Week 7: Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers started week 7 with a flight delay due to mechanical issues with the team plane. The team experienced a 6 hour delay and when they finally took off, they were set to arrive 17 hours before kickoff. Even though the flight was only a couple hours, the Packers started the game looking jet lagged. They failed to put up any points in the first quarter on a struggling Arizona defense.

The Cardinals offense, missing Kyler Murray, and their top three running backs on the depth chart, had a much better offensive first half. Their first drive was a long, calculated drive, with several third down conversions to keep it alive. They ended up on third and goal from the Packers' 8 yard line, where Micah Parsons came up with a huge sack to hold the Cardinals to a field goal.

On the Packers opening drive, they went for two 4th down conversions. The first was 4th and 2 from their own 48 yard line, which they converted with an out route from Matthew Golden. The next was 4th and 5 from the Cardinals 39 yard line, where Romeo Doubs had his defender beat by a step in the endzone, but was just overthrown by Jordan Love, giving the ball right back to the Cardinals offense.

On the Packers next offensive drive, a few good runs by Josh Jacobs and a big catch by Romeo Doubs set them up in the redzone. They would fail to score a touchdown here though, and matched the Cardinals with a field goal of their own. The Cardinals got the ball back, and with a few big passes from Jacoby Brissett, they answered with another field goal, making the score 6-3.

After forcing another Green Bay three and out, the Cardinals scored the first touchdown of the game, with the Packers defense completing losing track of star tight end Trey McBride, who found himself wide open in the endzone. The Packers got the ball back with seven seconds left in the half, and after one pass to Romeo Doubs, set themselves up with a 61 yard field goal. Lucas Havrisik walked onto the field, only being signed a few weeks ago, and made the kick, setting a Packers franchise record for longest made field goal.

The Packers started off the second half strong, capping off the drive with a touchdown from Josh Jacobs. The Cardinals didn't back down, answering with a touchdown from Trey McBride, his second of the day. Tucker Kraft wasn't going to sit around and watch his tight end counterpart outplay him, so he caught a touchdown of his own, bringing the score to 20-20. A big kickoff return set the Cardinals offense up at their 40 yard line, taking advantage of this, they marched down the field to the Packers 9 yard line. The Green Bay defense stepped up big here, and another 3rd down Micah Parsons sack forced the Cardinals to take another field goal.

The Packers would quickly go three and out, giving the Cardinals a chance to drain the clock with a lead. However, the Cardinals decide to go for it on 4th and 1, a play they'd soon regret as the Packers defense stuffed them for a turnover on downs. The next Packers drive would give Green Bay fans their weekly heart attack. Tucker Kraft stepped up big on this drive, converting a 3rd and 7 and a 4th and 2 to keep the Packers in the game. The Packers would drive down to the one yard line, where they would take their first lead of the game following a touchdown from Josh Jacobs. The Packers defense stood their ground one last time, forcing a turnover on downs to give the Packers the win.

Overall, this game was a pretty poor showing for Green Bay. The Arizona offense was down their starting quarterback and were on their 4th string running back. Jacoby Brissett played a good game for Arizona, throwing for 279 yard and two touchdowns. Marvin Harrison Jr. had a few great catches, but the majority of their offense came through Trey McBride. Leaving a top three tight end in the league so open so many times is inexcusable for Green Bay's defense. The Packers offense had a decent game, and Josh Jacobs still wasn't feeling 100% but played a good game himself. At the end of the day, the Packers move to 4-1-1, still sitting at the top of the NFC North. After a travel delay and a sluggish start, Green Bay showed resilience in the fourth quarter, a promising sign for a team learning how to close out ugly games. Also one last fun fact, all four of Green Bay's wins have come with them scoring 27 points.