One-score NFL games are often fickle outcomes driven by a few high-leverage plays in key situations. Entering Sunday’s game at the Arizona Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers were 0-1-1 in such contests this year. The Pack showed their mettle in the biggest moments with a comeback, 27-23 victory. They outscored Arizona 14-3 in the fourth quarter.

“There were a lot of things that didn’t go right, but that’s what it takes in this league,” coach Matt LaFleur said via packers.com, again praising his team’s resiliency. “It’s encouraging we haven’t played our best ball. Our guys are a resilient group and I’m really proud of them.”

Josh Jacobs’ second touchdown delivered the Packers’ their first lead with 1:50 remaining. On the ensuing Cardinals drive, Micah Parsons’ career high third sack effectively delivered the Packers the win – a hail mary attempt was harmlessly tipped out the back of the end zone three plays later. 

Parsons’ registered his other two sacks on third-and-goal plays, forcing the Cardinals to settle for a field goal each time. He ended with five tackles – four for loss – and five quarterback hits. Additionally, Pro Football Focus credited him with an astounding 10 pressures in the game. 

While Parsons played his best in the defense’s biggest moments, Jordan Love did so for the offense. No moment loomed larger than a fourth-and-2 on the game-winning touchdown drive. That moment almost never happened. 

Green Bay started the drive down three on the Cardinal 48 thanks to a turnover-on-downs forced by the defense. After a first down, the offense was in position to again move the chains on a third-and-1 at the Arizona 29. Instead, LaFleur called for a quick pitch to the outside thinking the defense would sellout for a sneak or inside run. The run blocking was as inconsistent as it had been all day, and Jacobs loss a yard setting up the fourth-and-2. 

Initially, LaFleur sent Lucas Havrisik out to try and tie the game, but he changed his mind and burned his second timeout to call another play for the offense. Now down to just one timeout with 2:32 remaining, the Packers had to have it.  

“When our quarterback is coming off and I can see the disdain on his face, it was one of those deals where (I thought) no matter what we call, this guy is going to make it work,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.” 

The Packers lined up trips to the left with tight end Tucker Kraft split as the number three receiver. Love checked to another pass call – presumably one designed to beat a zone defense instead of man. At the snap, Kraft sprinted straight upfield before breaking to the sideline. The Cardinals did in fact play man defense, but Kraft gave the safety guarding him a little shoulder nudge to create separation at the top of the route. Love laid an easy throw to “Tuck” who picked up 15 yards for the conversion. Jacobs scored three plays later for the lead.  

LaFleur acknowledged that it wasn’t exactly the play they wanted. 

“Tuck did a hell of a job winning on the route, our offensive line protected, Jordan gave him a chance, and that’s exactly what it took,” he said. 

Jacobs’ first touchdown also occurred after a Cardinal turnover. Green Bay’s offense started the second half with a three-and-out, and Arizona had moved the ball to midfield. Rashan Gary turned the momentum when he flattened down the line of scrimmage as Jacoby Brissett – starting at quarterback for an injured Kyler Murray – stepped up to throw a pass to the left flat. Gary sacked Brissett as he threw, knocking the ball free for Evan Williams to recover. Green Bay scored four plays later to tie the game at 13 apiece. 

Even though the defense made splash plays, its down-to-down performance continued to regress from what it showed early in the season. No sequence was a greater indictment of that regression than the end of the first half. 

Thanks to a Quay Walker sack – he ran through the pass-blocking running back and tackled him while he drug down Brissett – the Cardinals faced a third-and-23 from their own 16 coming out of the two-minute warning. Trailing 6-3, the Packers offense appeared poised for an attempt to tie the game or take the lead heading into halftime.

Instead, Zay Jones found separation deep down the right sideline for 43 yards. Brissett moved the team into short field-goal range with seven seconds remaining and no timeouts. The Cardinals called one more offensive snap and Edgerinn Cooper passed off tight end Trey McBride to nobody for an easy touchdown. Either Cooper should’ve carried Arizona’s best pass catcher, or Keisan Nixon shouldn’t have vacated his zone. The Packers inexplicably had defenders guarding the short middle of the field, despite Arizona only being in a position to score a touchdown or go out of bounds. The Cardinals took a 13-3 lead, marking the first time Green Bay trailed by more than one score all season. 

That deficit lasted all of seven seconds. 

The Packers started the next drive on their own 35 thanks to a touchback, and Love hit Romeo Doubs on a deep in-breaker for 22 yards. They saved a precious second on the clock, and Havrisik drilled a franchise record 61-yard field goal to give Green Bay some life heading into the locker room, 13-6. 

The momentum was short lived thanks to the aforementioned three-and-out to start the second half. The Packers couldn’t hold onto the momentum even after Jacobs’ first touchdown to tie the game. 

On another third-and-long, this one third-and-14, the defense again failed to get off the field as Marvin Harrison Jr. beat Nate Hobbs for 35 yards. Four plays later, McBride again found himself wide open for a touchdown, 20-13. 

Love answered with a touchdown to Kraft to tie it back up, but the kickoff coverage unit allowed a big return and added on 15 yards with a facemask. The Cardinals took the 23-20 lead with the short field as Parsons’ second sack prevented a touchdown. 

Love finished a pedestrian 19-of-29 passing for 179 yards and the score. Jacobs – who was a game-time decision thanks to an illness and strained calf – churned out 55 yards on 13 carries and the two scores. Kraft finished with five catches for 58 yards while Doubs added six for 72. 

Defensively, Walker led the way with nine tackles. He had three QB hits of his own to go with the sacks. Williams, Javon Bullard, and Xavier McKinney each had eight. 

Other Notes:

• The team plane had mechanical issues departing Green Bay Friday. LaFleur said they held a walkthrough on the tarmac while waiting for it to be repaired. 
• Havrisik was again perfect on his kicks today, going two-for-two on field goals and three-for-three on extra points.
• Jordan Morgan played every snap at right guard as he supplanted Sean Rhyan for the job.
• Dontayvion Wicks left the game with a calf injury.
• The Packers play next Sunday night at Pittsburgh, which will of course be their first time facing Aaron Rodgers since he was traded after the 2022 season.