Packers squeeze by Ravens 19-17
BALTIMORE — Aaron Rodgers came up with the big plays at just the right time, and Green Bay’s depleted defense shoved around the defending Super Bowl champions.
It all added up to the Packers’ first road win of the season, a gritty 19-17 decision over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Rodgers threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, Eddie Lacy ran for 120 yards and Mason Crosby kicked four field goals for the Packers (3-2), who had previously lost to San Francisco and Cincinnati on the road.
Green Bay took a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter and was up 19-10 with 4 minutes left, but the Ravens (3-3) kept coming back.
After Baltimore closed to 19-17 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Dallas Clark with 2:04 remaining, Rodgers clinched the victory with a 52-yard completion to Jermichael Finley on a third-and-3.
Rodgers went 17 for 32 for 315 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He played most of the game without two of his top three receivers — James Jones appeared to hurt his left knee on a first-quarter play, and Randall Cobb left for good after being struck on his right knee on a tackle by Matt Elam.
Despite playing without injured linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones, the Packers limited Baltimore to 47 yards rushing and registered five sacks, including three by A.J. Hawk.
The Ravens had won 13 straight at home against NFC foes.
Green Bay went up 9-0 in the third quarter when Crosby kicked a 50-yard field goal to cap a drive that featured a 43-yard pass play from Rodgers to Jarrett Boykin.
Baltimore answered with its first score, a 23-yard field goal by Justin Tucker following a 59-yard completion from Flacco to rookie Marlon Brown.
Harassed and hurried for much of the afternoon, Rodgers finally came up with a signature moment. He started to his left, then rolled right before lofting a perfect spiral to Nelson, who had gotten behind Lardarius Webb.
Down 16-3, the Ravens began playing with a sense of urgency and got the desired results. Flacco directed a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones with 11:52 remaining.
Jones, who missed the previous four weeks with a knee injury, finished with two catches for 42 yards and had a 35-yard kickoff return.
Looking to enhance Green Bay’s 16-10 lead, Rodgers and the Packers held onto the ball for just over 7½ minutes before Crosby kicked a 31-yard field goal with 4:17 remaining.
It turned out to be the game-winning points.
Green Bay got field goals from Crosby on its opening drive and on the final play of the second quarter for a 6-0 lead at halftime.
Baltimore accumulated only 36 yards of offense during the first quarter, zero on the ground.
In the second quarter, a peculiar sequence of events began when Green Bay’s Ryan Taylor blocked a punt. The ball bounced beyond the line of scrimmage, was touched by John Kuhn of the Packers and recovered by Baltimore at its own 41-yard line. The Ravens subsequently got a first-and-goal at the Green Bay 4, but four straight runs failed to get the ball into the end zone.
Late in the half, Flacco was sacked and lost the ball. Green Bay’s Datone Jones recovered and Crosby connected on a 31-yard field goal as time expired.