Packers finally pack a punch
Use strong second half to cruise past Dolphins; Jones sets career highs
GREEN BAY, Wis. — For a change, it was the Packers in a runaway.
Aaron Jones ran for career highs of 145 yards and two touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams connected for two touchdown passes and the Packers beat the Dolphins 31-12.
The Packers (4-4-1) pulled away in the second half, sandwiching scoring drives around cornerback Bashaud Breeland’s interception deep in Miami territory. Green Bay went ahead 28-12 on Adams’ 25-yard touchdown catch with 7:24 left in the third quarter.
“This league has always been about big plays,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “You can’t score points without big plays, and you have to make big plays to win the game.”
Maybe this is the victory that will get the Packers going in the tight NFC North race after a choppy first half of the season.
Jason Sanders tied a Dolphins franchise rookie record with four field goals, but Miami (5-5) couldn’t find the end zone. The Dolphins squandered another opportunity on the game-opening drive after Brock Osweiler fumbled away a shotgun snap.
The Packers cashed in on that turnover, too, when Rodgers and Adams connected on their first touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
“We turned it over, and we didn’t take advantage of opportunities,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said.
His defense also had trouble slowing down Jones, who finished with 15 carries to give Green Bay some much-needed balance.
A slashing style and an explosive burst through the hole make Jones a threat to bust a big run on any carry. He accounted for 54 yards of total offense on the opening drive.
Jones added a career-long 67-yarder to give him 96 yards on four carries in the first quarter alone.
“We got the run game going. We had a lot more balance, which we hadn’t had all season,” said Rodgers, who was 19-for-28 for 199 yards.
Adams had four catches for 57 yards.
Brock stops here
Osweiler was 23-for-37 for 213 yards in his fifth start for the injured Ryan Tannehill. Miami had 294 yards of total offense, an admirable effort given that they were missing three starting offensive linemen.
But Osweiler was sacked six times, including on three straight plays late in the fourth quarter.
“Overall, I just need to be better and this organization deserves better because we left a lot on the table out there tonight,” Osweiler said.
Record run
A nine-yard run with about 3½ minutes left in the first quarter put the Dolphins running back Frank Gore over the 500-yard mark for an NFL-record 14th straight season. He broke a tie with Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith.