was irate. One play later, Love threw a short pass to Wicks, who broke two tackles for a gain of 35 that included 30 yards after the catch.
Chargers 20, Packers 16 (5:24 remaining)
Justin Herbert’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen, a rope between safeties Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson, has given the Chargers the lead and will put Jordan Love in position for a do-or-die opportunity. Herbert was clutch. He made the plays as the Chargers converted a third-and-8, a first-and-20 and a third-and-9 on the touchdown.
Injury report: LB De’Vondre Campbell (stinger) is questionable.
Packers 16, Chargers 13 (11:00 remaining)
The Packers started in a hole following the fumble and picked up one first down. On first-and-10 from the 13, tight end Luke Musgrave was streaking up the left sideline. With a good pass, it might have been an 83-yard touchdown because Musgrave would have had to beat only one defender. Instead, the ball was overthrown.
Packers 16, Chargers 13 (12:54 remaining)
The Chargers wasted no time in getting on the precipice of the go-ahead touchdown with a 38-yard pass to wide-open Keenan Allen, a 21-yard pass to wide-open Donald Parham and 14 more to Parham. On second-and-goal at the 2, Austin Ekeler got the handoff and slipped to the turf. He got up and was tackled by Kenny Clark, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Rashan Gary.
Third Quarter
Packers 16, Chargers 13 (4 seconds remaining)
Jordan Love threw a perfect touch ball to receiver Christian Watson for an 11-yard touchdown. Anders Carlson was wide right on the extra point. Watson lined up on the right side of the formation, ran diagonally across the field and caught a throw dropped over safety Derwin James and cornerback Asante Samuel. Two huge plays jump-started the offense: a 27-yarder to wide-open Dontayvion Wicks on the first play of the drive and a 27-yard catch-and-run by Tucker Kraft, who broke Kenneth Murray’s tackle attempt for about 15 additional yards.
Chargers 13, Packers 10 (2:25 remaining)
The Chargers went three-and-out. On second-and-2, Kinsgley Enagbare and TJ Slaton combined to drop running back Joshua Kelly for a 3-yard loss.
Chargers 13, Packers 10 (4:07 remaining)
A promising drive, that included Luke Musgrave and Christian Watson making 10-yard catches for first down, stalled. On second-and-2, AJ Dillon didn’t have prayer and lost 4. On third-and-6, Khalil Mack got around left tackle Yosh Nijman. With the pocket collapsing, Love stepped back and right into Mack.
Chargers 13, Packers 10 (10:44 remaining)
Cameron Dicker booted a 26-yard field goal after Keenan Allen dropped an easy touchdown catch on third-and-goal. The Packers will have to rally without running back Aaron Jones, who is out with a knee injury. Justin Herbert on third-and-7 avoided Devonte Wyatt’s sack and broke a tackle by Anthony Johnson for a gain of 28.
Second Quarter
Packers 10, Chargers 10 (7 seconds remaining)
Anders Carlson made a 28-yard field goal to tie the game on a drive in which starting running back Aaron Jones and backup running back Emanuel Wilson were carted off the field with injuries.
The key play came on third-and-12, when red-hot rookie Jayden Reed got open over the middle for a gain of 17. Moments later, a quick pass into the flag to Reed gained 19, including 21 yards after the catch. The drive stalled, however, with Jordan Love’s pass on third-and-8 leading Christian Watson out of bounds. On the first play of the drive, Malik Heath caught a pass for 7 yards. It was the rookie’s first career catch; the Packers were 0-for-5 on passes thrown his way.
Chargers 10, Packers 7 (5:51 remaining)
The Packers got a big three-and-out stop. On third-and-5, Justin Herbert threw incomplete to the sideline to rookie Quentin Johnson against the fast-converging coverage of Carrington Valentine. Lukas Van Ness had a good push on the punt.
With Green Bay back with the ball, Rasheed Walker is at left tackle and Jon Runyan is at right guard.
Chargers 10, Packers 7 (7:16 remaining)
Anders Carlson missed a 52-yard field goal wide right. That wasn’t the worst part about the drive, though. With the team in scoring position, thanks in large part to a 29-yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks and a third-down conversion by AJ Dillon, Aaron Jones dropped a pass on first down, Yosh Nijman false-started on third-and-10 and Jordan Love dropped the shotgun snap on third-and-15.
The Packers went with Nijman at left tackle and Jon Runyan at right guard.
Chargers 10, Packers 7 (12:16 remaining)
Justin Herbert threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to tight end Stone Smartt. On third-and-3, Smartt was wide open. Worse, Jonathan Owens missed a tackle at the 30, and Owens won the race to the end zone for 34 yards after the catch. The drive started with a sack by Karl Brooks; on the opening third-and-3, Alex Erickson beat Keisean Nixon for 12.
