Patriots Live Blog: Packers Beat Pats 26-21
Final, 26-21 Packers: Three kneeldowns from Rodgers drained the clock, and the Packers escape this one with a five-point victory. The Patriots made it interesting at the end, but the Green Bay offense was simply better than New England's defense. That's it.
We may see them match up again in early February, but for now, Green Bay has the bragging rights as the NFL's best team.
Fourth quarter, 2:00, 26-21 Packers: It's just about over, thanks to Aaron Rodgers.
The Patriots have mostly elected to not send a heavy rush after Rodgers, instead trusting the defensive backs to cover and the linebackers to clog any potential running lanes for Rodgers. But the QB is just too good to get held down by such a defense, and on this play he had much too much time to work in the pocket. He waited long enough for Cobb to get open over the middle and then fired a bullet to him. Cobb came up with the catch, a gain of seven, and the Packers have a first down with just two minutes left.
Fourth quarter, 2:28, 26-21 Packers: Lacy ran for four yards, and the Pats called a timeout.
It's third-and-4. The next play will just about decide the game. A first down for Green Bay will allow them to nearly run down the clock and then win the game with one more first down. A New England stop, and it's Brady time.
Fourth quarter, 2:34, 26-21 Packers: Lacy for a short gain on first down, and the Patriots call timeout.
Fourth quarter, 2:40, 26-21 Packers: Rob Gronkowski came so close to making an impossible catch in the end zone, but he just wasn't able to hang on as he fell to the turf while getting harrassed by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. On the very next play, Brady was sandwiched by two Packers for a sack, forcing a field-goal attempt.
Stephen Gostkowski's 47-yard kick was not even close, sailing very wide to the right.
The Packers take over on their own 37-yard line, and the Patriots have just two timeouts and the two-minute warning. They need a quick stop -- something they've been unable to come up with all afternoon.
Fourth quarter, 5:45, 26-21 Packers: Bold decision by Bill Belichick, who decided to go for it on a fourth-and-3 from the New England 49-yard line. Brady completed an out to Edelman, and the Pats are driving.
Fourth quarter, 8:41, 26-21 Packers: It was not an ideal job by the New England defense, which allowed a 65-yard drive. But the D did get Green Bay to settle for a field goal ... sort of.
Davante Adams, who's caused headaches for the Patriots all game, broke quickly on a slant and was wide open on a third-and-5 from the 10-yard line, but he flat-out dropped the pass. Rodgers put it right on both of Adams' hands, but he dropped it.
That's yet another break for the Patriots (the Crosby miss being the other one), and it remains a one-possession game after Crosby kicked his fourth successful field goal of the game.
Fourth quarter, 13:51, 23-21 Packers: It was indeed LeGarrette Blount, and he barreled his way through about five would-be tacklers. He turned on beast mode to pick up the first down and then some, gaining 13 yards. They went back to Blount on the next play, and he again bulldozed his way through the defense for a gain of 13 yards again.
Two plays later, Brady pump-faked to the right and then threw left, a picture-perfect pass to Brandon LaFell, who hauled in his second touchdown of the day.
And the lead is now just two points.
End of third quarter, 23-14 Packers: The third quarter comes to close with zero points being scored. But the Patriots are driving, aided by a questionable third-down penalty call on Tramon Williams for illegal contact on Julian Edelman. I do think the contact was enough to disrupt Edelman's ability to catch the pass, but it was an awfully late call.
Jonas Gray just got his first touch of the game -- and first touch since his introduction to the world two weeks ago in Indy -- and he picked up four yards on second-and-5.
The Patriots have a must-have third-and-1 coming up from the Green Bay 41. It's likely four-down territory, too. It'll be interesting to see if they try to pound it here, as they haven't had a great deal of success doing that. But you have to like their chances handing it to the 250-pound Blount twice in a row to pick up a yard.
Third quarter, 2:21, 23-14 Packers: Somebody alert the news organizations -- the Patriots have forced a punt!
The Packers got backed up on a third-and-21 after Jamie Collins sacked Rodgers on a second-and-15 play.
Tim Masthay punted to Amendola, whose short return sets up the Patriots at their own 22-yard line.
Julian Edelman was officially announced questionable to return due to a thigh injury, but he's back out there to start this drive.
Third quarter, 7:18, 23-14 Packers: The Patriots remain out of sorts on offense, and what's worse, they now seem to be without Julian Edelman.
Edelman limped off the field in the Patriots' previous possession, and he was not a participant on this drive. He's still in uniform, with helmet, but his presence on the sidelines would seem to be an indication that he's hurting pretty badly.
The Pats did pick up a first down on that drive, with Brady hitting Gronkowski for a gain of 10. But Brady then overthrew a covered Gronk up the right sideline, Vereen couldn't get anything done on a between-the-tackles run, and Brady underthrew Gronkowski on third down while feeling the pressure of the Green Bay pass rush.
Trailing by nine, the Patriots have to kick it into gear at some point soon if they don't want this to turn into a laugher.
Third quarter, 9:29, 23-14 Packers: The Patriots have finally caught a break.
Mason Crosby lined up a 40-yard field goal attempt, but he pulled it right.
