Entering Sunday, the Green Bay Packers hadn’t won a football game in one month and one day. While their 27-18 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals was far from perfect, coach Matt LaFleur felt “a sense of relief” to have his club back in the win column. 

“You always get punched in the face in this league and our guys kept responding,” he said, via packers.com. “That’s what we need to be (resilient), and you have to go through those moments in order to be that. Bottom line, we found a way.”

The defense pitched a nearly perfect shutout in the first half, only to allow Cincinnati to score on three straight second-half drives. Meanwhile, after a disjointed, 10-point first half, the Packer offense delivered three consecutive second-half scoring drives of its own to keep the Bengals at arms’ length.

The defense started the game with the same suffocating presence it displayed in the first three weeks of the season. Quarterback Joe Flacco – traded from Cleveland to Cincinnati five days ago – looked bewildered trying to execute a new playbook with new teammates against a fast Packers defense. The Bengals amassed one first down on their first four drives. 

The offense needed the support. A promising opening drive ended with an ill-advised Jordan Love interception. An inconsistent second quarter resulted in a field goal, touchdown, and two quick punts. 

Lucas Havrisik comfortably split the uprights from 43 yards for a 3-0 Green Bay lead early in the second quarter. Havrisik signed to replace Brandon McManus while he recovers from a quad injury. McManus thought he could kick today, but also acknowledged to the coaching and training staff he still felt something.

 “Sometimes you have to protect the players from themselves. This was a long-term play by us,” LaFleur said.

Havrisik was perfect on the day, going 2-for-2 on field goals, and 3-for-3 on point-after-attempts.                                         

Josh Jacobs scored his first of two touchdowns on the day with 4:05 remaining in the half. A short, three-yard push up the middle gave the Packers a 10-0 lead. The run game ended the drive, but the pass game ignited it. 

Facing a 3rd & 10 and a second straight three-and-out, Love placed a perfect deep pass down the left sideline to Matthew Golden. Love’s pass beat the tight coverage as Golden hauled in the 35-yard catch with no room to spare. Love followed it up with a jump-pass checkdown to Jacobs, who took that for 29 yards, to set up his touchdown run.  

Golden led the team with 86 receiving yards on three catches in his best performance as a rookie. Love finished 19 of 26 for 259 with a touchdown and interception.

Cincinnati missed on a 67-yard field-goal attempt and Green Bay led 10-0 entering the locker room. Evan McPherson actually made the kick on a snap that didn’t count thanks to a LaFleur timeout. The make would’ve set a new NFL field goal record. 

The offense carried the defense in the second half. 

Cincinnati opened with a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ate up 10:14 from the game clock. The Bengals started finding success on the ground which eased Flacco into a rhythm he didn’t seem to lose. The veteran quarterback calmly hit Tanner Hudson underneath the goal post on 4th-and-goal from the two, 10-7. 

Once Love and the offense finally got their turn, they delivered a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive, 17-7. Jacobs scored straight up gut from the 14-yard line as his offensive line opened a massive hole. 

“Early on, I thought we left some (rushing) yards out there,” LaFleur said. “That’s when I went over and challenged the offensive line. I said ‘If they’re going to play two-shell and we’re getting two yards, it’s going to be a long day for us.’ Those guys did a really nice job, I think, responding.”

Jacobs finished with 93 yards on 18 carries leading to the two scores. He added five catches for 57 yards in the passing game. 

The Bengals settled for a field goal on their next drive thanks to a dropped pass, and Tucker Kraft stepped up with a 19-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, 24-10. Kraft’s run-after-the-catch ability is becoming his trademark, and he again displayed it on the score. 

Love found Kraft in the right flat after a quick play action. The third-year tight end burst up the right sideline and turned into a runaway train speeding to the end zone. One Bengals defender could barely hang on to Kraft, much less stop him. Another tried to deliver a forceful hit, only to  ricochet and spin in place like a top as Kraft dove across the goal line.  

The defense again had a chance to close the door, and again couldn’t. This time, the Bengals leaned on their All-Pro, triple-crown wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Flacco, settled and comfortably picking at the defense with short papercuts, connected with Chase four times on the touchdown drive. The fourth connection happened when Chase outmuscled Keisean Nixon at the goal line for a one-handed body catch. The Bengals added a two-point conversion to make it 24-18. 

Flacco ended 29 of 45 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Chase had 10 catches for 94 yards and a score. 

Green Bay again pushed the lead to two scores as Havrisik hit from 39 yards with 1:52 remaining for the 27-18 final. McPherson missed from 56 to seal the imperfect, needed win for the Packers.

Other Notes:

• Sean Rhyan started at right guard and alternated the first three series with Jordan Morgan. Afterwards, Morgan played the entire game. 
• Edgerinn Cooper led the team in tackles with 11
• Lukas Van Ness registered Green Bay’s only sack. Two plays later, he injured his foot and did not return. LaFleur said he’ll have an MRI tomorrow. 
• Javon Bullard suffered another concussion, his second of the season.