It was a tale of two halves for the Green Bay Packers. The offense got off to a slow start coming out of the bye week, but the defense gave up zero points in the first half. The script flipped in the second half when the offense started rolling, but the defense struggled to stop the Cincinnati Bengals.
First Half
In the opening drive of the game, the Packers offense moved the ball right down the field. Quarterback Jordan Love connected with wide receiver Romeo Doubs for a 21-yard completion on the game’s first play. The rest of the plays on the drive were runs, either by design or by Love scrambling. On third down on the Cincinnati 19-yard line, Love threw his second interception of the season by forcing the ball between two Bengals defenders.
Green Bay’s lone touchdown drive in the first half was highlighted by a 35-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden on 3rd and 10, followed up by a 29-yard catch and run by running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs scored on the next play.
The Packers defense shined in the first half as the offense struggled, forcing punts on the Cincinnati’s first four possessions of the game. Constant pressure on newly acquired quarterback Joe Flacco had the Bengals offense flustered.
Allowing only 63 yards of total offense and zero points in the first half, Green Bay took a 10-0 lead into halftime.
Second Half
The Bengals began the second half with the ball. They were able to put together a 17-play touchdown drive that took 10:14 of the game clock, cutting Green Bay’s lead to three. Cincinnati converted on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line to cap off the drive.
Much of the second half went the same for the Packers defense. Flacco completed short passes the rest of the game and moved the ball down the field with ease. It was the second game in a row where Green Bay did not have an answer for the quick game. By getting the ball out of his hand quickly, Green Bay’s pass rushers didn’t have much effect on Flacco.
Love and the offense were able to answer, scoring every time they possessed the ball in the second half. A balanced attack allowed the Packers to move the ball with relative ease. Jacobs finished the game with 150 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Golden once again came up with a big catch on third down, sealing the victory for the Packers late in the fourth quarter. The rookie wide receiver had the best game of his young career, finishing with 102 yards of total offense.
Complete Game
At times throughout the season, both the Packers offense and defense have looked like elite units. During other stretches they have both looked mediocre.
Luckily, each unit played well while the other was struggling. In order for the Green Bay Packers to become a great team, both the offense and defense will need to play well simultaneously.
