Week 6: Green Bay vs Cincinnati

Coming off their early bye week, Green Bay was looking to start its 12-week stretch of games off right with a win versus Cincinnati. The Bengals made headlines last week by trading with their conference rivals, the Cleveland Browns, for 40-year-old Joe Flacco. This decision comes after their performances with quarterback Jake Browning over the previous three weeks, during which the Vikings, Broncos, and Lions outscored them 113-37. Joe Flacco handed the Packers their only loss of the season in week three, where the Browns outlasted the Packers 13-10 in a dogfight. During this week six six-matchup, the Bengals were looking to march into Lambeau Field and get their first win since Joe Burrow went out with a foot injury.

The game started off slow, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. Six minutes into the game, quarterback Jordan Love made a rushed throw on the run that was intercepted at the Bengals 15 15-yard line. These types of poor decisions have plagued Love for years and have been a point of emphasis for Matt LaFleur and the Packers coaching staff. The Packers struck first, with a 43-yard field goal made by Lucas Havrisik, who was signed by the Packers just this last week. They backed this up with a rushing touchdown by Josh Jacobs, sending them into halftime with a 10-0 advantage.

A short pass from Flacco to Tanner Hudson opened the scoring with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Packers answered with the first play of the fourth quarter, with Josh Jacobs running up the middle like a bowling ball for a 14-yard touchdown. The Bengals drove down the field and finished the drive with a 45-yard field goal by Evan McPherson. Then, a series of passes by Jordan Love got the Packers in the red zone once again, where an angry 20-yard run by Tucker Kraft gave the Packers a 14-point lead. However, the Bengals would not go away. Ja'marr Chase would keep Cincinnati in the game with an unreal touchdown catch on fourth down to bring it back to a one-point game. It looked like the Bengals' defense would step up and get the ball back when Green Bay was on 3rd and 9 on their own 40, but a clutch catch by Mathew Golden would give Green Bay the first down and get them into field goal range. The Packers drained some clock, then made a field goal to make it a two-possession game with only a few minutes left. A missed field goal by Cincinnati would seal the game for the Packers, 27-18.

Overall, this game wasn't exactly the performance fans were hoping for out of the rested Packers team. The offense looked lackluster at times against on of the worst defenses in the league. The defense held up well, but they were going against 40-year-old Joe Flacco with a below-average offensive line. What matters to most Packers fan is that got the win, even if it was closer than it should've been. Looking forward to next week, the Packers face a Cardinals team that has now lost four straight games and is without their starting quarterback, Kyler Murray. Packer fans are hoping for a less stressful win as they continue fighting for the one seed in the NFC North.