Live Updates: Giants Upset Packers 24-22

Can the Green Bay Packers win their fourth consecutive game? No. Tommy DeVito outdueled Jordan Love and Randy Bullock made a field goal on the final play.
Live Updates: Giants Upset Packers 24-22
Live Updates: Giants Upset Packers 24-22 /
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The Green Bay Packers have won three consecutive games. The New York Giants have won two in a row and are coming off their bye. Who will win on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium? Follow along all night for updates.

FINAL: Giants 24, Packers 22

Randy Bullock booted a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game. After three consecutive short completions, the Giants made the play of the night. Wan’Dale Robinson used a killer move against Keisean Nixon to get wide open. Tommy DeVito was right on the money for a gain of 32 yards that included 18 yards after the catch to the Packers’ 22. Three consecutive runs by Saquon Barkley set the stage for Bullock, who split the uprights and snapped the Packers’ three-game winning streak.

HERE IS OUR GAME STORY.

Fourth Quarter

Packers 22, Giants 21 (1:33 remaining)

The Packers are in front on Malik Heath’s incredible 6-yard touchdown catch on third-and-goal. Heath caught the ball right at the goal line and got the ball to the line while being pushed out of bounds and taking out an official. Jayden Reed was stopped on the 2-point play.

On a do-or-die final drive that started from the New York 36, three consecutive runs by AJ Dillon gained one first down and Love’s 8-yard completion to Jayden Reed converted a third-and-4 to the Giants’ 8. On first down, Love gained a couple yards on what appeared to be a quarterback draw. On second down, Love maneuvered around the pocket before throwing a bullet to Malik Heath in the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown, but safety Jason Pinnock knocked it away from Heath, who was a bit lackadaisical after the grab; the ruling stood upon review. That made it third-and-goal from the 6 and Heath made amends with an incredible all-hands catch at the pylon.

Giants 21, Packers 16 (3:33 remaining)

Saquon Barkley broke two tackles and appeared on his way to put the game on ice with a 33-yard run. But he stumbled untouched to the turf and lost the ball at the 18. Carrington Valentine picked up the loose ball at the 14 and returned it 50 yards to the Giants’ 36 in an absolutely incredible turn of events.

Giants 21, Packers 16 (5:30 remaining)

A 43-yard catch and run by tight end Tucker Kraft, who broke a tackle for an additional 20 yards, put the Packers in scoring position. Another first down got Packers near the red zone but, on second-and-5, a jet-sweep-style flip to Jayden Reed lost 5 yards. Still, there was a chance for a touchdown but Jordan Love underthrew Samori Toure on third-and-10 and the pass was broken up. Anders Carlson booted the 48-yard field goal.

So, it will be up to the defense.

Giants 21, Packers 13 (8:59 remaining)

The Packers got a desperately needed three-and-out. Green Bay’s pass rush, which should have been a major weapon against the Giants, hasn’t had a sack but Kenny Clark’s late pressure forced a throwaway.

Giants 21, Packers 13 (10:42 remaining)

In a must-score drive, the Packers finally got something going. But it was all for nothing. On first down from the 18, a double-reverse to Jayden Reed didn’t fool a soul and resulted in a loss of 1. On second down, Jordan Love had to move out of the pocket and fired to Samori Toure, who was open but ran out of real estate in the end zone. On third down, defensive end Azeez Ojulai stormed around left tackle Rasheed Walker and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence steamrolled right guard Jon Runyan for a sack. Anders Carlson, who had made all three kicks with minimal room to spare, was left all the way on a 45-yard field goal.

Third Quarter

Giants 21, Packers 13 (1:28 remaining)

As we noted earlier, the Packers are in deep trouble. Isaiah Hodgins beat Carrington Valentine for an 8-yard touchdown catch from Tommy DeVito, who is completely outplaying Jordan Love. On third-and-9 to open the drive, DeVito had a month of Sundays before finding tight end Daniel Bellinger open in the flat for a first down. DeVito followed with a 13-yard run and a 25-yard completion to Wan’Dale Robinson on a flea-flicker despite good coverage by De’Vondre Campbell.

DeVito has 170 total yards. By percentage, he was the most-sacked quarterback in the league. The Packers haven’t sacked him yet. Whenever he feels pressure, he’s been able to escape the pocket with ease.

Giants 14, Packers 13 (7:31 remaining)

The Packers were gifted the most golden of opportunities when the Giants muffed the punt and Rudy Ford recovered at the Giants’ 14. However, the Packers managed only a 32-yard field goal by Anders Carlson. On second-and-5, Kayvon Thibodeaux beat Zach Tom for a sack. On third-and-10, Jayden Reed was open but never saw the ball. As Reed looked left and right, the ball hit the turf. The frustration is evident. Can the young Packers figure it out?

Giants 14, Packers 10 (9:05 remaining)

The Packers are in deep trouble, no matter what the scoreboard says, because their offense is terrible. On second down, AJ Dillon got knocked down on a screen. Dillon got up and caught the ball but lost 10 yards. On third-and-17, Jordan Love was almost intercepted. However, Daniel Whelan’s punt hit veteran safety Bobby McCain, setting up the offense in the red zone.

