The turning point in Sunday’s 34-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals came during a wild three-play stretch midway through the second quarter with the Green Bay Packers ahead 17-0.
The progression of the penalty, kick and touchdown turned what could have been a close game at halftime into a legitimate blowout.
After the Packers forced a three-and-out, Jayden Reed fielded a punt, broke a tackle, then fumbled the ball, apparently leading to a turnover that would have given the Cardinals the ball at the 23 line Green Bay yards and a chance to cut the lead to 17-7.
Instead, officials called for compensatory penalties, so the Cardinals kicked again. The Packers inserted Keisean Nixon to return the punt, and he ran 39 yards to the Arizona 44-yard line.
On the Packers’ first play of the ensuing series, quarterback Jordan Love hit receiver Christian Watson on a 44-yard touchdown pass that put Green Bay up 24–0.
“That was a big turning point in the game that kind of put the game back in our hands,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game.
On the touchdown pass, LaFleur said the Packers chose a play from a previous game plan — not the one scheduled for Sunday — and executed it perfectly. The adjustment was made after the Packers saw the Cardinals play a certain type of coverage against a certain route combination. LaFleur proposed the change, and it caused Watson to get open deep against a single safety.
https://twitter.com/BCarwile_NFL/status/1845628035979989476
The Packers suddenly led 24-0. The Cardinals scored 10 straight points to end the first half and actually struck first to open the third quarter, but the Packers got three-and-outs and 10 straight points in the second half to seal the deal.
Receiving a second opportunity on special teams via penalty, the Packers created an explosive comeback with their All-Pro returner. And as players so often like to do after turnovers, LaFleur dialed in a shot from midcourt after the putback. The result was a dagger game for the Packers in a comfortable home victory Sunday at Lambeau Field.
