Aaron Rodgers throws 5 TD passes, Packers gash Raiders 42-24

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers gave the rest of the NFL its first true glimpse of what Matt LaFleur’s offense can look like with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.

And it was scary.

Rodgers had his best game by far under the new Packers coach, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns and running for another as Green Bay beat the Oakland Raiders 42-24 on Sunday.

Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes to eight different targets and finished with the first perfect passer rating of his career, leading LaFleur’s offense to a season high in points.

“A lot of times that ball leaves his hand, I’m always like in awe. So, yeah, he’s pretty good,” LaFleur said of the two-time MVP.

Even with top target Davante Adams sidelined for the third straight game with turf toe, Rodgers threw for his most touchdowns in a game since Sept. 28, 2015, against the Chiefs.


“Yeah, I think this was the most complete that I’ve played,” Rodgers said. “I felt good about the timing. There was a lot of balls thrown on time, and obviously the line played fantastic.”

Derek Carr finished 22-for-28 for 293 yards, two touchdowns and two costly turnovers for the Raiders (3-3), who lost their eighth straight against Green Bay, dating back to 1990. The Packers (6-1) have scored 30-plus points in each of their last five games against the Raiders.

“Carr was rolling,” Oakland coach Jon Gruden said. “We were rolling offensively today. It was an offensive game. We just had a couple turnovers and they finished some drives.”

Green Bay took the lead for good on a 2-yard touchdown from Rodgers to Jamal Williams with 3:27 to go in the first half. The score capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive that took up 8:06 — the Packers’ longest drive of the season — and made it 14-10.

Carr put the Raiders in position to retake the lead with a 48-yard completion down the middle to Waller, giving Oakland first and goal at the 3. On second down, as Carr scrambled for the pylon, Blake Martinez forced a fumble and the ball went through the end zone for a touchback.


“I’ll have to look at it again. I think he’s trying to give a great effort, trying to lay out for the score,” Gruden said of Carr on the play. “I think the ball slipped out of his hands. If he would have scored, we would have felt pretty good. But, unfortunately, after that play, the next time we got the ball we were down 28-10. We were going in to make it 17-14 Raiders. That was a big play in the game.”

Rodgers made Oakland pay, finding Jake Kumerow for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 21-10 at halftime.

The Raiders had seven penalties for 87 yards in the first half. They finished with eight penalties for 97 yards.

Rodgers opened the second half with a 59-yard completion to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Four plays later, Rodgers crossed the goal line on a 3-yard run.

“Collectively, we didn’t get enough push up front,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “We didn’t get in (Rodgers’) face enough. We have to get to the quarterback to help our guys out on the back end.”

Crosby had Oakland’s lone sack on the day.

Carr and Waller connected on a 7-yard score to cut the Green Bay lead to 28-17.

Jimmy Graham got into the action, scoring his third touchdown of the season on a 3-yard pass from Rodgers before the end of the third.

Kevin King picked off Carr in the end zone with 8:09 to play. That led to Rodgers’ sixth score of the day, a 74-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who finished with the two catches for 133 yards. Valdes-Scantling was a game-time decision after suffering knee and ankle injuries on Monday night against the Lions. Geronimo Allison, who was also listed as questionable, had four catches for 33 yards.

“We had a lot of guys step up, specifically Marquez and G-mo,” LaFleur said. “Shoot, two days ago, we didn’t even know if they were going to play, and I thought those guys came and put together gritty performances.”


Mike Glennon relieved Carr late in the fourth and found Waller for a 17-yard score for the Raiders, whose winning streak ended at two games. Oakland fell to 3-14 following a bye since 2003.

HOMECOMING

Raiders rookie fullback Alec Ingold, a Green Bay native, returned home. Ingold played his college ball at Wisconsin and is a 2014 graduate of nearby Bay Port High School.

“It is pretty special,” Ingold said. “The one thing about coming back home is that I hope to inspire some kids that are going through the same thing I was going through. Not a lot of people make it from Green Bay, so if there are some kids that push a little bit harder and follow their dreams a little bit more, then that is what it is all about.”

