GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Packers used a fourth-down stop near midfield to set up their go-ahead scoring drive and then held off the Cardinals on their last-ditch drive to escape State Farm Stadium with a 27-23 victory Sunday.
Green Bay improved to 4-1-1 on the season while Arizona fell to 2-5.
With Arizona leading 23-20, the Packers stopped a fourth-and-1 QB sneak by Jacoby Brissett to get the ball back at the 48-yard line with about six minutes left. They used 10 plays and four minutes to take their first lead of the game on RB Josh Jacobs' 1-yard TD run, a few snaps after a clutch fourth-down conversion to TE Tucker Kraft kept the drive alive.
The Cardinals had 1:50 left and threatened, getting inside the Green Bay 30. But Packers DL Micah Parsons got his third sack of the game in a big spot to put Arizona in a long-yardage situation. A couple snaps later, Brissett's fourth-and-10 heave for the end zone went out the back incomplete.
For the Packers, QB Jordan Love was 19-for-29 for 179 yards with one TD and a 93.9 rating. WR Romeo Doubs caught six passes for 72 yards, Kraft had five for 58 with a TD, and WR Matthew Golden had four for 47.
On the ground, Jacobs had 13 carries for 55 yards and two TDs, while Love added 23 yards on three scrambles.
For the Cardinals, Brissett was 25-of-36 for 279 yards with two TDs and a 110. TE Trey McBride had 10 catches for 74 yards and two TDs, while WR Zay Jones had two catches for 67 yards and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had two catches for 58 yards.
RB Zonovan Knight had 14 carries for 57 yards, and Brissett added 26 yards on the ground.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Cardinals lead Packers 3-0 after first quarter
Green Bay won the opening coin toss and elected to defer.
Jacoby Brissett started at quarterback for Arizona in place of an injured Kyler Murray (foot). The Cardinals converted two third-and-short situations to move into scoring territory.
The Packers had Arizona in third-and-10 at the 23 but Brissett not only completed a pass to Trey McBride, but Quay Walker also was flagged for roughing the passer to set up first-and-goal at the 7.
Micah Parsons stepped up to keep the Cardinals out of the end zone, first tackling Bam Knight for a 1-yard loss on first down and then sacking Brissett for a 6-yard loss on third down. Parsons now has 3½ on the year after beating Paris Johnson.
Arizona settled for a 32-yard Chad Ryland field goal to pull ahead 3-0 with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Starting at the Packers' 26, Jordan Love converted the initial first down of the opening drive with a 10-yard pass to rookie Matthew Golden on third-and-5.
Love and Golden connected again on fourth-and-2 with an 8-yard out at midfield to move into Cardinals' territory. The drive ended without points when Love overshot Romeo Doubs on a fourth-and-5 deep ball, leading to a turnover on downs at the Arizona 38.
Brissett scrambled 11 yards to the Green Bay 42 to end the first quarter.
Cardinals lead Packers 13-6 at halftime
Defensive end Kingsley Enagbare opened the second quarter with a tackle for a 2-yard loss of Bam Knight on second-and-8. On the next play, Brissett threw a slant to Marvin Harrison Jr. that initially was ruled a fumble caused by Keisean Nixon and recovered by Xavier McKinney.
The ruling was overturned to an incomplete pass upon review and Nixon was credited with a pass breakup. The Packers took over at their 20 after Pat O'Donnell's punt went for a touchback.
The Packers gained the first down after a Doubs catch on a drag route and a 10-yard Josh Jacobs run up the middle for the Arizona 36. After a 7-yard Jacobs run, Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson was called for defensive holding.
Johnson was called for a facemask on the next play during tight end John FitzPatrick's 6-yard catch, moving Green Bay to the Arizona 31. With plenty of time to throw, Love then found Doubs for 15 yards to push the ball to the Cardinals' 16.
Love and Dontayvion Wicks couldn't connect on third-and-7 and Green Bay settled for a 31-yard Lucas Havrisik field goal to tie the game at 3 with 9:10 left in the first half, capping the nine-play, 67-yard scoring drive.
Colby Wooden dropped Michael Carter for a 4-yard loss on first down. Micah Parsons had a sack of Brissett wiped out on the next play when he was flagged for a hip-drop tackle, giving the Cardinals a first down at their 40.
Harrison caught a 22-yard pass to the Green Bay 27 before Edgerrin Cooper broke up a second-and-5 pass to McBride that would have been a touchdown. After another Brissett incompletion, Ryland made a 40-yard field goal to put the Cardinals up 6-3 with 5:02 left in the second quarter.
The Packers went three-and-out on their next series after Love was sacked for an 11-yard loss on third-and-6. Arizona took over at its 30 after a 59-yard Daniel Whelan punt was returned 13 yards.
