Packers tie game late, beat Bengals in OT
Packers’ Rodgers connects for a 73-yard touchdown, keeps Bengals winless.
The Bengals finally got their first touchdown of the season, but the first win will have to wait after losing 27-24 at Lambeau Field.
The Cincinnati Bengals finally got their first touchdown of the season, but the first win will have to wait at least another week.
Aaron Rodgers hit Geronimo Allen with a 73-yard pass on third and 10 in overtime, and two plays later Mason Crosby
kicked a 27-yard field goal to lift the Packers to a 27-24 overtime victory Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Rodgers, who had been 0-2 against the Bengals, forced overtime with a 75-yard drive that ended with him hitting Jordy Nelson for a 3-yard pass with 17 seconds left, erasing what had been a 14-point Bengals lead.
Bill Lazor’s debut as Bengals offensive coordinator produced touchdowns on two of the first three series, but not much after that. William Jackson returned a Rodgers interception 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 21-7 lead in the second quarter, but the Green Bay defense took over from there.
The loss prevented the Bengals (0-3) from making up ground in the AFC North after co-leaders Baltimore and Pittsburgh both lost earlier in the day.
A Bengals offense that failed to score a touchdown in the first two games, leading to the firing of former coordinator Ken Zampese, jumped out to a fast start under Lazor, driving 79 yards in 10 plays to reach the end zone on
Andy Dalton’s 10-yard strike to A.J. Green on third-and-8.
The Packers (2-1) answered with a 60-yard touchdown of their own, finishing it with a 1-yard pass from Rodgers to Lance Kendricks. But Dalton put the Bengals ahead for good with a 6-yard pass to
Giovani Bernard early in the second quarter, then Jackson upped the advantage to 21-7 when he victimized Rodgers for just the sec- ond pick-6 of his career and first since 2009.
The Packers were playing without six injured starters. The most glaring absence has been Pro Bowl left tackle David Bakhtiari. Bengals rookie fourth-round pick Carl Lawson repeatedly beat backup Kyle Murphy to record 2.5 sacks, the first of his career. He had another wiped out on a penalty when the Bengals got called for having 12 men on the field.
The Green Bay defense took over in the second half, holding the Bengals to just 109 yards.
Rodgers’ second touchdown pass of the game, a 1-yarder to Nelson, got the Packers within 21-14 on the opening drive of the second half.
Bengals kicker Randy Bullock missed a 48-yard field goal that would have pushed the lead to 10 points, but he hit a 46-yarder to push the advantage to 24-17 with 3:46 to go.
Then Rodgers drove the Packers for the game-winning score to force overtime, where the Packers won it.
It was Rodgers’ first win against the Bengals, and his first in overtime in eight tries.
The Bengals return to action Sunday in Cleveland.