Aaron
Rodgers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Devante Adams with 11 seconds
left to lift the Green Bay Packers to a 35-31 NFL victory over the
Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Rodgers carried the Packers on his back
down the stretch as the clutch winning drive lasted 62 seconds and took
nine plays, including an 18-yard run by Rodgers for a first down.
The
scramble out of the pocket to the side of the field was just another
example of the way Rodgers dissected the Cowboys defence late in the
game at AT&T Stadium. “I just felt a gap to my left. I knew if I
could get out there I would probably have a good lane to run,” he said.
In
the late game, Alex Smith passed for 324 yards and three touchdowns and
engineered a decisive touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter
in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 42-34 win over the Houston Texans.
On the
winning touchdown, Rodgers placed a perfect pass over the helmet of
Cowboys rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis and into the arms of Adams.
Rodgers had tried to team up with Adams on the previous play but his
toss was short.
The winning drive came after Dallas quarterback Dak
Prescott ran in a go-ahead touchdown for the Cowboys with under two
minutes left. Prescott completed 25 of 36 passes for 251 yards and three
touchdowns and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 116 yards, but it wasn’t
enough.
The Packers eliminated Dallas from the playoffs on the same
field in January, when Rodgers converted a key third-and-20 play in the
closing seconds and kicker Mason Crosby nailed a 51-yard field goal as
time expired.
Green Bay returned Sunday to do it twice in a year and improve to 4-1 on the season while Dallas dropped to 2-3.
In
Houston, Tyreek Hill ensured that the Chiefs would improve to 5-0 and
remain as the lone unbeaten team in the NFL when he returned a punt 82
yards for a touchdown with 7:22 left to give Kansas City a 19-point
lead.
Key injuries
The Texans not only lost the game, but
they lost three-time defensive player of the year JJ Watt to a tibial
plateau fracture in his left leg in the first quarter.
Watt may have
to undergo season-ending surgery. He played three games last year
before undergoing back surgery that kept him out the rest of the season.
Quarterback Watson completed 16-of-31 attempts for 261 yards and five
touchdowns for the Texans. DeAndre Hopkins caught three scoring passes
for Houston.
Elsewhere, the New York Giants lost again and Odell
Beckham’s early season woes continued as the receiver will need surgery
after breaking his left ankle in a 27-22 loss to the Los Angeles
Chargers. Beckham suffered his injury with about four minutes left in
the fourth quarter when he fell awkwardly to the ground.
The injury
comes nine days after Beckham was fined $12,000 for his awkward
touchdown celebration against Philadelphia where he tried to imitate a
dog urinating in the endzone. Quarterback Philip Rivers threw three
touchdown passes for the Chargers who recorded their first win of the
season.
Elsewhere, Ben Roethlisberger turned in his worst home
performance in more than 11 years as the Jacksonville Jaguars
intercepted five passes in a 30-9 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In
Detroit, Cam Newton completed 26 of 33 passes for 355 yards and three
touchdowns to help Carolina earn a 27-24 road win over Detroit.
Also, Carson Wentz threw a career-high four touchdown passes as the Philadelphia
Eagles rolled to a third straight win, 34-7 over the Arizona Cardinals.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) celebrates with tight end Richard Rodgers after scoring the winning touchdown at AT&T Stadium. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports