The Green Bay Packers went to the desert to face off against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. While this matchup was already set to be the biggest challenge that the Green and Gold would face this season, they were doing it off only four days of rest. To add to the already daunting challenge, they would be without Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who all would have to miss this game due to COVID-19.
Despite all of these losses, the Packers were able to win the game on a last-second Rasul Douglas interception at the goal line on a play that would have put Arizona in position to start 8-0. Without David Bakhtiari, Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith, Adams, Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Kevin King, the Packers were able to beat the previously undefeated Cardinals away from home on a short week.
Here are five numbers to recap this miraculous win.
26-1
Handing head coach Matt LaFleur a lead at halftime is almost guaranteeing a win for the Packers. Green Bay is 26-1 when leading at halftime under LaFleur. His record with a halftime advantage is especially impressive when you consider that modern-day NFL offenses are engineered to make comebacks.
A lot of this is due to the quality of players on the team. They have the ability to slow down opposing offenses and make defenses pay. Still, LeFleur deserves plenty of credit.
Given that they were missing all these important players and their defensive coordinator on a short week, LaFleur could have easily rolled over and taken the loss. Instead, he was able to help his team get the win despite being heavy underdogs.
10-0
Going into this game short-staffed at important positions, the Packers would need to avoid turning the ball over and pounce on Arizona’s mistakes. They did, converting Arizona’s errors into easy points.
The first instance of this occurred when a punt brushed off the finger of Cardinals rookie punt returner Rondale Moore. The Packers were able to pounce on the ball inside the 10. It was initially ruled that Moore didn’t touch the ball. However, the Packers were awarded possession after review and were able to put up three points.
On the first drive after the half, Arizona turned the ball over yet again when a pass deflected off the hands of Moore. The Packers intercepted it and were able to take over at the Cardinals’ 14. Six plays later, Green Bay put up seven when Rodgers connected with Randel Cobb for the touchdown.
Winning the turnover battle and capitalizing on these mistakes allowed the Packers to come away with a win in such a close game.
7
With Rodgers missing his two favorite targets at wide receiver, the Packers’ offensive line was able to give the future Hall of Famer plenty of time in the pocket, only allowing seven pressures. With all of the quick passes to Adams on screens or slants out of the game plan, Rodgers was going to need more time to work through his reads with this group of mostly inexperienced wideouts, and the offensive line gave him just that.
Royce Newman was a standout, giving up zero pressures on 38 passing snaps. What is even more impressive about the lack of pressure is that this was against a Cardinals team that had Chandler Jones on the defensive line. Other than one tipped pass, Jones was relatively quiet the entire game.
If the Packers’ offensive line can continue to give Rodgers more time, they could find themselves making yet another run deep into January.
78
After a week where he put the ball on the turf twice, AJ Dillon rebounded with 78 rushing yards. With Lazard and Adams out, the running backs would need to step up in both as runners and pass catchers. Dillon proved hard to bring down by the Cardinals’ defense. He was able to churn ahead for yards after contact, posting 4.9 yards per carry.
Aaron Jones was also effective in the running game, putting up 59 yards and a score on 15 carries. While these numbers may look pedestrian, the passing game is really where Jones’ impact was felt the most. He put up 51 yards on seven catches, both of which were team highs, and led the team in targets with 11.
With the receiving group being as thin as they were on Thursday, the running backs stepping up and delivering in key situations was more important than ever.
3
Since being signed off of the Cardinals’ practice squad less than a month ago, Rasul Douglas has been one of the key players in this depleted secondary. He only allowed three receptions, just one of which went for a first down. Douglas also recorded nine tackles during this game, showing a willingness to do whatever the defense needed him to do.
Douglas also defended two passes — not to mention the most important play of the night, an interception at the goal line that sealed the game for the Green and Gold. He read the route and capitalized on A.J. Green’s failure to turn around and look for the ball. Douglas was able to initially tip the pass intended for Green’s back shoulder, and then he secured it to make an athletic one-handed grab.
While all wins count the same, this one came in dramatic fashion while the team was wildly understaffed on a short week. Surely it will be something the Packers coaches and players look to for inspiration later in the season.
