Packers late pick sends Cardinals to first loss

Article content

Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, Rasul Douglas made a game-saving interception and the Green Bay Packers ended the Arizona Cardinals’ undefeated start with a solid 24-21 victory Thursday night in Glendale, Arizona.

Article content

Douglas’ interception in the end zone with 12 seconds to go sealed the victory as Green Bay (7-1) increased their winning streak to seven games. Randall Cobb caught two touchdown passes, Aaron Jones ran to score and Rogers completed 22 of 37 passes for 184 yards.

James Conner ran for two touchdowns and Chase Edmonds scored one for the Cardinals (7-1), who had started 7-0 for the first time since 1974 when they resided in St. Louis and were coached by the legendary Don Coryell.

Arizona’s Kyler Murray completed 22 of 33 passes for 274 yards and two interceptions. DeAndre Hopkins played sparingly due to a hamstring injury and had two receptions for 66 yards.

Green Bay outscored the Cardinals 335 yards to 334 and controlled the ball for 37 minutes and 35 seconds. The Packers didn’t commit a fumble by forcing three.

Article content

Arizona appeared to be heading for a two-touchdown deficit when Jones was ruled to have scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. However, the play was revised and the touchdown was disallowed to keep Green Bay ahead by three with 4:44 to play.

The Cardinals kept the Packers out of the end zone – Devon Kennard parried a Rodgers fourth-down shot – and took possession at their own 1-yard line with 3:23 remaining.

Murray completed 23 yards for AJ Green, 29 for Christian Kirk and 22 for Edmonds, and Arizona finally made it to Green Bay 5.

However, Green never looked for the ball on the deciding play, as Murray threw it in his direction. Douglas reached out with his left hand and they cornered the ball for his first interception since 2018, when he was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Article content

Green Bay scored 17 straight points after allowing an early touchdown.

Rodgers threw a 2-yard TD pass to Cobb to make it 17-7 with 11:37 left in the third quarter.

Arizona came within three on Conner’s 2-yard touchdown run with 6:22 remaining in the period.

The Packers pushed the margin back to 10 when Rodgers threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cobb on the first play of the final stanza. However, the Cardinals came up 24-21 on Conner’s 9-yard drive with 10:45 remaining.

Green Bay led 10-7 at halftime.

Edmonds scored on an 11-yard line with 6:17 left in the first quarter.

The Packers tied the score on a 2-yard run by Jones with 12:54 left in the second quarter and advanced on a 21-yard field goal by Mason Crosby with 6:24 left.