FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There was a playoff vibe in Sunday night’s thoroughly entertaining and highly competitive game between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.
And the Patriots sure looked primed and ready for another push to the playoffs in recording a 31-17 victory that featured some familiar staples.
There was razzle-dazzle on offense in the fourth quarter — Julian Edelman throwing a cross-the-field pass to running back James White, who ran 37 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown. Yes, the old Kent State quarterback still can sling it.
There was a swarming defense, which bottled up quarterback Aaron Rodgers in critical situations and helped buy time for quarterback Tom Brady and the offense, which struggled for stretches. The play of the game was 315-pound defensive tackle Lawrence Guy hustling down the field to deliver a big hit on running back Aaron Jones to force a fumble in the fourth quarter, which cornerback Stephon Gilmore recovered.
That was the turning point, as the Patriots turned a 17-all tie into a victory by racing away down the homestretch.
Another hallmark of the win that resembled wins by past teams was that the Patriots picked up the victory without some of their key players.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski was inactive due to back and ankle injuries (the Patriots have won both games without him this season and scored 69 points). So was rookie running back Sony Michel (knee), which forced wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson into a second week of emergency duty at running back (his 5-yard rushing TD was impressive). And starting right guard Shaq Mason (calf) was also out, with Mason’s absence showing up in the Patriots having some issues in pass protection against the Packers’ creative scheming.
On a night when Brady wasn’t always at his best, it took a complete team effort to help the Patriots improve to 7-2. That helps them keep pace with the 8-1 Kansas City Chiefs, whom they beat on Oct. 14, in the AFC playoff race.
Source:ESPN
