Patriots and Brady win sixth straight
NEW ENGLAND 31 GREEN BAY 17
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers spent the week telling anyone who asked that the other guy was the better quarterback.
In the second matchup between the future Hall of Famers, it was the one with five Super Bowl rings who walked off the field with the victory.
Brady threw for 294 yards and a touchdown, and James White ran for two scores to lead the New England Patriots to a 31-17 victory over Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
It was the sixth straight victory for the Patriots (7-2).
“We made some plays in the fourth quarter when we needed to,” Brady said. “Anytime you beat a good football team it feels good. So, 7-2 is a long ways from 1-2 where we were.”
Rodgers completed 24 of 43 passes and two touchdowns but failed to rally his team after tying the score in the third quarter. Rodgers won the first matchup with Brady at Lambeau Field in 2014.
“If you play long enough, and you have the sustained greatness that Tom has had, there’s going to be a lot of records,” Rodgers said. “He’s been the gold standard at quarterback for two decades.”
It was 17-all late in the third quarter when Aaron Jones fumbled for Green Bay (3-4-1).
New England receiver Julian Edelman hit White on a 37-yard catch-and-run to set up White’s second score, a one-yard run. On the Patriots’ next possession, Brady connected with Josh Gordon for a 55-yard touchdown.
Gordon caught five passes for 130 yards, the 12th 100-yard receiving game of his career.
With tight end Rob Gronkowski out with back and ankle injuries and leading rusher Sony Michel out for the second straight week with a knee issue, Brady and the Patriots had to get creative. They again turned to receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to help carry the load in the backfield.
Patterson was effective for the second straight week, rushing 11 times for 61 yards and a touchdown.