GREEN BAY, Wis. – Live by the turnover, die by the turnover.
Usually.
The Green Bay Packers entered Sunday’s game against the Texans an NFL-best plus-9 in turnovers. They were minus-3 against Houston but won, anyway, 24-22.
“It’s hard to overcome losing the turnover battle by three in this league; I don’t know if we’ve ever done that and still come out and find a way to win the game,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
The Packers were minus-3 or worse in turnovers just three times under LaFleur. The first time was Week 6 of the 2019 season, when the Packers were minus-3 against the Lions but won on a walk-off field by Mason Crosby.
Giving away the ball as if it’s Halloween candy but not taking it away like a neighborhood bully with a sweet tooth is usually a sure recipe for losing. Teams that were minus-3 or worse this season were 0-10. Last year, they were 4-44. In 2022, they were 1-37.
On the first possession, Jordan Love telegraphed a third-down pass to Dontayvion Wicks and was intercepted. The Texans took possession at Green Bay’s 11 but managed only a field goal.
Early in the second quarter, Keisean Nixon failed to field a punt. The ball bounced off Corey Ballentine, and the Texans once against took possession at Green Bay’s 11. This time, Joe Mixon scored and Houston was up 10-7.
Late in the first half, Love overthrew Christian Watson and was intercepted again. Starting at their 45, Mixon’s second touchdown run of the day put the Texans in front 19-14 just before halftime.
After three turnovers, the Packers were fortunate to even be in the game.
“Got to give the Texans a ton of credit,” LaFleur said. “I know they were shorthanded defensively today. They absolutely kicked our ass.”
Green Bay’s offense was inefficient through most of the second half. But at least it didn’t give the Texans any more freebies.
The Packers desperately need to find some type of happy place between Love’s big-time plays but big-time mistakes. Even while missing two games, Love is going to be no worse than second in the NFL with 15 touchdown passes through Week 7. On the other hand, he likely will have the dubious league lead with eight interceptions.
If you’re looking for Love to pull back on his aggressive nature, forget about it.
“You just got to play the game. You’ve got to go out there and play it,” he said. “You can’t try and not be aggressive and take checkdowns all day. You’ve got to be out there and be aggressive and go win those games. I’m always going to play the way I play, and learn from mistakes, and grow from them.”
LaFleur had Love’s back, though he noted the “quarterback’s No. 1 job” is to avoid turnovers.
The Packers won the game, anyway. While great teams don’t make stupid mistakes, great teams also find ways to win when they don’t play their best game.
No takeaways? No problem.
“That was a playoff matchup right there,” running back Josh Jacobs said. “That’s a good team on the other side of the ball. In all phases, we knew it was going to be a battle. We didn’t make it easy on ourselves, but it feels good when you don’t play your best and you still come out and get a win.”
The defense limited star Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to just 10-of-21 passing for 86 yards. The maligned pass rush came to play with four sacks.
“I thought we just put immense pressure on him,” LaFleur said.
Star receiver Stefon Diggs was a nonfactor with five catches for 23 yards.
Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards, but Green Bay limited him to 34 yards on 14 attempts in the second half.
Punter Daniel Whelan had a sensational day with a 56.8-yard average on five punts and the game-saving hold on the final play.
And Love, for his big blunders, also delivered the big plays. His 14-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft was the equivalent of a 100-mph fastball. His 30-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks was perfectly thrown.
And when it was time to win the game, Love drove the Packers into position for Brandon McManus’ game-winning field goal.
With that, the Packers managed to win a game they probably should have won with relative ease, considering the Texans’ injury report.
But a win’s a win, and this one should pay some big-picture dividends.
“I think it can build a lot of confidence,” LaFleur said. “You can never take winning for granted in this league. As sloppy as some of the play was out there today, I loved the effort of our guys, the resiliency of our guys. The ability to respond to some adversity I think is huge. Obviously, that’s a playoff-caliber football team – I think one of the best teams in the league. We’ll never apologize for winning.”
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One of #Packers QB Jordan Love’s best traits as a leader is his poise. He plays an unpredictable style of football but his emotions are predictable and steady.@JoeyVZ_ on Love’s game-winning drive. ⬇️https://t.co/wmu0LGbR2w
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 20, 2024
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