Giants 14, Packers 10 (11:22 remaining)

The Packers’ third turnover of the night has put them in a hole. Quarterback Tommy DeVito gained 26 yards on a keeper, with safety Darnell Savage whiffing on the tackle attempt, to set up Saquon Barkley’s 1-yard touchdown run in which he broke De’Vondre Campbell’s tackle attempt around the 2.

Packers 10, Giants 7 (13:05 remaining)

The Packers forced a three-and-out to start the second half, with Kenny Clark stuffing Saquon Barkley on third-and-1, but Keisean Nixon muffed the left-footed punter Jamie Gillan’s punt, picked it up and had it knocked loose. The Giants recovered at Green Bay’s 31.

Halftime

Packers 10, Giants 7

Jordan Love had a miserable first half, looking nothing like the red-hot quarterback he’d been the previous three games. While he was 13-of-20 passing, it was for 116 yards. He threw one interception and fumbled once.

Green Bay’s defense gave up one scoring drive but that was it. On that 75-yard touchdown drive, the Giants had five first downs. Otherwise, they gained three first downs and 53 yards.

Second Quarter

Packers 10, Giants 7 (13 seconds remaining)

Anders Carlson’s 36-yard field goal snuck just inside the upright to give the Packers a halftime lead. The big play came on third-and-8, when Cor’Dale Flott tackled Jayden Reed for pass interference and a gain of 27. Patrick Taylor gained 14 on a draw in which he broke a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Taylor caught a ball in the flat and had a chance to get out of bounds with ease. Instead, he inexplicably took the ball inside. That forced the Packers to burn a timeout. On the next play, Romeo Doubs’ bobble cost the Packers a first down at the 11.

Packers 7, Giants 7 (2:45 remaining)

Jordan Love’s second turnover of the night was a horrendous interception, a lollipop throw to Dontayvion Wicks that was grabbed with ease by safety Jason Pinnock. Wicks was grabbed by Cor’Dale Flott for a split-second but it had no bearing on the play. Green Bay’s defense, however, forced a three-and-out. Rashan Gary’s pressure on third-and-3 saved the day, because Saquon Barkley was wide open at the sideline.

A big possession awaits the Packers with the 2-minute warning approaching; New York will get the ball to start the second half.

Packers 7, Giants 7 (5:06 remaining)

No Quay Walker, no problem. On fourth-and-1, the Giants lined up in an old-school full-house backfield and ran a perimeter to run to the right. Outside linebacker Preston Smith drove one of the blockers, Mark Glowinski, into the backfield to set the edge. Inside linebacker Eric Wilson, getting some snaps with Walker in active, shot forward and stopped Saquon Barkley short of the marker. The Packers will take over at the Giants’ 49.

Packers 7, Giants 7 (7:41 remaining)

The Packers were in scoring position, thanks to a big-time catch by Dontayvion Wicks for a spinning gain of 19. However, on third-and-2, Jordan Love looked a bit tentative on a keeper, was stopped short of the first down and had the ball ripped out by Kayvon Thibodeaux. Love was ruled down but Giants coach Brian Daboll won the challenge. Turnovers were one of the big reasons to worry this week and the Giants have struck first.

Green Bay had no giveaways during the three-game winning streak; Love hadn’t lost a fumble all season.

Packers 7, Giants 7 (11:55 remaining)

The Giants wasted no time in answering, looking a lot like a real NFL offense in cruising down the field. The last four plays: 14-yard pass in which Darnell Savage’s open-field tackle prevented a real big play, a 10-yard scramble in which Tommy DeVito avoided Karl Brooks, a 32-yard run by Wan’Dale Robinson out of wildcat and a 5-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley in which the left side of the Giants’ line and pulling “tight end” Mark Glowinski leveled three defenders.

First Quarter

Packers 7, Giants 0 (1:01 remaining)

The Packers entered the game rolling on offense but there will be growing pains. On fourth-and-1 near midfield, the Packers kept the offense on the field. Jordan Love threw a short pass to Dontayvion Wicks but Wicks didn’t run his route to the first-down marker and he was pushed out of bounds seemingly short of the line to gain. Just as ABC’s rules expert was explaining that Wicks was short, the ruling was changed and Wicks was given the first down.

That jump-started everything. On the next play, Jordan Love threw a checkdown to running back AJ Dillon, who sidestepped one defender, stiff-armed another and plowed through a third for a gain of 35 that included 28 after the catch. One play later, Jayden Reed waltzed into the end zone with a 16-yard touchdown run. Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux was caught flat-footed on the jet-sweep-style run and it was clear sailing.

Packers 0, Giants 0 (4:52 remaining)

Talk about flipping field position. The Giants started at their 32. After a run for 5 by Wan’Dale Robinson and a false start, De’Vondre Campbell ruined a screen to Robinson and tackled Saquon Barkley well short of the marker on a checkdown. Randy Bullock’s 48-yard field goal was wide right. Not only are the Giants terrible on offense, they’re 31st in field-goal accuracy. So, it will be Green Bay’s ball at its 38 after starting at the 7 on its last drive.

