Withstanding another Jordan Love injury, the Green Bay Packers held on late against the Jacksonville Jaguars and earned their sixth win of the year, 30-27. Sunday’s win was made possible by Brandon McManus, who made it two games in a row with a game-winning field goal, as he knocked one through from 24 yards out as the clock showed all zeros.
Love left his Week 8 contest in the third quarter after suffering a groin injury that dated back to the opening possession of this game. Having gutted it out for a half of football, Malik Willis stepped in and helped lead three scoring drives in the second half.
Offense
Love was fine in his two-plus quarters of work, throwing for 196 yards and an interception. With his limited mobility, Love was held to operating out of the pocket, as he really did not play a role in the running game.
When Willis stepped in, the former Tennessee Titans quarterback led two touchdown drives and the game-winning field goal drive. Willis connected with Tucker Kraft for a short score after the Packers forced a Trevor Lawrence fumble deep in Jacksonville territory.
Josh Jacobs was the leader of this offense, finding the end zone twice on the ground and rushing for 127 yards. As was the case in earlier games when Willis stepped in, it was Jacobs that stole the headlines as he led the rushing attack.
Christian Watson led the Packers with four receptions, while Kraft and Romeo Doubs both hauled in three apiece. Kraft led the way with 78 yards receiving, with Doubs racking up 72 and Jayden Reed at 55. Reed’s 51-yard reception on Green Bay’s final drive of the game set up Green Bay deep in Jacksonville territory for the field goal.
Defense
An interception (hello again, Xavier McKinney) and a fumble helped add turnovers to Jeff Hafley’s running total this year, as the Green Bay defense was wreaking havoc. However, their pass defense turned into a sieve in the second half, as Lawrence orchestrated the three scoring drives, including drives that tied the game at 27 points each late in the fourth quarter.
Only rookie Edgerrin Cooper sacked Lawrence, as the pass rush again was non-existent. While no Jaguars receiver recorded more than 60 receiving yards, rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Evan Engram each found the end zone through the air.
Travis Etienne was ruled out with an injury for this contest, so Tank Bigsby stepped back into the starting role, rushing for 78 yards on 18 carries. Lawrence found the end zone on the ground, but overall the Packers rush defense held down the fort in the win.
McManus connected on field goals from 24, 31, and 38 yards, continuing his strong start to his Green Bay career. Daniel Whelan was again superb in helping flip the field, as three of his five punts ended inside the 20-yard line and averaged over 48 yards per punt.
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Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23
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