INJURIES

Packers: DL Kenny Clark left the game in the second quarter with a shin injury but returned shortly after.

UP NEXT

Raiders: At Houston next Sunday.

Packers: At Kansas City next Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Only four players in 100 years have won six NFL titles

Tom Brady will soon slip on his sixth Super Bowl ring, and Herb Adderley is the only other player on the planet who can relate to that level of success in the National Football League, which celebrates its 100th season this year.

“It’s going to be a long time, another 100 years, before somebody wins himself six titles,” suggested Adderley, the Hall of Fame cornerback for Vince Lombardi’s great Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s.

“Because of all the free agency and guys jumping around from team to team, you’re not going to be on one team long enough and you’re not going to be lucky enough to be with a team every year that’s going to win a championship.”

Adderley, who turns 80 next month, won five championships in Green Bay, including the first two Super Bowls, plus another with Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys in 1971, as did Hall of Fame lineman Forrest Gregg, who died last month at age 85.

Their Green Bay teammate, offensive lineman Fuzzy Thurston, who died in 2014, won all six of his titles with Lombardi and the Packers just as Brady has won each of his half dozen rings in New England with coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick reminds Adderley a lot of Lombardi.

“The teams are fundamentally sound and they play with discipline,” Adderley said. “And if you get a team that can do that week after week after week and you have good players, you’re going to win.”

Adderley, who just celebrated his 22-year-old cousin Nasir Adderley’s selection in the NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, won his six rings in a 12-year span.

“You look at all the great players that never played on a championship team that went to the Hall of Fame like Gale Sayers and Deacon Jones, one of my classmates when in 1980 when I went in,” Adderley said. “There are just so many guys that deserved just one Super Bowl title and then I end up with six, which was half of my career.

“I played 12 years and six times to be an NFL champion, I mean, that’s mind blowing.”

Thurston won his six titles over a 10-year span, Gregg over a 15-year career and Brady has won his six rings over a 19-year career. He’ll be 42 this summer as he enters his 20th season. Gregg retired at 38, Thurston at 34 and Adderley at 33.


Gregg was the first man to play and coach in the Super Bowl. He took the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl during the 1981 season when they lost 26-21 to Joe Montana and the 49ers.

Gregg died last month after a long fight with Parkinson’s, a disease his neurologist and family believe might have been triggered by countless concussions he sustained while playing football in the 1950s at SMU and in the NFL from 1956-71 during a Hall of Fame career that led Lombardi to call him “the finest football player I ever coached.”

“Aw man, I was with him for nine years in Green Bay and then we were teammates in Dallas,” Adderley said. “For 10 years we were teammates and we were the best of friends, I’m telling you. They had a grading system where offensive linemen would be graded on pass blocking and run blocking and every week Forrest Gregg was the only one that ended up with a 100 on both run and pass, and if he didn’t, it would be 95.

“Other guys on that line in the Hall of Fame, Jim Ringo and Jerry Kramer — and Fuzzy Thurston wasn’t a bad lineman, either — but those guys didn’t end up with the same grades as Forrest Gregg. That’s why Lombardi said he was the best that he’d ever coached.”

While he believes it might take another century for the four-man club to expand to five, Adderley concedes that Brady might very well become the first player to win seven NFL championships.

“Oh yes, indeed. He has a shot at it as long as he plays,” Adderley said. “As far as I’m concerned, because of the titles that he’s won, he’s the best quarterback to play. And Bill Belichick gets a lot of credit because of the system that he has. He brings in guys that fit in that system. It doesn’t matter who it is, Brady’s going to hit the open man.”

Adderley, who lives outside Philadelphia, said Lombardi’s teams may have won all their titles in a shorter span than Belichick has won his championships in New England but the similarities are striking: both dynasties are marked by sidestepping boneheaded plays and calls that their opponents just can’t avoid.