Packers 0, Giants 0 (7:09 remaining)

The Packers went three-and-out. On third-and-5, Love extended the play a bit and air-mailed one to running back AJ Dillon. The Giants will have great field position with a short punt and kick-catch interference on Rudy Ford. In fact, they’re already in field-goal range.

Packers 0, Giants 0 (8:50 remaining)

The Packers gave up two first downs, including on a phantom pass-interference penalty against Carrington Valentine, but stiffened. On second-and-5, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie sprinted into the backfield and dropped Saquon Barkley for a loss of 3. On third down, Tommy DeVito had Wan’Dale Robinson open against Keisean Nixon at Green Bay’s 35 but led him too far.

The Packers will start in the hole after rookie safety Anthony Johnson was flagged for a blindside block after leveling the Giants’ gunner. Green Bay has three penalties in the first 6 minutes – one on offense, defense and special teams.

Packers 0, Giants 0 (12:11 remaining)

The Packers won the toss and took the aggressive approach, like they did on Thanksgiving at Detroit. After a quick first down, the drive stalled. On second-and-3, Jordan Love’s quick pass to Romeo Doubs led him too far. On third-and-3, despite an excellent blitz pickup by AJ Dillon, Love’s pass to the sideline was too far in front of Dontayvion Wicks.

Scoreboard Streak

The Packers enter Monday having allowed 24 or fewer points in eight consecutive games. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers (nine) have a longer current streak.

For Green Bay, that’s its longest streak since a nine-game run during the Super Bowl season of 2010.

So, while Green Bay’s defense is mediocre in most of the important stats – 19th in total defense, 21st in sack percentage and 25th on third down – it’s No. 9 in points allowed.

“You can spin statistics 1,000 different ways. To me, the biggest stat is the frickin’ scoreboard when the clock hits zero,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “Of course, the situational statistics are huge – red zone, third down. Obviously, everyone talks about you’ve got to stop the run, you’ve got to win on third down, you’ve got to win in the red zone.

“But the No. 1 stat in football is at the end of the game, they have one less point than you have, so that’s the most important.”

Big Test for Left Tackle Rotation

The Packers have been rotating their left tackles for a big chunk of the season, with Rasheed Walker starting but veteran Yosh Nijman getting some opportunities, as well.

Does coach Matt LaFleur have to rethink that plan against Giants star Kayvon Thibodeaux, who ranks among the NFL leaders with 11 sacks and has seven sacks in five home games?

“Not necessarily,” LaFleur said. “I would say this, too: Pass-rushers, they get a feel for linemen. When they face different ones, it can throw them off a little bit, too. Thibodeaux is obviously a great player, a guy we absolutely have to make sure we take care of (and) make sure we do whatever we can so he doesn’t wreck the game. He can be a real game-wrecker.”

Jordan Love
Jordan Love gets warmed up before facing the Giants :: Photo by Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports Images

The Quarterbacks

Packers quarterback Jordan Love has four games of three-plus touchdown passes and 100-plus passer ratings this season. Only Dallas’ Dak Prescott (five) has more.

Since Week 9, he’s second in the NFL in touchdown passes, third in yards and fourth in passer rating. Entering this week's games, Love and Prescott were the only quarterbacks to have thrown multiple touchdown passes, no interceptions and a completion percentage of 65-plus in three consecutive games.

Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito won two of his first three starts. Going back to 1967, that’s the second-most wins for an undrafted rookie in his first three starts; Pittsburgh’s Devlin Hodges and Washington’s Ed Rubbert are the only players to win their first three starts.

He’s played in five games. His debut was a disaster – 2-of-7 for minus-1 yard in a 13-10 loss to the Jets. The next week, a 30-6 loss to the Raiders, he threw two interceptions. In his first career start, a 49-17 loss to the Cowboys, he was 14-of-27 passing for just 86 yards.

However, like with Love, he enters the game on a bit of a roll.

“It’s kind of a tale of two different guys,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “I know as of late, he played fairly well and found a way to win games vs. Washington and vs. New England. This league is crazy. You’ve got to come to work every single day and prepare.

“I tell you guys all the time, you have starters and you have starters in waiting, and we preach it all the time. Those guys take advantage of their opportunities and this kid, he’s done some good things. He’s battled, he’s fought, he’s just found ways to win games, at least the last two weeks.”

Packers-Giants Inactives

Four key players are out for the Packers, including running back Aaron Jones, who will miss a third consecutive game with a knee injury. AJ Dillon will start, Patrick Taylor will be the backup and veteran Kenyan Drake will make his Packers debut.

Packers-Giants Pregame Vitals

Date and time: Monday, 7:15 p.m.

Location: MetLife Stadium

TV: ABC (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters)

Stream: fuboTV offers more than 100 channels and a free trial.

Radio: Packers Radio Network (Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren), Westwood One (Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner) and SiriusXM 85, 228 or SiriusXM.us/PackersSXM

The line: The Packers are 5.5-point favorites at SI Sportsbook. It dropped a point when NFL Network reported that Aaron Jones likely would not play.

Packers-Giants: Three Reasons for Optimism

Packers-Giants: Three Reasons to Worry


Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.