In a battle of young quarterbacks with bright futures, the Packers overcame a botched punt and two interceptions by Jordan Love to pull out a come from a behind victory on a warm sunny day at Lambeau Field.
With kicking problems plaguing Green Bay for a season and a half, newly signed kicker Brandon McManus was the hero, kicking the game winner as time expired. What a memorable first field goal in a Packer uniform.
Packers Offensive / Defensive Synergy
This Packer win was held together with a stalwart defensive performance. Yes, the Texans had a 19-14 lead at halftime. Yes, Joe Mixon had 115 yards on the ground.
But the defense held Houston to those 19 points while the offense and special teams kept trying to give the Texans the win. Houston pounced on a poorly thrown pass from Love on the Packers’ first drive. The defense held firm, allowing only six yards on three plays, giving up the field goal.
Love and the offense responded with a 13 play, 92-yard touchdown drive. The drive got help helped from a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on second and long giving the Packers first and ten at the Houston twenty. The drive highlight was a 14-yard rifle pass by Love complemented by a sliding, diving fingertip catch by Tucker Kraft.
The Green Bay defense then forced two more consecutive three and outs, but Keisean Nixon inexplicably backed away from a high punt from Texas punter Tommy Townsend. Nixon’s last second bailout led to the ball bouncing into Corey Ballentine. Houston recovered on the Green Bay eleven. Two Mixon runs later, and Houston was up 10-7.
Love and the offense responded again. A six-play touchdown drive again helped by a big Houston penalty. The 30-yard pass interference penalty gave Green Bay first and ten at the Houston 30. From there, Love found Wicks on a deep sideline toss between defenders.
That was the end of the Packer offensive highlights for the first half. Houston had a 42-yard kickoff return that fueled their 23-yard drive and resulting field goal.
The Packers still had the game in control and a one-point lead and the football with just over 4 minutes left in the first half. But Love picked a poor time to throw his second pick, a deep pass that arced over the head of a leaping Christian Watson.
Houston took advantage, with Mixon doing most of the damage. The Houston touchdown came with just over a minute left in the half. Houston tried a two-point conversion but failed when Rookie Evan Williams sliced in to stop Mixon behind the line of scrimmage. The Packers failed to advance their last possession of the second quarter and went into halftime down 19-14.
Packers Carry Momentum into Second Half
In the entire second half, the defense held Houston to a field goal. The Texans’ first four possessions produced 4 punts with two three and outs.
Highly praised Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud had a game total of 86 passing yards and a 58.8 rating. The defense creating no turnovers produced all these great stats.
The Packers won this game with an 0-3 turnover ratio. In the NFL, teams that win the turnover battle by three or more win over 90% of the time.
The Packers flipped those odds carrying out the NFL rarity because the defense frustrated Stroud all day. The second half defense forced a punt on the Texans opening drive.
This allowed Love to put the Packers ahead, and the offense did just that on their first possession of the second half. A nine play 71-yard drive ended with Love’s third touchdown pass of the game, a short screen to Jacobs who then picked his way through traffic for eight yards and a score.
The two teams then had three drives each, all ending in punts. But C.J. Stroud already has a reputation for late game comebacks, and he did not disappoint his fans on Sunday. The 13-play drive ended in a 35-yard field goal and a 22-21 lead.
Love has more of a gunslinger reputation, games ending in big play wins or interceptions, each being part of his résumé. But on this warm October Sunday, Love would come through.
Big passes to Doubs, Wicks, Kraft, and Doubs again left a 45-yard field goal for newly signed Brandon McManus. After all the missed kicks this season and last, his first perfectly drilled kick was waved off by a Houston time out.
After the attempted icing, the second good kick, erupted the fans and his teammates in celebration. A much-needed win for the Packers who watched the Lions sneak by the Vikings while the Bears had their bye week.
Next up, a trip to Jacksonville to face the struggling Jaguars and their head coach, former Packer Doug Pederson. One injury of note, Quay Walker seemed to suffer a concussion after a kick to the head. He did not return. The defense played well in his absence. It will be interesting to see if his playing time is limited going forward.