Packers 7, Chargers 3 (14:53 remaining)
Jayden Reed’s 32-yard touchdown run on an end-around has put the Packers on top. Luke Musgrave was out front of the play and Malik Heath had an excellent downfield block.
On the first play of the drive, Romeo Doubs got behind cornerback Michael Davis – their most vulnerable defender – for a deep shot. The ball was underthrown, Davis collided with Doubs a bit and the ball dropped incomplete. On the next play, an end-around to Jayden Reed gained 15, with running back AJ Dillon and receiver Christian Watson delivering blocks. Moments later, on third-and-8, a checkdown to Dillon gained 20. Dillon ran threw a tackle attempt for an additional dozen yards.
Lineup changes: Sean Rhyan replaced Jon Runyan at right guard and Rasheed Walker was back in at left tackle. As was the case with Yosh Nijman replacing Walker on the previous possession, this appears to be a planned rotation and not injury-related.
First Quarter
Chargers 3, Packers 0 (1:22 remaining)
The Chargers struck first on Cameron Dicker’s chip-shot 25-yard field goal. The big play came on third-and-1. The Chargers used an extra lineman as a fullback and tossed the ball to Austin Ekeler. He got around Devonte Wyatt and Preston Smith and got up the left sideline for a gain of 37 to the 12. On third-and-5, big-time receiver Keenan Allen dropped a pass that would have given the Chargers a first down.
Packers 0, Chargers 0 (8:00 remaining)
The Packers were gifted great field position after the Chargers dropped the ball on fourth down. However, two runs gained 3 yards and Jayden Reed was covered like a blanket by Chargers slot Ja’Sir Taylor on third-and-7.
Lineup change: Yosh Nijman is in at left tackle. The starter, Rasheed Walker, is standing on the sideline alongside Royce Newman. He is not being checked by trainer.
Packers 0, Chargers 0 (9:36 remaining)
The Packers caught a huge break on a drop. Pun intended. Gifted great field position, the Chargers had a third-and-4 at Green Bay’s 43. Rashan Gary drew a holding penalty on right tackle Trey Pickens. Packers coach Matt LaFleur opted to decline the penalty, so Chargers coach Brandon Staley opted to go for it on fourth down. It would have worked, too, because tight end Donald Parham was wide open at the Packers’ 32. And wide open is an understatement. Justin Herbert’s pass was on the money but Parham dropped the ball.
Injury update: Chargers star pass rusher Joey Bosa is questionable (foot). Bosa hobbled off midseries and collapsed in pain on the sideline. Shortly thereafter, he was driven to the locker room. A towel covered his face.
Bosa entered the game tied for 15th in the league with 6.5 sacks. While he’s forced only one fumble this season, he has a league-high nine strip-sacks since the start of the 2021 season. Since entering the NFL in 2016, he leads the NFL with 10 strip-sacks on third down.
Packers 0, Chargers 0 (11:03 remaining)
A sharp drive ended in not-so-sharp fashion. On third-and-1, the Packers lined up for a “Love Shove” sneak but ran an end-around to Jayden Reed. The Chargers weren’t fooled and Reed did well to lose just 1 yard. On fourth-and-2, Jordan Love threw the ball into the flat to tight end Luke Musgrave. It was Musgrave vs. safety Alohi Gilman to get to the first-down marker. Gilman won the wrestling match, so the Chargers will start at Green Bay’s 49.
The Packers started at their 8 when Dallin Leavitt was flagged for holding on kickoff return, then flagged again for unsportsmanlike conduct for bumping an official. It worked out to about 27 yards of penalties.
Expected Starters for Packers
Of note based on pregame warmups: Coming off a strong game vs. Pittsburgh, Rasheed Walker will start at left tackle. With Rudy Ford inactive, Anthony Johnson will make his second start at safety.
Packers-Chargers X-Factor
It’s hard to call Chargers running back Austin Ekeler an X-factor. He’s an obvious factor as one of the NFL’s top dual-threat running backs.
In six games this season, he’s caught 22 passes. He had more than four in only one game all year. His catch rate is just 62.9 percent.
That’s odd production considering his career-long excellence in the passing game. He’s one of seven running backs all-time with 30-plus touchdowns as a runner and receiver. Last year, he caught 107 passes. That’s on top of seasons of 92 catches in 2019, 54 catches in only 10 games in 2020 and 70 catches in 2021. His career-long catch rate entering the season was better than 80 percent.
This season, the Packers have allowed 49 receptions for 306 yards against running backs. On a per-game basis, that’s the sixth-most receptions. The return of linebacker Quay Walker should be helpful in keeping Ekeler in check.
Packers-Chargers Inactives
The Packers will be down three starters on defense, with Jaire Alexander and Rudy Ford inactive and joining Darnell Savage, who’s on injured reserve, on the sideline.