The Patriots will take over at their own 30-yard line after Green Bay failed to score for just the first time all game. Given the way the Packers have driven with relative ease, it stands to reason that the Patriots really need to score a touchdown on this drive.
Third quarter, 14:04, 23-14 Packers: The Patriots acme out of the half and looked to be a complete mess.
One would presume that the team had plenty of time to draw up its plans coming out of the half, but Brady threw a pass to nobody on first down, and Dan Connolly was called for a hold to make matters worse. Brady was then hit hard on a first-and-20 incompletion over the middle that very well could have been intercepted. Brady connected with Edelman for a gain of seven, but Edelman left the game in great pain after getting tackled.
Brady then had to call a panicked timeout with the play clock nearing zero, and Brady overthrew Amendola while being rushed on third-and-13.
Not a good start at all for New England. The offensive line is getting too leaky, and Brady's unable to get comfortable at all in the pocket. They're going to need the defense to come up with a stop now, which has been an impossible task thus far.
Third quarter, 15:00, 23-14 Packers: The second half is underway. First-and-10 for the Patriots on their own 20-yard line.
Halftime, 23-14 Packers: Brady took a knee, and this one heads to the half.
The Packers have scored on all five of their drives -- three field goals, two touchdowns. The Patriots looked like they answered well, but that defense did not get it done in the final Green Bay drive of the half.
At halftime, the Packers are outgaining the Patriots 347-184.
Rodgers is 14-for-23 for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Brady is 12-for-16 for 148 yards and one touchdown.
Eddie Lacy is the game's leading rusher, with 53 yards on 12 carries.
Brandon Bolden leads the Patriots with 18 rushing yards on two carries.
Davante Adams has caught three passes for 90 yards, while Rob Gronkowski leads New England with 45 receiving yards.
Second quarter, :14, 23-14 Packers: Aaron Rodgers is just so lethal.
First, he made a pass that only he can make, an on-the-run, rolling-right dart into the hands of James Starks for a gain of 28 yards.
Then, on third-and-2 near midfield, after a Green Bay timeout, Rodgers hit Nelson on an in cut in front of Revis. Nelson caught the ball in full stride and sprinted across the middle of the field, outracing Devin McCourty and just getting the football across the goal line, using it to knock over the left pylon.
And just like that, it's a big lead for Green Bay again. The Patriots don't get their "dreaded" double score, and this game takes a new shape before halftime.
Second quarter, 1:09, 16-14 Packers: We've got ourselves a pretty darned good football game here.
Brandon LaFell ran a nice out pattern on the right side, breaking free from Tramon Williams. Brady threw a bullet, and LaFell hauled it in just before going out of bounds.
So the Patriots did what they wanted to, but they need to be extremely careful on the upcoming Packers drive. If Rodgers could tack on points before halftime, that'd be a major win for Green Bay.
Second quarter, 1:56, 16-7 Packers: Rob Gronkowski ... my goodness.
The tight end lined up wide right, ran a quick slant, spun out of one tackle, barreled over another would-be tackler and muscled his way five extra yards downfield, setting up a first-and-goal at the Green Bay 2-yard line. That man is not a human being.
That catch came on a third-and-3, and it was the Patriots' fourth chain mover of the drive.
They'll look to plunge one in from the 2-yard line, cut the lead to two points, and then receive coming out of halftime and try to get a lead. We'll see if they can accomplish step 1 of that plan after this two-minute warning.
Second quarter, 5:54, 16-7 Packers: The Packers have made their way into the red zone three times today. They've had to settle for three field goals.
Green Bay got there after Rob Ninkovich got stuck covering Randall Cobb. Rodgers was able to exploit that mismatch to the tune of a 33-yard pass on an out-and-up on the right sideline. Cobb later got a generous spot on a reception on a third-and-12, setting up a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line.
But the Pats' D stood tall in the red zone yet again, stopping Lacy on first down. Revis closed in on Nelson to force an incompletion on second down, and Dont'a Hightower came flying up the middle to sack Rodgers on third down.
Also noteworthy on that drive was Revis' outstanding coverage on Nelson on a deep pass up the right sideline. It was picture-perfect coverage.
Crosby kicked a 33-yarder, but the Packers have to be frustrated with all of these field goals.
Second quarter, 12:59, 13-7 Packers: And the Patriots answer right back.
Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for the first time, gaining 29 yards on a crossing pattern. Brady then threw to an unlikely target in Michael Hoomanwanui, who made an impressive toe-tapping catch along the left sideline for a gain of 23 yards.
The Pats then went to Brandon Bolden on two consecutive plays. The first picked up 12 yards as he bulldozed his way through a host of green jerseys, and then he tiptoed his way into the end zone on a six-yard touchdown run.
It's a football game yet again.
End of first quarter, 13-0 Packers: The Pack entered the game on a four-game stretch at home in which they had outscoerd opponents 66-0. Well, that gap is now 79-0, which ... is not bad.
First quarter, :08, 13-0 Packers: That did not take long.
Rodgers picked on Logan Ryan again, connected with Davante Adams deep up the left sideline for a huge 45-yard gain. Ryan got beaten badly on that route yet again.
