EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Packers survived a sloppy Sunday in Jersey, put together a fourth-quarter rally, and pulled out a 20-17 overtime win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Here are five takeaways from the much-needed if not-at-all-pretty victory that evened Green Bay's record at 1-1.
1. The Packers pulled off the fourth-quarter comeback this time.
Down 17-7 with 11 minutes left and looking like they were headed for a miserable loss, the Packers got things going on a deep ball for WR Matthew Golden that drew a pass interference penalty.
That set up a short TD pass to Christian Watson and, followed by a defensive stop and 63-yard punt return by Skyy Moore, the Packers got the tying field goal with 2:59 to go.
"Talk about resiliency … our guys kept battling," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "I know it wasn't always pretty."
Green Bay had two great chances to potentially win in regulation, as Moore's punt return got the offense into the red zone, but the drive quickly stalled.
Then a defensive stop on fourth-and-1 at midfield gave the Packers another shot, but a final possession went nowhere.
"Unfortunately, we'd like to go end the game right there," LaFleur said. "We didn't get it done offensively."
2. But the overtime was all Green Bay.
The defensive momentum from the late fourth-down stop carried into the extra period, as Jets QB Geno Smith was sacked on the first two plays.
Barryn Sorrell and a blitzing Brandon Cisse split the first one, and then Dani Dennis-Sutton and Lukas Van Ness split the second, which capped a banner day for Van Ness.
"I don't think you can start an overtime better than the way the defense did there," QB Jordan Love said. "To keep moving the offense back, set us up with good field position, and we gotta go finish."
After the three-and-out, the offense took over on its own 34-yard line. Three double-digit gains on a rush by RB Kaleb Johnson (11 yards), a swing pass to RB Chris Brooks (15 yards) and a blitz-beating flip to Golden (14 yards) led to rookie K Trey Smack's game-winning 26-yard kick.
The Packers also were helped on that drive by a 15-yard personal foul was tacked on for a late hit on Brooks, and by Love's alertness to loft a quick pass over the Jets' blitzing cornerback to Golden (four catches, 58 yards), which got the ball down to the 8-yard line.
"That was part of the scheme," Love said. "They bring corner pressures and they did it right there. Was able to float one over the top to MG for a big gain."
3. Lukas Van Ness played his best game in a Packers uniform.
The 2023 first-round draft pick was the unquestioned star of the defense, with a team-leading nine tackles, 1½ sacks, three TFLs and four QB hits.
He was called for a roughing the passer penalty on a sack he just missed, but much like the one on rookie Chris McClellan last week, it appeared to be a questionable call at best.
"He was all over the place," LaFleur said of Van Ness. "He's really coming into his own. We've seen that, seen it all offseason. We even saw it in flashes last year, it's just he was injured so much."
Added Love: "Man, I thought he was flying around and making a lot of plays, especially at the end. The defense overall did a great job today … kept us in the game, kept us with a fighting chance."
4. The overall sloppiness leaves the Packers with a lot of work to do on a short week.
Green Bay's next game is in just four days, with the home opener Thursday night vs. Atlanta, and the way the Packers played for the bulk of Sunday can't continue.
The Packers were called for 14 penalties for 133 yards, not including declined or offsetting fouls, or half-the-distance markings. The Jets had their share of flags as well (13 for 156).
But the Packers now have been called for 26 penalties in two games, and all the yellow flags nearly led to the franchise's first 0-2 start in 20 years.
"We've got to take a look at it," LaFleur said, as the calls were a mixture of personal fouls, pre-snap infractions, holding, and more. "It was just a lot to overcome."
The Packers also put the ball on the ground four times, as Johnson, TE Tucker Kraft, RB MarShawn Lloyd and Love all fumbled. Fortunately Green Bay only lost one of the fumbles, and the defense held the Jets to a field goal after the turnover despite their drive starting in the red zone.
5. The injuries piled up, and quickly.
On the first series of the game, the Packers lost WR Jayden Reed to a neck injury and RT Zach Bako-Bewele to a knee injury.
LaFleur reported after the game that Reed, who was down for a long time and carted off with his neck braced, had movement in all his extremities and would be staying overnight out east.
Bako-Bewele's injury "doesn't look good either" and he "could be out for a long time." The Packers' best offensive linemen had been working his way back all offseason from patellar tendon surgery in his knee. He was carted off as well and replaced by Anthony Belton.
LaFleur acknowledged the two significant injuries and long delays might've affected the team's psyche early on.
"Yeah, I certainly don't think it helped," he said. "But that's never an excuse. It is what it is. It's an unfortunate part of this game. You've got to get ready to play the next play and that's easier said than done."
Later on, LG Aaron Banks, who was making his first start of the season due to a knee injury that kept him out last week, exited with a toe injury. Then his replacement, Donovan Jennings, left with a hand injury, and rookie Jager Burton took over at that spot.
WR Bo Melton (stinger) and DT Anthony Campbell (ankle) also were announced as having injuries examined. Love even was in the injury mix, taking a shot to his elbow on the play he fumbled, which he said left his hand numb for a while. But he kept playing and didn't miss any snaps.
The Packers don't have much time to figure it out, particularly on the offensive line, but onward they go.
"We've got to do it," LaFleur said. "Those are the circumstances. Those are things we control, and guys are going to have to step up."
But no matter how banged up, 1-1 sure beats 0-2.
"It's huge," Love said. "We had to bounce back after Week 1. Like I said, the game wasn't pretty, but to finish the game and get a win, we needed this one right here. Now we've got a short week to go get ready."
