Short-handed Packers hand Cardinals their 1st loss with late interception

3 years ago 329

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Aaron Rodgers threw 2 touchdown passes to Randall Cobb and the Green Bay Packers knocked disconnected the antecedently unbeaten Arizona Cardinals, 24-21, aft Kyler Murray’s stunning precocious interception connected Thursday night.

The Cardinals looked similar they were going to rally to triumph their eighth consecutive crippled but Murray threw an interception connected second-and-goal with 12 seconds left. A.J. Green didn’t expect the walk to travel his way, ne'er turned astir and Green Bay’s Rasul Douglas was determination to snatch the shot successful the country of the extremity zone.

It was a large nighttime for immoderate lesser-known Packers players. Douglas was added to the progressive roster conscionable 3 weeks agone erstwhile the squad needed assistance successful the secondary. He was connected the Cardinals’ signifier squad earlier successful the season.

“This is wherefore I emotion this squad,” Rodgers said. “The feline that made the prime was with them (pointing to Arizona sideline) for 4 weeks. He was connected the streets. We brought him in. He’s starting for us. He’s a large dude. He’s truly meshed good with our team. To travel up with a play similar that with 15 seconds near is incredible.”

Cobb’s clutch nighttime was overmuch needed since Green Bay was playing without their 2 apical receivers. Davante Adams and Allen Lazard were enactment connected the reserve/COVID-19 database earlier successful the week, but the 31-year-old Cobb responded with 2 touchdowns that were some pugnacious catches successful traffic.

“It was pugnacious successful the passing crippled astatine times, but Cobby came up with a mates of large touchdown catches,” Rodgers said.

His 6-yard touchdown drawback connected the archetypal play of the 4th fourth extended the Packers’ pb to 24-14. Cobb was erstwhile 1 of the NFL’s apical receivers – making the Pro Bowl successful 2014 with 1,287 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns – but has settled into much of a secondary relation precocious successful his career.

He lone caught 3 passes connected Thursday, but they were important ones.

The Cardinals trailed for astir of the nighttime but rallied to propulsion wrong 24-21 connected James Conner’s 2nd touchdown tally of the nighttime with 10:45 near successful the fourth. Arizona past had a important goal-line basal precocious successful the 4th – capped by Devon Kennard swatting down Rodgers’ fourth-down walk – giving them the shot backmost astatine the 1-yard enactment and an accidental to spell 99 yards for the win.

They astir made it.

Green Bay (7-1) has won 7 consecutive games aft dropping the play opener. Arizona (7-1) was trying to acceptable a franchise grounds for the longest winning streak to commencement a play but alternatively tied the people acceptable successful 1974.

It was a matchup betwixt 2 of the league’s apical quarterbacks but some were hampered successful the aboriginal going by a deficiency of steadfast receivers. The violative gait picked up successful the 2nd half.

Green Bay’s discourtesy was a small much blimpish without Adams and Lazard. Arizona’s apical receiver DeAndre Hopkins made a 55-yard drawback successful the archetypal 4th but tweaked his sore hamstring connected the play and didn’t play for a large chunk of the game.

The Packers took vantage of a mates of Arizona mistakes to instrumentality a 17-7 pb aboriginal successful the 3rd quarter.

The Packers grabbed a 10-7 halftime vantage aft Cardinals rookie Rondale Moore mishandled a punt heavy successful Arizona territory. The referees initially ruled that the rookie didn’t interaction the ball, but the telephone was overturned erstwhile a replay showed that the shot deed Moore’s finger.

That gave Green Bay the shot astatine Arizona’s 3-yard line. The Packers had to settee for a 21-yard tract extremity from Mason Crosby but it inactive gave them the advantage.

Early successful the 3rd quarter, Murray threw a walk that was deflected by Moore into the hands of Green Bay’s Henry Black astatine the Arizona 14. Five plays later, Rodgers recovered Cobb successful the country of the extremity portion for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.

Murray finished with 274 yards passing and 2 interceptions.

WITHOUT WATT

The Cardinals were playing their archetypal crippled without antiaircraft extremity J.J. Watt, who reportedly needs enarthrosis country that could extremity his season.

Watt suffered the wounded successful past week’s crippled against the Houston Texans, though determination was nary denotation that determination was a occupation aft the game. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has 16 tackles and 1 sack this season.

INJURIES

Packers: Defensive extremity Kingsley Keke near the crippled successful the 3rd 4th with a concussion. … Running backmost Kylin Hill (knee) was carted disconnected the tract successful the 3rd quarter. … Tight extremity Robert Tonyan (ankle) was wounded successful the 3rd quarter.

Cardinals: Linebacker Zaven Collins injured his enarthrosis successful the archetypal 4th and didn’t instrumentality … Safety James Wiggins wounded his genu successful the archetypal fractional and didn’t return. … Hopkins has been bothered by his hamstring contented for a fewer weeks and hasn’t practiced much. … Running backmost Jonathan Ward was carted disconnected the tract successful the 3rd 4th aft making a peculiar teams tackle. He had a concussion/neck wounded but the Cardinals said helium had question successful his extremities.