“There would be games and seasons that we wouldn’t make any mistakes to beat ourselves,” Adderley said. “Of course, everybody makes mistakes, even the scientists — they use pencils with erasers on the end because everybody’s going to make mistakes now and then. But we didn’t make enough to beat ourselves and other teams either we forced them to make mistakes or they just lacked discipline.

“So, that’s the key, if you are fundamentally sound and play with discipline, you’re going to be in the running to win. And I think that as long as Brady and Belichick are there, Brady’s going to have a chance to get No. 7,” Adderley said.

“And as long as he keeps going, our names will always be mentioned: Thurston, Gregg and myself.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Brady, Patriots beat Rodgers, Packers

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady threw for 294 yards and a touchdown, and James White ran for two scores to lead the New England Patriots to a 31-17 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

It was the sixth straight victory for the Patriots (7-2).


Rodgers completed 24 of 43 passes and two touchdowns in his second career matchup with Brady.

It was 17-all late in the third quarter when Aaron Jones fumbled for Green Bay (3-4-1).

New England receiver Julian Edelman hit White on a 37-yard catch-and-run to set up White’s second score, a 1-yard run. On the Patriots next possession, Brady connected with Josh Gordon for a 55-yard TD.

Gordon caught four passes for 115 yards, the 12th 100-yard receiving game of his career.

With tight end Rob Gronkowski out with a back and ankle injury and leading rusher Sony Michel out for the second straight week with a knee issue, Brady and the Patriots had to get creative.

They again turned to receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to help carry the load in the backfield.

Patterson was effective for the second straight week, rushing 11 times for 61 yards and touchdown . He worked in tandem with White to keep the Packers defense guessing. White took advantage and found space to turn short completions into first downs.

New England also capitalized on a pair of long flea-flicker passes to set up scores.

Rodgers was on target in the first half. He was elusive in the pocket and extended plays with his feet, keeping the Patriots’ secondary off balance long enough to create space downfield or some big gains.

The longest was a 51-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the third quarter that helped set up Rodgers’ 15-yard TD pass to Jimmy Graham that tied the game at 17. But the pocket got smaller in the second half as the Patriots defense sped him up, hitting him six times and sacking him once.

Brady completed 16 of his first 22 passes but had seven straight incompletions in the third quarter — the most of his career.

There wasn’t a turnover in the game until Green Bay’s Jones was stripped by Lawrence Guy early in the fourth quarter. The fumble was recovered by Stephon Gilmore on the Patriots’ 24.

New England quickly capitalized, using four straight completions by Brady and a 37-yard pass from Julian Edelman to get to the Packers’ 2. White scored from a yard out two plays later to put the Patriots back in front 24-17.

The Patriots’ defense tightened on Green Bay’s next drive. It culminated on third down when Adrian Clayborn and Trey Flowers dropped Rodgers for a 9-yard sack and forcing a punt.

It proved costly.

On just the third play of the ensuing drive Brady found Gordon over the middle. Packers cornerback Tramon Williams had a shot at a tackle, but whiffed, springing Gordon for a 55-yard touchdown to push the lead to 31-17.

EJECTION

Packers safety Jermaine Whitehead was ejected in the second quarter.

Whitehead was trading shoves with Patriots center David Andrews when second year defensive back from Auburn spun around and slapped Andrews in the face.

He was called for unnecessary roughness and tossed. Whitehead was the replacement for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was traded to the Washington Redskins last week.

INJURIES

Packers: WR Geronimo Allison was inactive for the Packers with a groin injury. He was a key contributor in the passing game before missing two weeks with a hamstring issue. … Starting RT Bryan Buluga left the game in the first half with a knee injury and did not return. … CB Kevin King left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return. … S Kentrell Brice left in the third quarter with a knee injury.

PHOTO OPP

The Boston Red Sox continued their World Series championship celebration with a pregame, on-field appearance.

Team owner John Henry, manager Alex Cora and several players including World Series MVP Steve Pearce, J.D. Martinez and Brock Holt stood atop a duck boat hosting their championship trophy as they were driven onto the field before kickoff.

