GREEN BAY – For the second straight game, the Packers' opening possession was a productive, tone-setting one and is therefore the Chevy Drive of the Week.
A week ago, Green Bay went 91 yards in 10 plays to open its 31-7 victory over the Bears with a touchdown.
This time, against Dallas on Sunday Night Football, it was 90 yards in 14 plays, taking six minutes, 30 seconds off the first-quarter clock to begin the scoring in a 23-13 triumph.
It started with a 2-yard loss by RB MarShawn Lloyd on the first snap, but consecutive completions worth 22 yards to WR Savion Williams – who was making his season debut after coming off injured reserve – moved the chains.
Lloyd then lost 3 yards, but after an incomplete pass set up third-and-13, QB Jordan Love found WR Christian Watson over the middle for 27 yards to get across midfield.
The ground game continued to struggle out of the gate as RB Pierre Strong Jr. got nothing on his first carry, but on second down Love lofted a pass toward the left sideline that hit WR Matthew Golden in stride. Golden gained 37 yards, though he was unfortunately flagged for taunting, moving the ball back to the Dallas 24-yard line for first-and-10.
From there, after an exchange of 5-yard penalties on each team, Love threw incomplete and was sacked for a 3-yard loss. On third-and-13, he found Strong for a short completion in the flat, and Strong made one tackler miss and beat a second to the first-down marker along the sideline. It was the offense's third straight third-down conversion on the drive.
With a first-and-goal on the 13, Strong ran for 1 yard, Lloyd ran for 3, and on yet another third-down conversion, Love found Golden cutting across the back of the end zone for the 9-yard TD.
Due to the penalties and lost yardage from the ground game and sack, Love actually threw for 109 passing yards on the drive, the most by any NFL QB on an opening drive since Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes had 116 back in 2019 against Houston.
Also, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Packers became just the second team since 1978 to score opening-possession TD drives of 90-plus yards in consecutive games, joining the 2008 Miami Dolphins.
