For the Green Bay Packers, a half of a win was better than none at all. And they got lucky to have a shot at the tie.
Due to the NFL’s rules for overtime, in which each team is guaranteed a possession in a 10-minute period, the Packers took a field goal and the tie as overtime expired. That came after a lot of wasted time on the play before, but the incompletion landed with one second left. The Packers took a field goal on fourth-and-goal on the final play and had the 40-40 tie.
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“The operation was just way too slow, like I don’t know if our guys didn’t know if we were in [a] two-minute [drill] or what,” Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said postgame. “Ultimately the communication has got to get better. Myself to [quarterback] Jordan [Love] and Jordan to the huddle, and that’s the bottom line.”
The draw was an unsatisfying ending to what turned out to be a thrilling game, which had a huge audience due to Micah Parsons’ return to Dallas after he was traded a week before the season began. Dak Prescott and Jordan Love each had great games, forcing the other to answer scores multiple times on the way to overtime. The Packers’ defense, which was very good through three weeks, had no answer for Prescott.
It was a fantastic game with many swings. The Packers could have gone for the touchdown and the win on the final play. Ultimately, the tie was the right way for Green Bay, even if it wasn’t the finish either team desired.
Cowboys rally after slow start
Early on it looked like the Packers might blow out the Cowboys. Romeo Doubs scored two touchdowns and the Packers led 13-0. The second extra-point attempt was blocked and the Cowboys returned it for two points, leading everyone to make jokes about how Dallas wouldn’t be shut out. But that play turned the momentum.
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The Cowboys got a touchdown on a run from Prescott with less than a minute left in the half, and then got a huge defensive play. James Houston got a pass rush on Jordan Love and knocked the ball out of his hands. The Cowboys recovered and on the next play, George Pickens scored a touchdown. What was once a 13-0 Packers lead quickly turned into Dallas leading 16-13 going into halftime.
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For all of the negativity surrounding the Cowboys early in the season, and after Sunday night started poorly, the Packers were in a battle after a poor final minute of the first half.
The Cowboys continued to play well in the second half. They weren’t going away.
Cowboys and Packers battle in 4th quarter
The Sunday night game wasn’t expected to be that good, but it turned into one of the best games so far this season.
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The teams kept trading scores throughout the second half. With 4:50 left, the Cowboys took a 30-27 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run from Javonte Williams. That was the first time Jordan Love had to come up with a big drive. Love had a massive completion to Doubs on third-and-8 early in the drive and with 1:30 left he hit Doubs for the third touchdown connection between the two on the night.
The Packers’ defense should have been able to get a stop after that, but it didn’t play well Sunday night. Dallas’ 52-yard drive, which ended with Pickens’ second touchdown of the night, took only 1:02.
The Packers still had time and the Cowboys’ defense is still poor.
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Jacobs picked up 25 yards on a catch right away. Another first down got Green Bay to the fringe of field-goal range. Another run got a few yards closer for a 53-yard attempt from Brandon McManus, and he nailed it as regulation ended.