Cora greeted Patriots team owner Robert Kraft and others, and also took a photo with Brady.

UP NEXT

Packers: Visit Miami next week.

Patriots: At Tennessee next week.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NFL: Aaron Rodgers returns from injury, Packers beat Bears

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Slowed by a sore knee, Aaron Rodgers picked up the pace behind center.

Remarkably, the two-time NFL MVP was more effective against the Chicago Bears after returning from what initially looked like a serious injury.

The hobbling quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter after returning from injury, and the Green Bay Packers overcame a 20-point deficit for a thrilling 24-23 win over the Bears on Sunday night.

Rodgers connected with receiver Randall Cobb for a catch-and-run through the secondary for a 75-yard touchdown and the go-ahead score with 2:13 left in the game.

“You’ve seen it time and time again. That guy’s a warrior,” Cobb said.

Rodgers was hurt in the second quarter after slipping to the turf while under pressure from linebacker Khalil Mack and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris. The lineman landed on Rodgers, who grabbed the back of his left leg. He had ACL surgery on his left knee in college.

Rodgers was carted back to the locker room. Doctors determined he did not suffer a major injury and cleared him to return in the second half.

The Packers had to make a slight adjustment with their normally mobile quarterback limited to the pocket.

“Got to get the ball out. Can’t be moving around a whole lot back there,” Rodgers said. “And we did a good job mixing things up in the second half with some of our quicker-hitter stuff and actually some of our more vertical stuff, too.”


Rodgers also had touchdown passes to Geronimo Allison (39 yards) and Davante Adams (12 yards) in completing the rally from a 20-0 deficit with 9:14 to go in the third quarter.

Rodgers finished 20 of 30 for 286 yards, including 17 of 23 for 273 yards in the second half.

“Obviously, that’s a tough one for us. It stings,” coach Matt Nagy said after his Bears debut.

MACK ATTACK: A Chicago defense featuring newly acquired star linebacker Khalil Mack dominated until the third quarter. Mack had a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown against backup quarterback DeShone Kizer in the second. He had a strip-sack that led to another turnover. He had pressure in the backfield on a play in which Rodgers hurt his left knee.

This from a player who missed the entire preseason. The Bears acquired Mack last week in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.

“I prepared all offseason for the first game of the season and I wanted to … make an impact,” Mack said. “But you want to win these games. That’s the only thing on my mind. I hate losing.”

FAST START: An offensive-minded coach, Nagy had the aggressive Bears’ offense pushing the Packers around the field in the first half. Mitchell Trubisky was 23 of 35 for 171 yards. He also ran for 32 yards on seven carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. It turned out to be the only offensive touchdown the Bears would score all night. The Packers’ defense, in new coordinator Mike Pettine’s first game, held the Bears to two field goals in the second half.

“You know we talked about finishing and we didn’t do that,” Nagy said.

COMEBACK COMPLETE: Nick Perry sacked the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky on fourth-and-10 with 58 seconds to complete the comeback. It was memorable start to the Packers’ 100th season. Sunday marked the first time in franchise history that the Packers won after trailing by 17-plus points entering the fourth quarter, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

MORE RODGERS: Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he was prepared to go with Kizer to start the second half until getting the word from the team doctor in the tunnel.

“His performance speaks for itself,” McCarthy said.

Rodgers said he knee was swollen after the game. The Packers plan to run more tests on their QB on Monday, though Rodgers seems very optimistic to about his availability for next week’s game against Minnesota.

“No, I’m planning on playing,” Rodgers said.