Rashan Gary will play, with the rest of the inactives list suggesting he’ll be at least close to 100 percent after being added to the injury report on Friday with a shoulder issue.
What’s the Point?
The Packers haven’t topped 20 points since Week 2. Their seven-game streak is the second-longest in the NFL this season (the Giants are at eight and counting). Worse, it’s Green Bay’s longest single-season streak since 1988. That team failed to get past 20 points in eight consecutive games and was shut out three times.
So, hey, it could be worse.
Whatever momentum the Packers have gained following promising back-to-back performances by Jordan Love is offset by the reality of not enough of the production is showing up on the scoreboard.
“Being able to put up points early was a huge step that we’ve been harping on and focusing on, which I think that’ll definitely carry over to be able to continue that,” Love said of the team scoring two touchdowns in the first half vs. Pittsburgh after scoring only three all season. “And then, just continue to finish those games when we get in those close games, being able to go find a way to win them is what we’ve got to keep building on.”
They’ll get their chance this week against a Chargers defense that ranks 24th in points allowed and 31st in total defense. In last week’s home loss against Detroit, the Lions scored 41 points, Jared Goff threw for 333 yards and wasn’t sacked, and the Lions rumbled to 200 rushing yards.
In their four wins, the Chargers allowed 24 points against Minnesota, 17 against Las Vegas, 13 against Chicago and six against the Jets. Against the Raiders, Bears and Jets, they feasted on bad offenses.
Do the Packers have a bad offense, too? Or is a young offense growing into a formidable one? We’ll get a better handle on that by the end of Sunday.
Rolling Rookies
The Packers invested heavily in their perimeter group in the 2023 NFL Draft with second-round picks used on tight end Luke Musgrave and receiver Jayden Reed and a fifth-round pick used to select receiver Dontayvion Wicks.
Was Reed big enough to thrive in the NFL? Was Musgrave NFL-ready after a rather unproductive college career? Was Wicks the receiver who dominated in 2021 but struggled through 2022?
All of those questions have been answered affirmatively through nine games.
According to the team’s Dope Sheet preview, Green Bay leads the NFL with 1,009 receiving yards by rookies. That’s the team’s third-most since 2000; it could move into the top spot with 110 yards vs. the Chargers.
In the first round of this year’s draft, the Chargers selected Quentin Johnston at No. 21 overall. He’s caught 18 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown, with four catches and the touchdown last week vs. Detroit.
Meanwhile, among rookie receivers, Reed is ninth with 28 receptions and seventh with 417 yards, and Wicks is 13th with 17 receptions and 239 yards. Among rookie tight ends, Musgrave is third with 29 receptions and 313 yards. Of all tight ends, only George Kittle (six) has more receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield than Musgrave (four).
Third-Down Notes
In last week’s loss to Detroit, the Chargers held the Lions to 4-of-13 on third down. That’s winning football.
Usually.
It didn’t matter, though, as the Lions scored 41 points, gained 533 yards and punted only once.
Defensively, the Chargers rank third in the league with a 33.9 percent conversion rate on third down. It’s a stunning stat considering they are 31st in total defense. Offensively, Green Bay is eighth at 42.7 percent on third down.
Obviously, the key for Green Bay will be success on first and second down to avoid third-and-long against the Khalil Mack- and Joey Bosa-fueled Chargers pass rush.
On the other side of the ball, the Chargers are 10th on third down (42.4 percent) and the Packers’ defense is 13th (38.0 percent).
Sticking with third down:
- The quarterbacks have had remarkably similar success on third down. Love has completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 602 yards with four touchdowns, four interceptions and a 74.4 rating. His counterpart, Justin Herbert, has completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 602 yards, as well, with five touchdowns vs. three interceptions for an 85.5 rating.
- Since 2017, which was the first of Chargers receiver Keenan Allen’s five Pro Bowl seasons, he has dominated third down unlike any receiver in the league with 190 catches (31 more than Davante Adams), 2,521 yards (134 more yards than Adams) and 155 first downs (29 more than Adams).
Packers vs. Chargers Vitals
Date and time: Sunday at noon.
Location: Lambeau Field.
Fox: Network (Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin).
TV Map: With both teams under .500, the game will not have a national audience. Will it be on in your neighborhood? Check out the Week 11 viewing map from 506 Sports.
Stream: fuboTV offers more than 100 channels and a free trial.
Radio: Packers Radio Network (Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren), ESPN Radio (Chris Carlin and Darius Butler) and SiriusXM 81, 226 or SiriusXM.us/PackersSXM
Betting line: Chargers by 2.5 at SI Sportsbook with an over/under of 44.5. For over/unders, Justin Herbert is 253.5 passing yards and Jordan Love is 240.5.
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