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GLENDALE, Ariz. — All the target was on who the Eco-friendly Bay Packers did not have on Thursday night time at the Arizona Cardinals: no Davante Adams, no Allen Lazard, no Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
No possibility, right?
Mistaken.
Of course, the Packers have been lacking their top 3 receivers — Adams and Lazard on the COVID-19 listing and Valdes-Scantling not fairly ready to return from a hamstring injuries. That was in addition to the three Pro Bowlers — still left tackle David Bakhtiari, outside the house linebacker Za’Darius Smith and cornerback Jaire Alexander — who were by no means heading to engage in on Thursday.
But all the Packers assumed about was who they experienced.
And it was sufficient for a 24-21 victory that handed the Cardinals their very first reduction of the season and remaining the NFL without an unbeaten workforce. Both of those teams walked out with 7-1 data.
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And the male who clinched it for the Packers wasn’t even on their crew until eventually 22 days ago. Cornerback Rasul Douglas, who was on the roster because of injuries to Alexander and Kevin King, picked off a Kyler Murray go in the end zone on a throw from the Packers’ 5-yard line.
“This is why I love this squad,” Aaron Rodgers reported on the Fox broadcast immediately after the match. “The person who created the decide on was with them for four weeks [the Packers signed Douglas off the Cardinals’ practice squad]. He was on the road, we introduced him in, he’s starting up for us. He’s a fantastic dude, and he’s really meshed nicely with our crew, and to occur up with a play like that with 15 seconds still left is extraordinary.”
Coach Matt LaFleur set Rodgers in a operate-the-clock method, and when it remaining Rodgers with an uncharacteristic stat line — just 184 yards passing — the Packers were written content to gain a little unsightly, or at minimum uglier than they’re made use of to.
“We ran the ball perfectly, we knew we could,” Rodgers reported. “It was tough in the passing recreation at situations, but [Randall] Cobb arrived up with a couple major touchdown catches.”
Irrespective of the key gamers who could not participate in Thursday, the Packers even now experienced a great deal going for them:
Cobb, who has caught 71% of his targets from Rodgers in his job (Rodgers’ greatest to any receiver with at the very least 60 makes an attempt), had his second multi-touchdown recreation of the season. Just before his return to Green Bay this yr, he had not scored 2 times in a video game due to the fact 2015.
AJ Dillon, who averaged 2.37 yards for each hurry after get in touch with the earlier two seasons (sixth most effective between gamers with 90 rushes, in accordance to analysis by ESPN Stats & Facts), rushed for 78 yards.
Aaron Jones, a single of two gamers with 1,500 yards dashing and 500 yards acquiring considering the fact that the begin of the 2020 season, caught 7 passes for 51 yards.
Robert Tonyan, who has 13 landing catches about the previous two seasons (second most amid all limited finishes), hauled in a 33-yard capture to set up Cobb’s second touchdown.
And of training course, Rodgers, whose constant hand proved a lot more significant than any one play, stored his passes small, averaging 4.8 air yards per attempt, which was the third least expensive of his profession. And he was getting rid of the ball swiftly, averaging 2.25 seconds from snap to release, which was his fastest time given that Week 2 of 2016.
In a video game perhaps only an offensive lineman could adore, the Packers rushed 34 moments for 151 yards.
The only offensive issues arrived near the aim line, when they unsuccessful to get in from the 1-yard line in the ultimate minutes, which allowed the Cardinals to push all the way down right before Douglas played the hero.
“This is a scrappy team,” Rodgers claimed. “This is a difficult, physical, gritty crew. I’m so happy of our guys. I’m so happy of our line.
“I really like this soccer workforce. I’m possessing so substantially exciting with these men.”
