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Summary of the match
Running back Saquon Barkley received a straight throw-in from center and went two yards out of the end zone in the fourth quarter to guide the New York Giants to a 27-22 win over the Green Bay Packers , Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Barkley’s touchdown not only capped a second-half comeback for the Giants, it spoiled the Packers’ first international game.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to the Giants six-yard line, but his pass on fourth down and one yard to go was knocked down at the line of scrimmage by safety Xavier McKinney with just over one minute to elapse.
After Giants kicker Jamie Gillan went out of bounds in the end zone to concede a safety touch, the Packers (3-2) recovered the ball and prepared to attempt a desperate pass from their half of the ground.
However, Rodgers was tackled at his 29-yard line by Oshane Ximines and lost control of the ball as the final seconds ticked away.
“We had opportunities, lots of opportunities,” Rodgers admitted. “The season is five weeks old, and there is still a lot of football to play. But we can’t let more games like this slip away, though, because the season is going to get pretty tough. »
The Giants (4-1) scored 17 straight points in the second half as quarterback Daniel Jones, despite a bad ankle, orchestrated three productive drives that allowed his team to erase a 20-10 deficit.
For the Giants, it’s their best start to the season since winning their first five games in 2009. Their four wins already equal their total for the 2021 season.
“We knew we were the underdogs in the game, but I think we’re a motivated group,” Jones said. “We are motivated to play for each other. »
Gary Brightwell had a two-yard touchdown to make it 20-20 after a 15-play, 91-yard offensive streak. On the streak, Jones ran for two first downs, having only made one run for a three-yard gain in the first half.
Rodgers completed his day’s work with passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns to Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis in the first half. He was, however, unable to add points to the scoreboard in the second half.
“Give all the credit to the Giants. They ran the game better than us, they played better than us,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said.
“There is no doubt that they wanted (to win) more than us, he added. This is the story of two halves. They mistreated us in the second half. You can’t do that in this league.”
The Giants entered the duel first in the National Football League in rushing earnings, but struggled to get their ground attack going early in the game.
They found themselves facing a 17-3 deficit after Rodgers completed four-yard passes to Lazard and two yards to Lewis in the end zone.
Early in the game, Jones seemed limited in his movement by his sore ankle and didn’t pose a running threat during the first half. Barkley then accepted a straight throw-in from center for a 40-yard gain to the Packers 38 line.
Suddenly the Giants offense seemed to come to life and following a reverse double play, rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger carried the ball into the end zone to cut the Packers lead to 17-10 .
A 48-yard field goal from Mason Crosby on the final play of the first half gave the Packers a 10-point cushion.
Barkley, who briefly left the game with a shoulder problem, finished his day with rushing 70 yards on 13 carries.
Jones added 37 yards on 10 carries and completed 21 of 27 passes for 217 yards.
In the loss, Randall Cobb was the Packers’ leading receiver with seven catches for 99 yards.
