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The leaders of the two North divisions faced off at Paul Brown Stadium and the NFC North won the crown. The Green Bay Packers edged the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime, winning 25-22.
The Bengals knew they couldn’t start slow against the Green Bay Packers, and they struck first with the rare first-quarter touchdown. The Packers didn’t want to be deeply beaten, which left plenty of room in the middle for running backs and tight ends. Joe Mixon was playing despite an injury, so Samaje Perine carried the charge out of the backfield. Perine had three receptions, including two for the first downs. The third reception was a quick touchdown pass to give the Bengals the lead.
After Evan McPherson’s extra point, the Bengals led 7-0 with 1:15 left in the first quarter.
Aaron Rodgers had three for seven for 37 yards with an interception in the first quarter, but he wasn’t held up for long. Rodgers completed the next six assists in Green Bay’s first practice in the second quarter. His sixth pass was a 12-yard reception to AJ Dillon, who directed the ball into the end zone. Mason Crosby missed the extra point, so the Bengals still led 7-6 with 11:49 left in the second quarter.
Whatever the Bengals defense did in the first quarter, the Packers got it in the second. Rodgers scored 14 for 17 with 166 yards in the second quarter, finding weak spots in the zone and taking advantage of the Bengals’ lack of depth at the cornerback position. The Packers secured a field goal and scored another touchdown before half-time. From the five-meter line, Rodgers threw a fade pass to Davante Adams, who rose through the ranks to beat Trae Waynes for the score.
With 1:07 left at the half, the Packers had a 16-7 lead. It was Rodgers’ 422nd touchdown pass, passing Phillip Rivers for the fifth time in NFL history.
The Bengals, however, weren’t content to walk into the locker room with two fewer scores. On the second stroke of the next drive, Burrow danced around the pocket until he found Ja’Marr Chase open deeply. Burrow threw the ball 55 yards in the air, and Chase ran the ball the rest of the way for a 70 yard touchdown. After the extra point, the Bengals reduced the lead to 16-14 with 36 seconds on the clock.
Perhaps the most impressive part of that touchdown is that Burrow completed the last ride in the medical tent. He seemed to be good on this piece.
Before the deep ball at Chase, Burrow made 11 of 15 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t bad when he could throw the ball into the air, but the Packers’ pass rush made life difficult for Burrow in the pocket. The only time Burrow had extra time to throw, he landed Chase’s deep touch.
Rodgers had a destructive second quarter, going 17 for 24 with 203 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the first half. His favorite target was Adams, with nine targets, six receptions, 117 yards and one touchdown.
The two offenses fell silent in the third quarter. The only score was a Packers field goal that came out of a Burrow interception. The Bengals only had one hit in the quarterback, but self-inflicted injuries led to a punt.
But in the fourth quarter, Rodgers found Adams for 59 yards. The Packers came down on third and on goal, and Mike Hilton snapped a potential touchdown pass to force another field goal. Crosby managed the field goal so the Packers were still leading 22-14 with 11:20 left in the game.
The Bengals needed a touchdown, and they got one in 13 games and an eight-minute drive. Burrow called his own number in the fourth down for a crucial conversion, then dropped a nice ball for Chase to convert a third down. Mixon got a snap over the goal line on a day when he took on a lighter load and threw the ball for the much-needed score.
Burrow hit Tee Higgins for the two-point conversion and tied the game at 22 points with 3:27 remaining.
With Rodgers on the pitch, the Bengals needed a save. Aaron Jones responded with a 57-yard rush to take the Packers into the red zone on the first play of the drive. The Bengals, however, stopped the Packers there to force a field attempt, and Crosby missed 36 yards. It was Crosby’s first failed field goal after making 27 straight games.
The Bengals recovered the ball seconds before the two-minute warning. Green Bay had everything in front of them, so the Bengals found themselves piece by piece. He narrowed down to a fourth and two at the Packers’ 39-yard line with 26 seconds left. It was a 57-yard attempt for the rookie kicker, but it bounced off the post and wasn’t good.
The Rodgers-Adams connection resumed and the Packers immediately entered Crosby’s range. With three seconds left, Crosby attempted a 51-yard shot and missed his second straight kick.
With three consecutive failed baskets, the game went into overtime.
As if this game weren’t crazy enough, Burrow threw an interception at De’Vondre Campbell on the first overtime game. The Packers got the ball inside the 20-yard line and sent Crosby on the third down. He came to kick a 40-yard and missed that one too.
After Crosby hadn’t missed any field since 2019, he had missed his last three.
The Burrow-Chase connection got the Bengals moving again, as Burrow looked to redeem himself in overtime. The Bengals sent the ball to the Packers 32-yard line for a 49-yard attempt, but McPherson’s kick hit the flag at the top of the upright and went wide to the right.
A screen in Marcedes Lewis took the Packers deep into Bengals territory. Crosby came out to try and score a winning basket, and the third time it was the charm. The 49-yard kick was good and the Packers won 25-22.
The Bengals fell to 3-2, while the Packers improved to 4-1.
The Bengals’ next game is in Detroit against the winless Lions on October 17.
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