Parsons drew a holding penalty on McBride on first down. The first half reached the two-minute warning after Quay Walker sacked Brissett for an 8-yard loss through the A-gap. On third-and-23, Barryn Sorrell jumped offsides and Brissett completed a 43-yard pass to Zay Jones down the right sideline on the free play to the Green Bay 41.
The Cardinals then converted a third-and-4 with a 14-yard pass to Michael Wilson. Parsons was flagged for offsides on a Brissett's incomplete pass on third-and-9 with 12 seconds left. Brissett found an open McBride for a 15-yard touchdown on the next play to put Arizona up 13-3 at halftime.
Love completed a 22-yard pass to Doubs after the touchback and Havrisik made a franchise record 61-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
Cardinals lead Packers 20-13 after three quarters
The Packers went three-and-out to start the third quarter after Love's third-and-3 pass for Kraft fell incomplete. Rasheed Walker also was flagged for illegal formation on the play.
A 21-yard defensive pass interference call on Evan Williams gave Arizona a first down, but Rashan Gary earned a strip sack of Brissett on the next play that was recovered by Evan Williams at the Arizona 44. It's Williams' first career recovery.
A false start penalty pushed Green Bay back, but the Packers converted the first down with back-to-back pass to Doubs for 25 yards. Josh Sweat was injured on Doubs' second catch for 18.
A 17-yard crosser to Golden set up first-and-goal at the Arizona 7. Jacobs scored on the next play to tie the game at 13 with 9:47 left in the third quarter.
Kingsley Enagbare recorded his first sack of the year for a 7-yard loss, but the Cardinals converted on third-and-14 with a 35-yard pass to Harrison down the left sideline to the Green Bay 24.
Arizona found the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown pass to McBride to take a 20-13 lead with 4:17 left in the third quarter.
After two Emanuel Wilson runs netted seven yards, Green Bay ran a short screen to Kraft that the third-year tight end ran for a 22-yard gain to the Cardinals' 38.
Love picked up five yards on the same play Will Johnson was flagged for illegal hands to the face. Love scrambled again for 12 yards on the next play to the Cardinals' 16. Green Bay faced second-and-15 after an offsides penalty but a roughing the passer penalty on Dante Stills gave the Packers first down at the Arizona 10.
Packers fend off Cardinals 27-23, improve to 4-1-1
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Love rolled right on play-call and hit Kraft for a 7-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20 with 14:55 remaining.
Arizona started its next drive at the Green Bay 45. after a Greg Dortch 40-yard return and facemask penalty on Arron Mosby.
Quay Walker was injured on Brissett's scramble on second-and-6. The Cardinals gained a first down with Nate Hobbs being called for defensive holding.
Brissett and Knight connected for five yards to convert on third-and-2 and set up first-and-goal at the Packers' 8, but the drive stalled there.
Ty'Ron Hopper tackled Knight for a 2-yard loss before Parsons pressured Brissett into throwing the ball away. On third-and-goal, Parsons beat Jonah Williams for a sack of Brissett for a loss of 11 yards.
Ryland made a 39-yard field goal to put the Cardinals back up 23-20 with 9:01 remaining.
Green Bay started at its own 16 after a holding penalty on the kickoff. The Packers went three-and-out after two incompletions to Kraft and a 4-yard out to Doubs on second down.
Arizona started at its 28 after Whelan's 52-yard punt went out of bounds. Walker returned to the game during the next series.
Cooper tackled Wilson a yard shy of the first down on third-and-9. The Cardinals went for it form their own 48 but Cooper and a horde of Packers stopped Brissett's sneak for no gain for the turnover on downs.
Love hit a big third-and-7 underneath pass to Kraft for eight yards to move the chains. Jacobs gained nine yards on two carries but was dropped for a 1-yard loss on third-and-1.
The Packers initially sent on Havrisik for a 47-yard field goal but sent the offense back on the field after using their second timeout with 2:32 left.
On fourth-and-2, Love lofted a 15-yard pass to Kraft to the Arizona 14.
A 5-yard Jacobs run brought the game to the two-minute warning. He dodged his way to an 8-yard pickup to the Arizona 1 on the next play. The Packers grabbed their first lead of the day on Jacobs' 1-yard TD to pull ahead 27-23 with 1:50 left.
Evan Brown was called for holding on first down. Jones caught a 24-yard pass on second-and-14. Carter gained 13 yards on a checkdown to the Packers' 27. Parsons sacked Brissett for the third time on the next play for a loss of eight yards, causing Arizona to use its second timeout.
The Cardinals use their third timeout after a Brissett scramble for eight. Brissett threw it away on third-and-10 with 13 seconds left. His fourth-down pass fell incomplete out of the end zone.