OTHER DEBUTS: Chicago’s Allen Robinson had four catches for 61 yards on seven targets in his debut as the Bears’ top receiver. … TE Jimmy Graham had two catches for eight yards on four targets after joining the Packers as a free agent in the offseason from the Seattle Seahawks.

source: sports.inquirer.net

With Rodgers sidelined, Bears beat Packers 27-20

GREEN BAY — The Chicago Bears have a better insurance policy than Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Josh McCown, playing in place of the injured Jay Cutler, threw for two touchdowns Monday  night (Tuesday, PHL time) as the Bears won 27-20 and ended a six-game skid to their NFC North rivals. The loss snapped Green Bay's four-game winning streak, but the far larger concern is the health of Rodgers, who hurt his left (non-throwing) shoulder when he was sacked on the first series by Shea McClellin.

Rodgers took a few warm-up throws with back-up Seneca Wallace but, after being examined by medical staff, ran into the Green Bay locker room. He wasn't seen again until midway through the third quarter, when he came back onto the field in sweats. Though he waved to fans with his right hand, and didn't appear to be wearing a brace, he kept his left hand jammed in his pocket.



"He has a shoulder injury," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "They want to run more tests. They don't have an exact diagnosis. We'll have more information, probably tomorrow."

Pressed for more information, McCarthy insisted there wasn't any.

"No timeline, no exact diagnosis," he said. "That's where we're at."

Alshon Jeffery had five catches for 60 yards, including a six-yard grab for the go-ahead touchdown at the end of the third quarter. Brandon Marshall, largely shut down in two games against Green Bay last year, had seven catches for 107 yards and a score. Matt Forte ran for 125 yards and a TD, and also had 54 yards receiving for the Bears, who pulled into a three-way tie for first in the NFC North with Green Bay and Detroit. All are 5-3.

The loss spoiled another big night by Green Bay rookie Eddie Lacy, who ran for 150 yards and a touchdown.

"It'd be hard to find one better than this," said McCown, who was coaching high school when the Bears signed him two years ago. "They're all special, but this is really neat because it means so much to our team."

Green Bay has been hit hard by injuries, with James Jones (knee) returning Monday night after a two-game absence and sackmaster Clay Matthews (thumb) and tight end Jermichael Finley still out. Wide receiver Randall Cobb (leg) is also on the injured list-designated to return, and offensive lineman T.J. Lang (concussion) and linebacker Andy Mulumba (ankle) left the game.

But there are injuries and then there are INJURIES, and a hurt Aaron Rodgers is Green Bay's ultimate nightmare.

With the 2011 NFL MVP almost as durable as predecessor Brett Favre — he hasn't missed a game due to injury since December 19, 2010 — the back-up quarterback has been little more than an afterthought in Green Bay.

"Aaron's a huge part of our offense," McCarthy said. "This is a thing that's been built over time with Aaron as the centerpiece. I don't think it's realistic to put anyone in there and expect him to perform [like Rodgers].”

But as the Bears know all too well, insurance policies are worth every penny when you need them.

After a series of forgettable backups under Lovie Smith — Caleb Hanie or Jonathan Quinn, anyone? — the Bears signed McCown when Cutler was hurt two years ago. He played well enough then to stick around, and his familiarity with his receivers and coach Marc Trestman's system was evident. McCown may not have been dazzling, going 22-for-41 for 272 yards. But he mixed his passes effectively to Marshall, Jeffery and Forte, and Forte ran roughshod on the Green Bay defense.

"You understand the nature of the game and the impact that [Rodgers] has on the game," McCown said. "So when that player's not on the field, your odds of winning probably increase."

Better yet, McCown didn't do anything to hurt the Bears, which is more than Wallace can say.

Wallace hadn't played a game since the 2011 season finale, and the rust was evident. He was intercepted on his very first series by Julius Peppers and was sacked twice, once by Peppers and once by McClellin. The Packers had a second-and-goal from the Bears 5 late in the third quarter and were forced to settle for Mason Crosby's 23-yard field goal after Wallace overthrew James Jones and Andrew Quarless. Green Bay would get no further than the Bears 39 the rest of the game.

Wallace finished 11-of-19 for 114 yards.

"Seneca, he needs to perform better and he'll definitely do that with a week of practice," McCarthy said. - AP

source: gmanetwork.com