We were expecting our share of points in Jacksonville and we weren’t disappointed. But the home fans saw the Green Bay Packers hold on for a 27-23 victory.
Some thought it may take 30 points to win this potential shootout between Aaron Rodgers and Blake Bortles.
They weren’t far off.
The Green Bay defense made the plays it had to in the fourth quarter and Mike McCarthy’s team held off the stubborn Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-23.
An early wacky interception by Packers’ linebacker Joe Thomas set up a short drive that eventually culminated in an Aaron Rodgers’ six-yard touchdown run. The league’s MVP in both 2011 and 2014 would eventually give his club a 21-17 halftime edge with a pair of second-quarter touchdown strikes, the second to wide receiver Davante Adams from 29 yards out with 13 seconds before intermission.
But Gus Bradley’s team refused to go away and actually owned a 17-14 lead in the second quarter before Rodgers and Adams did their thing. The teams traded field goals twice in the second half to round out the scoring. Jacksonville actually outgained their guests in total yards by game’s end (348-294) and in the fourth quarter put themselves in position to pull out the victory. The club converted on a pair of fourth-quarter opportunities to narrow the Packers’ lead to 27-23.
But eventually, these cats ran out of lives. A quick fourth-down pass to wideout Allen Hurns resulted in a one-yard loss and Green Bay survived the Jaguars and the heat in Jacksonville.
Highlights
Aaron Rodgers gets the Packers on the board first
AARON RODGERS RUSHING TDS ARE HAPPENING! 🏃💨💨 #GBvsJAX
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
Green Bay regains the lead, but…
The @AaronRodger12 scramble…The @JordyRNelson TD catch!
They’re baaaaaaaaack! #GBvsJAX
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
Jacksonville responds…
Perfect.That’s really the best way to describe this @BBortles5 TD pass.👌 #GBvsJAX
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
But just before the half…
Rodgers was being pulled to the ground…But that was NOT stopping him.
Crazy throw. Crazy catch. @Packers TD
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
Three Stars
1. Aaron Rodgers
While the prolific signal-caller threw for only 199 yards, his athleticism was in full display against the Jaguars. He was sacked just once and played turnover-free football, throwing for a pair of scores in the four-point win. Rodgers also scrambled four times for 16 yards and found the end zone on a six-yard scamper.
2. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
While Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles did throw for 320 yards, he was limited to a single touchdown and was picked off once while being sacked three times. Clinton-Dix set the tone in the secondary, totaling five solo tackles while knocking down a pass and forcing a fumble.
3. Damarious Randall
Like Clinton-Dix, the 2015 first-round picks finished the game with five solo stops, one for a loss. Throw in a pair of passes defensed and the fact that Pro Bowl wideout Allen Robinson was limited to six catches (72 yards) on 15 targets and it was a solid showing for the Green Bay secondary.
Odds
The Green Bay Packers were 4.5-point favorites on Sunday but the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to barely cover the spread in a losing effort.
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Next Week
The Green Bay Packers hit the road for a second straight Sunday when they visit the Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the west coast to clash with the San Diego Chargers.