There were some potentially nerve-racking moments during Sunday’s matchup between the Packers and Bengals.
But in the end, Green Bay did what it needed to do offensively throughout the second half, propelling the Packers to a 24-18 victory.
After going into halftime up 10-0, the Packers scored touchdowns on their first two offensive drives in the second half to keep control of the game. They then kicked a field goal to go up by nine with just 1:52 left in the contest.
Though quarterback Jordan Love threw an interception to prematurely end Green Bay’s first drive, he played well for the rest of the contest. Love finished 19-of-26 for 259 yards with a touchdown and the pick.
Josh Jacobs also helped power the offense, rushing for 93 yards with two touchdowns. He also caught all five of his targets for 57 yards, ended the day with 150 yards from scrimmage.
Matthew Golden caught three passes for 86 yards to lead the club. He also had two carries for 16 yards.
Making his first start for the Bengals after the surprising trade earlier this week, quarterback Joe Flacco got off to a slow start — finishing the first half 8-of-15 for 40 yards. Cincinnati had just 65 total yards and four first downs in the game’s first two quarters.
But the team got going in the third quarter, with Flacco engineering a 17-play, 78-yard drive that took 10:14 off the clock to start the second half — ending with Flacco’s 2-yard TD pass to Tanner Hudson.
That narrowed Green Bay’s lead to 10-7, but the Packers had little resistance making it back to the end zone on their ensuing drive.
Then, after a Bengals field goal, the Packers went up 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter with a 19-yard touchdown catch by Tucker Kraft.
While Ja’Marr Chase caught a 19-yard touchdown and the Bengals connected on a two-point conversion, the Packers put it away with Lucas Havrisik’s 39-yard field goal with 1:52 in the contest.
Flacco finished 29-of-45 for 219 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Chase caught 10 passes for 94 yards with his TD, while Tee Higgins caught five passes for 62 yards.
Now at 3-1-1, the Packers will be on the road to face the Cardinals in Week 7.
At 2-4, the Bengals have a short week to prepare for a division rival, as they’ll face the Steelers on Thursday night. Cincinnati is now 0-4 since quarterback Joe Burrow suffered torn ligaments in his foot.