And then on the very next play, Rodgers opened up some space with a pump fake to the right side, and he lofted a deep ball to Richard Rodgers. Though Patrick Chung was not too far behind Richard Rodgers, the tight end had enough separation to haul in the pass while falling over the goal line.
And once again, the Packers have opened up a healthy first-quarter lead at home.
First quarter, 1:53, 6-0 Packers: The Patriots couldn't capitalize on the prime field position, as Brady hit Edelman on third-and-5, but only for a gain of four yards.
First quarter, 3:27, 6-0 Packers: It looks as though the Patriots are going bend-but-don't-break with the Packers right now. And the results aren't all that bad, as they just barely held Green Bay to another field goal.
The Packers drove 66 yards, and Rodgers came within a few inches of completing a touchdown to Davante Adams. But Adams' left foot came down out of bounds, and Rodgers' third-down pass on the ensuing play sailed well over Cobb's head, and the Packers settled for another field goal.
Of note on that drive was a major goof by Ed Hochuli's crew. The officials flagged the Patriots for 12 men on the field on a third-and-1. There was one problem: The Patriots only had 11 men on the field. Bill Belichick's complaints on the sideline were apparently heard, because Hochuli picked up the flag and erased the penalty.
Mason Crosby's kickoff scooted out of bounds, and the Patriots take over at their own 40-yard line. That's their first break of the day, really.
First quarter, 9:31, 3-0 Packers: Brady connected with Brandon LaFell on first down for a gain of 12 yards, but the drive quickly fizzled. Blount ran for six yards, Vereen got knocked backward after a gain of two yards, and then Blount was stuffed on third-and-2. If the Pats had picked up that first down, it wouldn't have counted anyway, on account of the entire 11 men on offense not being set for a full second before the quick snap. Sloppy play, and not the best start for New England.
Rob Ninkovich's first long snap was good, and the Packers take over at their own 17-yard line after Gostkowski's punt.
First quarter, 11:14, 3-0 Packers: The Patriots' defense did not get off to the greatest start. The first three plays run by the Packers picked up first downs, on gains of 12, 13 and 24 yards.
The Pats' D eventually came together and forced a third-down incompletion, but a holding penalty on Brandon Browner gave the Pack a free first down. The defense stopped two straight runs, and Aaron Rodgers overthrew an open Davante Adams along the right sideline in the end zone. Adams had put a move on Logan Ryan to gain some separation, but the pass sailed out of bounds.
Mason Crosby drilled the easy 32-yarder, and the Packers have an early 3-0 lead.
First quarter, 14:56, 0-0: Stephen Gostkowski's opening kick was a short one, and the Packers start first-and-10 at their own 28-yard line after a 19-yard return by DuJuan Harris.
4:23 p.m.: The Packers have won the coin toss and elected to receive. That's a miss for Mike McCarthy right off the bat. Bill Belichick loves deferring until the second half, so the Patriots essentially got what they wanted out of the coin toss despite losing it.
4:11 p.m.: Not much waiting is left now, as this game's about 15 minutes from kickoff.
3 p.m.: The inactive lists are out.
Here are the inactive players for the Patriots:
LS Danny Aiken
CB Malcolm Butler
G Jordan Devey
OT Cameron Fleming
DE Chandler Jones
LB Chris White
RB James White
Aiken, who suffered a concussion on a cheap shot from Detroit's C.J. Mosley last week, is a pretty important absence. It likely means that Rob Ninkovich will be forced into emergency long-snapping duties, so keep an eye on all punts and field goals. No snap can be taken for granted today.
Also of note is that Aaron Dobson is active. He's been a healthy scratch more often than not lately, but the Patriots will have him suited up for this one, perhaps an indication of a pass-heavy plan of attack. We shall see.
Here are the Packers' inactive players:
QB Scott Tolzien
CB Demetri Goodson
LB Carl Bradford
C Garth Gerhart
TE Justin Perillo
WR Jeff Janis
DT Luther Robinson
1:30 p.m.: The Patriots are in Green Bay today for their Week 13 matchup, and boy oh boy is it a big one.
The 9-2 Patriots are rolling, winners of seven straight, but they're heading into the buzzsaw that is Lambeau Field, where the Packers are 5-0, outscoring opponents 219-85. That's an average score of 44-17, so ... they've been pretty good.
Yet, the Packers have hardly hosted a team like the Patriots thus far, as those five wins came against the Jets, Bears, Vikings, Eagles and Panthers -- teams with a combined record of 23-33-1. Of those teams, only the Eagles (9-3) have a winning record.
So it stands to reason that it will be a different type of day in Green Bay than the Packers have grown accustomed to this season. Whether it ends with a W or an L is impossible to know ahead of time, but this one is guaranteed to be worth watching.
We'll have every bit of info you could possibly need about this game right here in the live blog. The Patriots listed eight players as questionable on Friday's injury report, so the inactive list figures to be noteworthy this afternoon. I'll provide that, plus any other pregame news that trickles out of Wisconsin, and once the game begins I'll have updates from the opening coin toss to the final whistle. Stick with the live blog all afternoon for everything Pats-Packers.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
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